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Let students take the wheel sometimes
In my work as a 10th-grade social studies teacher, I’ve found that fostering student agency — allowing students some choices and control over how their day goes — increases engagement.
Here are some ways that a classroom teacher can encourage...
Three informal assessment options
Sometimes, informal assessments can be more meaningful and less anxiety-provoking than traditional tests for students. Three informal assessments I use in my high school chemistry classes are 10-Point Bingo, a whiteboard activity and “I Can”...
Make connections with hexagonal thinking
How do you teach elaboration, “adding on” and targeted vocabulary without making student discussion feel forced? Enter hexagonal thinking.
Shedding light on a crisis
According to a 2021 survey of city educators, just slightly more than half of us teach students about climate change, and those who do only address it for about two hours per year. A group of dedicated educators is trying to shift that paradigm...
Important tips to help manage your classroom
New teachers may erroneously believe that effective classroom management comes from being stern and no-nonsense. But veteran educators know that there are better ways to establish a calm classroom. Here are some tips.
Attaining National Board certification
Officially known as the second differential (C6 + PD), most members achieve the salary differential with the highest pay scale by taking 30 course credits beyond their bachelor’s and master’s degrees. But a lesser-known path to the top differential...
Building relationships with your students
I have developed five simple strategies for building genuine and affectionate relationships with my students quickly and efficiently early in the school year.
Linking home and school
Our students, especially those at diverse schools, need to feel like they belong in the school community. I developed a museum unit for my 4th-graders that embeds lessons on cultural awareness into our social studies and writing curricula.
New reading curricula for city schools
In a major reset, New York City is overhauling how reading is taught in early childhood and elementary school settings in public schools throughout the city. Over the next two years, elementary schools will be required to adopt one of three evidence...
Reimagining homework assignments
How often should we assign homework? How much homework should we give? How much should we weigh homework when we calculate grades? Or should we even assign homework? Hear educators who have grappled with these questions.