April, 2023

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10 Ways to Grow as a Pedagogical Leader

A Principal's Reflections

I have vivid memories of my early days as an assistant principal and principal, where overseeing instruction was just one of many duties that came with the job. Managing budgets, developing memos, attending meetings, responding to emails and phone calls, and other tasks also consumed a significant portion of my time. The advent of social media introduced yet another responsibility into my already packed schedule: digital leadership.

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FAQ: The Playlist Model

Catlin Tucker

In my Art of Blended Learning Online Course this week, we continued our work on the playlist model. I began our synchronous session by addressing frequently asked questions about this model. In this post, I will share answers to some of those questions. Q1: How Long Should Students Work on a Playlist? The length of time required to complete a playlist can vary depending on the scope of the playlist.

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Renewing Our Hope for Teaching and Learning

My AP Life

DeAnna Miller's participation in a national teacher educators' conference after a long personal learning drought energized her and gave her hope for the future of public education. "I had an epiphany," she writes. "I was starved for professional engagement and camaraderie." The post Renewing Our Hope for Teaching and Learning first appeared on MiddleWeb.

Teaching 182
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Teaching Was My Dream. Now I Wonder If It Is Stunting My Other Passions.

ED Surge

Teaching is about more than curriculum and lesson planning. It’s about more than tests and grades. It’s about helping kids discover themselves and the world around them. The work of a teacher, at its core, is to model and reflect back what it means to live. Teaching, as human work, is to show the beauty and complexity of the human experience in our society.

Teaching 145
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Trade programs — unlike other areas of higher education — are in hot demand

The Hechinger Report

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Most of the guys come straight to the shop each afternoon. After long shifts at supermarkets and home improvement stores, they make their way to southwest Nashville just before 4 p.m., sometimes still in uniform, and pull into a massive parking lot shared by the local community college and the Nashville branch of the Tennessee College of Applied Technology, or TCAT.

Education 142
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Stay on top of online learning: A game

Pedagogy to Share

Here is a game I made for my undergraduate students during the pandemic. As we moved rapidly to online teaching and learning, we spoke explicitly about independent learning strategies. I feel a need to return to this game now in my online courses. I made the game on the free LearningApps.org site. You can access the game here with the QR code. I’d love to hear your thoughts if you play or share the game with students.

Teaching 130
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5 Clear Ways Digital Benefits Learners

A Principal's Reflections

The education landscape is undergoing a continuous transformation, something I elaborate on in detail in Disruptive Thinking in Our Classrooms. While not new in any sense, digital tools continue to play an immense role as they are constantly evolving. By understanding how these tools impact teaching and learning, educators can determine which ones to use and how to implement them effectively.

Artifacts 518

More Trending

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Unpacking Trauma-Informed Teaching

Cult of Pedagogy

Listen to the interview with Alex Shevrin Venet ( transcript ): Sponsored by EVERFI and Giant Steps This page contains Amazon Affiliate and Bookshop.org links. When you make a purchase through these links, Cult of Pedagogy gets a small percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you. What’s the difference between Amazon and Bookshop.org? My understanding of the word “trauma” has evolved over the last few years.

Teaching 130
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Educators Need More Than Self-Care. They Need Self-Compassion.

ED Surge

It’s no secret that educators and school leaders endure a lot of stress, from managing classroom and school communities to monitoring staff and student morale. When that stress mounts, negative feelings can shift inward. Educators may even shoulder the expectation that they must solve every problem on their own. But there’s a way to handle that stress, and it begins with self-compassion.

Education 133
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In Japan, plummeting university enrollment forecasts what’s ahead for the U.S.

The Hechinger Report

TOKYO — The campus of International Christian University is an oasis of quiet in the final week of the winter term, with a handful of undergraduates studying beneath the newly sprouting plum trees that bloom a few weeks before Japan’s familiar cherry blossoms. This story also appeared in Los Angeles Times The colors of nature are abundant in this nation in the spring.

Economics 139
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Lake Tulare Reemerging

Geography Education

FIGURE 1: The Central Valley is a highly modified agricultural landscape. SOURCE: Big Think A few years ago, I was delighted to see an geographer’s rendition of what a satellite image of California would have looked if such a thing existed in the 1800s (figure 1). Back then the southern San Joaquin Valley was swampy wetland surrounding Lake Tulare, the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi River.

Geography 130
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Choosing an Edtech Framework

A Principal's Reflections

When it comes to technology in education, there is a natural tendency to see it as just another thing that somebody must do. In other cases, it is viewed as being more work. Let me tackle the second issue first. When we try implementing anything new, there is always a learning curve. It is important to remember, though, that the time and effort put forth will reap the rewards when it comes to improving practice and, in turn, learning outcomes.

EdTech 472
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The Station Rotation Model: Arrange Your Furniture to Maximize Focus and Engagement

Catlin Tucker

As teachers, we know that the physical environment of a classroom can have a significant impact on how students engage with the material and each other. From the color of the walls to the lighting and temperature, every aspect of the room can contribute to a student’s ability to feel comfortable and stay focused. Have you considered how the furniture placement in your classroom can either reinforce or distract from the specific tasks we are asking students to do?

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What Is the Secret Sauce for Deeper Learning?

Cult of Pedagogy

Listen to the interview with Sarah Fine ( transcript ): Sponsored by EVERFI and Giant Steps This page contains Amazon Affiliate and Bookshop.org links. When you make a purchase through these links, Cult of Pedagogy gets a small percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you. What’s the difference between Amazon and Bookshop.org? Ask most adults if they remember anything they learned in high school, and what you’re likely to hear is a lot of different versions of no.

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Harvard and MIT Launch Nonprofit to Increase College Access

ED Surge

What would you do if you had $800 million to build a new nonprofit to support innovation in online learning? That’s the privileged question that officials at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University have been mulling over for the last two years, and this month they announced some answers. The result is a new nonprofit named Axim Collaborative, and its focus will be on serving learners that higher education has historically left behind.

Economics 132
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What happens when teachers run the school

The Hechinger Report

BOSTON — Taryn Snyder’s third graders were leaning over their desks, scratching out short essays on what they’d done over the weekend. It was the first lesson in a school week that would take her kids through memoir writing, an introduction to division and research on Indigenous history, each activity carefully curated by Snyder. This story also appeared in Mind/Shift But teaching wasn’t the only thing on Snyder’s plate.

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EEZs in the Gulf of Mexico

Geography Education

“ If you look at maps of the Americas ranging from the 16th to the 20th centuries many of them have an island within the Gulf of Mexico called Bermeja…but on modern maps, it’s not there.” SOURCE: Geography Geek Don’t be fooled by the click-bait nature of the embedded video title (of course the CIA didn’t make the island disappear), because this obscure topic is a nice entry into several geographic topics.

Geography 130
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#EDvice: Do You Want to be "Developed"?

A Principal's Reflections

When it comes to education training, the main pathway to improvement is through professional development. Depending on where you reside or your school system, this typically consists of a few days to begin the new academic year and a few random days going forward that are often associated with student holidays. While the premise is positive, the result doesn’t always lead to sustainable change.

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Announcing the 2023 Ciena Solutions Challenge Sustainability Awards

Digital Promise

The post Announcing the 2023 Ciena Solutions Challenge Sustainability Awards appeared first on Digital Promise.

Education 123
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The NCHE Board of Directors Statement Regarding the South Dakota Social Studies Standards

NCHE

The NCHE Board of Directors, by a vote of 13-1, approved this statement. The National Council for History Education stands by history teachers in South Dakota. Teachers are professionals and experts in their field, and their perspective is critical to the creation of standards, resources, or curriculum that directly impact their classroom instruction.

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To Improve a Child's Education, We Must Be Willing to Let Old Practices Die

ED Surge

At the first staff meeting of the 2022 academic year, our entire team of coaches and coordinators was exhausted. We’d spent the first two weeks of the year subbing in buildings, covering lunch duties and pitching in wherever we were needed. COVID-19 was surging and our time in the buildings, while mentally and emotionally exhausting, reinforced the difficulties our students and educators were facing as they recovered from the losses of the pandemic.

Education 130
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Hidden expulsions? Schools kick students out but call it a ‘transfer’

The Hechinger Report

Twice a week Ricky Carmona, 16, leaves his La Verne home to attend school in makeshift classrooms a few doors down from the Boot Barn at a nearby strip mall. This story also appeared in Los Angeles Times He ended up at Options for Youth charter school in Upland after he was suspended at the start of the 2022-23 school year from Bonita High for vaping in the bathroom.

K-12 139
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The Lure of Singapore

Geography Education

“ Chinese individuals now see Singapore as the vessel that can navigate them through a series of expected storms. At the same time, they add, it is becoming an increasingly vital place for outposts of Wall Street and the global financial industry to interact with them. For many years, Singapore has liked to sell itself as the Switzerland of Asia. The new cold war, says one former top official, is finally turning that pitch into a reality.

Economics 130
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Hire People That Will Make You a Better Leader

A Principal's Reflections

Being a leader is not a solo endeavor but a collective effort that involves everyone in the organization, school, or district. While a leader may occasionally have to make critical decisions that require going against consensus, such instances are rare and insignificant in the larger scheme of things. To succeed, it is crucial to foster a culture of open-mindedness where people are motivated to change on their own accord rather than being coerced into it.

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Using Powerful Technology to Advocate For Youth

Digital Promise

The post Using Powerful Technology to Advocate For Youth appeared first on Digital Promise.

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NCHE Email Addresses are Changing!

NCHE

As of May 30, 2023 , all NCHE staff members will have a new email address. This is an exciting and important upgrade to our communication abilities, but it does require all of our constituents and supporters to update their address books. Please reach out to us at these new addresses: Jessica Ellison, Executive Director: Jessica@ncheteach.org John Csepegi, Director of Operations: John@ncheteach.org Kathleen Barker, Education Coordinator & Director of EPiC Histories : Kathleen@ncheteach.org R

History 100
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They Left Teaching in Search of a Better Life. Did They Find It?

ED Surge

The breaking point for Julie Sherlock was a literal one. The elementary music teacher was burned out and so very tired, following years of feeling increasingly overburdened and bulldozed by students and administrators alike. But it wasn’t until she broke her leg last spring that she knew it was time to call it quits. Sherlock was walking down the school hallway, carrying her heated-up lunch back to her classroom to eat, when a student called out to her with a question.

Teaching 129
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‘Waste of time’: Community college transfers derail students

The Hechinger Report

First came the good news. After taking classes at a community college, Ricki Korba was admitted to California State University, Bakersfield, as a transfer student. But when she logged on to her student account, she got a gut punch: Most of her previous classes wouldn’t count. This story also appeared in The Associated Press The university rejected most of her science classes, she was told, because they were deemed less rigorous than those at Bakersfield — even though some used the same textbooks

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Spotlight Teachers’ Lifelong Learning With the 2023 Teacher Leader Impact Award

Edthena

Teacher leaders are all around us – educators making an indelible impact in their schools and communities. Outstanding teacher leaders are dedicated to lifelong learning and continuous improvement of their teaching practices. Being a teacher leader isn’t about a specific title. It’s about how these educators keep learning and getting better so their students can receive the strongest education.

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Save your budget, create an enrollment marketing plan

Education Elements

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Guest Post: How We Can Reframe Edtech Selection to Promote Equity

Digital Promise

This three-part blog series, featuring guest authors from The Learning Accelerator and MA DESE OET , highlights the importance of centering equity in edtech selection. In this first post, the authors outline how they centered equity as they developed an edtech selection, implementation, and evaluation guide for school systems leaders. Technology in schools can be a critical tool in advancing equity.

EdTech 115
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Oral History of Forgottonia: Building a Public History Project in Rural Western Illinois

NCHE

At the grocery store: “ Your students did such a great job documenting our local history! Hey, will you have Cooper call me? He really needs to record an interview with my mom and dad. They were students when Smithfield’s Red Brick school closed, and he would enjoy their story.” The gas station: “ Hey Joe, I heard you had a student doing some research about local mines in our community.

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How Students Use AI to Design Solutions for Their Community

ED Surge

Youth voice is vital in the development and implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) tools. Youth today are significant users of technology and have dominated AI-related conversations, so it’s essential to provide opportunities for them to design and problem solve the tools that are shaping their future. How can we empower youth to become key voices and leaders who actively shape and improve emerging AI technology, ensuring it positively impacts their communities?

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PROOF POINTS: Inside the latest reading study that’s getting a lot of buzz

The Hechinger Report

In early April 2023, I started getting emails and messages urging me to take a look at a fresh reading study in Colorado. The study, a working paper that has not yet been peer-reviewed, came to two dramatic conclusions. The first was that elementary school students who attended “Core Knowledge” schools – which teach young children a broad core curriculum in many subjects – were better readers.

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Are children different since the pandemic?

Maitri Learning

Since I first did my AMI Montessori training, back in the 90s, people have been asking, "But aren't children different today than they were when Maria Montessori first developed her method?" The answer is a resounding YES! In some ways, children are most certainly different today than they were even five years ago because we humans are biologically programmed to adapt to our culture: our time, place, and group.

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Three Keys to Successful K-12 Strategic Plan Implementation

Education Elements

I’ve gotten into strength training recently. I never thought this would be the path for me, a cardio lover, but after a recent foot injury, I needed to step away from running and try something new. I explored apps and training plans, trying to find the right fit for my schedule and preferences. As a consultant who has helped dozens of districts design and implement strategic plans, I also knew I could apply some of the principles we use when supporting districts to my weightlifting journey.

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Integrating Research-based Strategies into the Design of Educational Technology to Support All Learners

Digital Promise

The post Integrating Research-based Strategies into the Design of Educational Technology to Support All Learners appeared first on Digital Promise.