It started with a fourth grade read-aloud book. It ended with a fifth grade class who had become what Bierbaum Elementary School teacher Jennifer Osborn described as a family. What happened in between was an unplanned, student-driven experiment, testing a practice educators call looping, or moving students from one grade to the next with the same teacher. In January 2021, Osborn’s Saint Louis County students had just finished a semester of remote and hybrid learning…
Back to school time is here, and some students may struggle with the transition from summer to school. Here are our 5 top study tips that can make all the difference. 1. Make the time. If you’ve already got a full plate, finding room for study time is going to be a challenge. But in order to get the most out of school, you’re going to have to take the time to reinforce what you…
As instructors, we learn a lot about our students by their physical presence in a face-to-face course, from their dress to their demeanor. Students also learn a lot about us this way, but that information is lost in an online class. The art of hospitality can fill the gap. Thus, it is important to invite students in to online classes right at the beginning to foster a learning environment. Here are some strategies for making…
Scientists have proven that students learn better when EdTech is involved. If used right, it enhances their involvement, increases their confidence, and better enables them to reproduce the material they learn during assessments. So why are some educators still against technology in the classroom? Better yet, what can we do about it? Here are 4 reasons educators may be against technology in the classroom. 1. Educators don’t see it as necessary. Many of the educators…
It may be a misconception regarding personality traits that the more verbal, outgoing classroom extroverts maintain superior classroom or academic ability. While introverts are not at a cognitive deficit when compared to extroverts, the personality type may pose obstacles for instructors who value regular classroom engagement. Here are five brief ways that instructors may be able to better support the personalities and enhance engagement of student introverts in the classroom setting. 1. Build in peer-support…
There’s little debate among teachers that class size matters. One survey found that nine in 10 teachers said that smaller classes would strongly boost student learning. “Huge class sizes are a challenge because it makes it hard to focus on individual students who are struggling or who are ready to go on to the next level,” one high school teacher explained. But some education policymakers and pundits remain skeptical, arguing that reducing class sizes is…
It seems undeniable that today’s students, parents, school leaders, and political leaders can be more reactive and sensitive to challenging material, ideas, language, and exercises or activities. Uncomfortable topics that used to be fairly commonplace in classrooms can now be expected to be a trigger to be avoided for fear of controversy and protest. No doubt some of the practices of the past are worthy of such scrutiny, but have we created a culture that…
Many Americans’ first thought after seeing school shootings in the news was likely “not again.” For parents, teachers, and school administrators, other thoughts probably followed: How will I explain this to the young people in my life? How can my school respond and help students process this tragedy? Could it happen here? The attack at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, was the deadliest school shooting since a gunman killed 26 people at Sandy Hook…
A wave of disappointment and anger is spreading across New York City school communities, touched off by Mayor Eric Adams’ recently announced budget cuts. Parents fear they’ll see programs discontinued in the fall, and teachers are worried about their jobs. While the cuts are tied to K-12 declining enrollment —which has dropped by 9.5% since the beginning of the pandemic — many parents, educators, and politicians believe they will hurt students as they continue grappling…
Teachers have faced unprecedented burdens during the coronavirus pandemic — the risks of teaching in person, the challenges of online schooling, and the furor over critical race theory. Now another threat looms on the horizon for a group of former educators in Atlanta: prison. The Atlanta school cheating scandal rose to national attention in 2015 when 11 Black educators were convicted of racketeering and conspiracy for allegedly cheating or enabling cheating on students’ standardized tests.…
