Having students participate in a peer review can be an extremely rewarding endeavor, but English teachers often run into issues during the process. Students may not feel comfortable or confident enough to provide feedback. Sometimes students are overwhelmed because their partners’ work has too many problems. Whatever the case, there are ways to make the
DOES IT PAY TO HAVE A STUDENT REVIEW ANOTHER STUDENT’S WORK? Read More »
As a second-year English teacher, I had a problem: I wanted to teach my sixth-grade students the wonders of English via a robust, recurring series of highly engaging grammar lessons designed to ensure that they would never conflate “their” with “they’re,” but their skill levels were in vastly different places. To be effective, my lessons needed
Personalized Learning at Its Best Read More »
When Kiran Bir Sethi set out to start a new school in Ahmedabad, India, almost two decades ago, she didn’t have an education background, a teaching staff, or the backing of investors: She just wanted to provide a better education for her young son, whose creativity and independence, she felt, were squashed by rigid schooling.
WHEN STUDENTS DESIGN THEIR EDUCATION Read More »
Some students struggle with completing Math and English assignments, submitting homework on time, and staying focus in class. However, these struggles may be a part of a greater problem that is not clearly seen by parents, guardians, and educators. Most challenges students face in school are poverty, homeless families, child abuse and neglect, bullying (including
CHALLENGES STUDENTS FACE THAT AFFECTS THEIR EDUCATION Read More »
In addition to academic topics such as science, math, and language, social skills are one of the most important skill sets learned mostly by osmosis during the school day. Students learn how to interact with peers both within their grade and outside of it, as well as with authority figures in the form of teachers,
TEACHING KIDS TO BE CONFIDENT AND SOCIAL Read More »
Many classrooms today consist of teachers correcting students in an attempt to teach them the “right” answer. Whether it’s fill-in-the-blank multiplication tables or multiple choice tests, the focus is simply on getting answers correct. But when teachers focus on students’ wrong answers, and the logic that the students applied to arrive at those answers, the
BEING WRONG CAN BE RIGHT FOR EFFECTIVE LEARNING TOO Read More »
With continued budget cuts, a greater focus on math and reading education, and an enduring emphasis on standardized testing, the future for art education in public schools around the U.S. may seem bleak. However, the growth of technology and software over the same period can provide educators with novel and inexpensive options for new art
RESURRECTING THE ART CULTURE WITH TECHNOLOGY Read More »
The image of the bored, half-asleep, daydreaming teen sitting in a high school classroom is all too familiar for teachers. Most teenagers seem to treat school days like a prison sentence. A recent poll found that the top two words teenagers most associate with school are “bored” and “tired,” and this probably isn’t all that surprising. With
How to Keep Your Students Active and Engaged in Class Read More »
When a society changes, so then must its tools. Definitions of purpose and quality must also be revised continuously. What should a school “do”? Be? How can we tell a good school from a bad one? This really starts at the human level, but that’s a broader issue. For now, let’s consider that schools are simply pieces of
HOW TO SPOT A GOOD SCHOOL Read More »
The Use of Slangs The term “slang” refers to any word or phrase used in informal settings among certain groups of people (e.g. subcultures, regions, etc.). Slang can be a common word or phrase used in a new context (e.g. that jacket is “sick”), a new word or phrase (e.g. her hair is “on fleek”),
ARE SOCIAL MEDIA SLANGS GOOD OR BAD FOR CLASSROOM LEARNING? Read More »