A teacher’s guide to planning a high-interest, engaging writing project Three years ago an eighth grade class of mine had a blog project called “Dear Terrorist” where students researched their topics and wrote letters to anyone considering (or participating in) a decision that could harm themselves or others. One girl wrote an open letter to
This is part 4 in “Mentor Me” questions about Social and Emotional Learning (SEL). There are five components of SEL: self-awareness, responsible decision-making, relationship skills, social awareness, and self-management. Classrooms where teachers both overtly and organically teach these crucial skills give students the tools they need to be successful. When I get anxious, I write things
0
Helping students make sense of issues that concern them In September 2015, a haunting image of Syrian toddler Aylan Kurdi circulated the world, mostly via social media. His lifeless body on the shores of Turkey was a confronting and emotive image for the average adult. For many young adolescents, it was unimaginable. The “why” was
Read More… from Get Real: Worthy Curriculum for Worldly Adolescents
0
Moving Beyond Tech-Rich Classrooms Imagine being tasked with teaching a class of restless adolescents, all of whom have different learning styles, strengths, interests, and needs. Or perhaps this daunting scenario is not so farfetched at all. A team of innovative teachers at Middletown Middle School (MMS) in Frederick County, Maryland, decided to try something vastly
0
Assessment expert Dylan Wiliam says that student thinking is the primary goal for descriptive feedback. He contrasts that goal with what often happens when teachers use judgement instead of feedback with students: threatened ego. When we invoke the need to save one’s honor or self-perception in a student through our comments on his performance, there’s little to no
Read More… from Reflective Coaching: Training for All Teachers
0
How video games can help students develop important life skills Admit it. You have played video games and perhaps enjoyed them! Tetris? Candy Crush? Angry Birds? Solitaire? Or perhaps a game-of-chance? Well you are not alone. With more than 65 million users of Pokemon Go gained in the week after it launched, the craze rekindled
0
0