Trump’s America Inspires Only Fear
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Trump’s America Inspires Only Fear: Today on TAP: As with Trump himself,
our relationships are now based on others’ submission to our power, not
admiration...
New NAEP Scores No Reason to Panic
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By Thomas Ultican 2/4/2025 Billed as the Nations Report Card, the National
Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) just released data from the 2024
testing...
Cold As Ice
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Long before ‘Ice, Ice, Baby,’ this was the quintessential song: What a
field day we could have with the lyrics! But this piece is about the legal
advice re...
Breaking News: US Dept of Education Executive Order
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Recent reports today indicate that the Trump administration is finalizing
plans to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education through an executive
order. T...
The Logic of Destruction
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What is a country? The way its people govern themselves. America exists
because its people elect those who make and execute laws. The assumption of
a ...
Robo-Teachers?
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“The Robot & Frank” is a 2012 film about an elderly Dad who is slipping
into dementia. His adult son and daughter debate how best to help him out:
get him ...
We Are Teetering
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Best describes Elon. Beautifully done.
[image or embed]
— Choco Harvey Milk (@chocoharveymilk.bsky.social) February 3, 2025 at 9:29
PM
SPI Urges CA Educators to Stay Focused. Shares TRO
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State Superintendent Tony Thurmond encourages all California educators to
“stay focused,” shares news of Temporary Restraining Order against Trump
administ...
Poem: parenting
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[Header Photo by Johann Walter Bantz on Unsplash] already exhaustedcarrying
your child through the parking lotjust before sunrise frost heavy on car
windsh...
TARIFF TANTRUMS AND THE TRUMP CARD
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*TARIFF TANTRUMS AND THE TRUMP CARD*
In what can only be described as a plot twist straight out of a poorly
scripted political sitcom, President Donald T...
My brother Rick Ayers brings the wisdom:
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January 28, 2024 A friend texted me, “what are we going to do??” OK just a
thought here. Disagree if you like. The crisis we are facing is deeper than
that...
OK: Walters Continues To Oppose First Amendment
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Ryan Walters wants more money from Oklahoma taxpayers. Specifically, he
wants a few million dollars to continue his program of forcing the Bible
into Okl...
The Folly of Settled Science
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It was on Morning Edition, seven years ago—a cheery little piece on how we
now know just how to teach students with dyslexia how to read. Interesting,
I th...
Some Notes about Joy Amid The Tyranny
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As President Trump dropped executive orders at an alarming rate, I
celebrated my life. On January 24th, I took time to sit with myself and ...
Read More
...
BLM at School Week of Action Events–Register Today!
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The 2025 Back Lives Matter at School Week of Action is almost here, and we
have a powerful week of events lined up to celebrate and center Blackness
in edu...
January Parent Engagement Resources
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Participation in School Activities by Spanish- and English-speaking Parents
of Enrolled Students: 1999–2019 Improve family communication with active
listen...
NECESSARY, BUT HARDLY SUFFICIENT
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Banning cellphones in public schools seems to finally be happening in lots
of states and school districts, but, unfortunately, the numbers are
slippery. On...
Blog Powering Down For a Bit
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Signing off for a short period of time for personal time in Seattle (yes, I
see it might snow Saturday night, fun).
Sadly, I won't be able to attend the ...
Who is the new CEO of Teach For America?
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From 1990 until 2013, the CEO of TFA was the founder, Wendy Kopp. Under her
leadership the program grew from a small organization that struggled to
make pa...
The Orange Turd feeds the racists
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The Orange Turd has been feeding red meat to the millions of angry racists
for the past 8 years. He has succeeded in hoodwinking these sad souls into
placi...
Site Index - Updated December 31, 2024
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When I was teaching,
I got tired of hearing how bad American educators were.
*My Promise *
WHEN I STARTED BLOGGING IN 2011, I said I planned to speak ...
Perhaps this is a meaningless ramble
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but I am choosing to reflect on a number of disparate topics that are
currently on my mind. Perhaps I should start by explaining that I have been
at leas...
Juntos lo haremos
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En el año que viene, tendremos que tomar decisiones difíciles sobre quienes
queremos ser en cada comunidad y como nación. Ha sido un año muy intenso.
Desde...
WTF, Democratic Caucus?
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Why is the failure of this current budget bill being blamed on Republicans
when almost every single Democrat voted against it? If only half of the
Dems had...
Education Has Failed and What Can We Do Next?
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Education has failed to prepare children for the world today. Despite the
increased investment, impactful reforms, hardworking teachers and school
leaders,...
Defining Productivity, Cost, and Efficiency
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Recycled material here… The central problem with US public schools is often
characterized as an efficiency problem. We spend a lot and don’t get much
for i...
Number 18 — A barely-hanging-on Blogoversary
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Blogoversary #18 SEPTEMBER 14, 2006 I started this blog while I was still
teaching, in 2006. I had just begun my 31st year as an educator. Just like
in pre...
Student "Growth" Measures Are STILL Biased
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This caught my attention:
New Jersey school districts may soon be evaluated differently, *with a
greater emphasis on student growth* as compared to stud...
AIN’T IT AWFUL
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As the terrible feelings of dread and angst spread across the world the
great majority of the American people feel powerless before the onslaught
of those ...
Vote NO on the UFT Contract. Here is Why:
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The best reason to vote no on this contract is this: UFT Unity* lied* to us
in 2018. They misrepresented that contract. It was predicated on deals we
wer...
Metaphors in ‘I Have a Dream’ Speech
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In this article, we will explore the powerful use of metaphors in Martin
Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” ...
Read more
Testimony to the CPS Truancy Task Force
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I prepared testimony for one of two public hearings held by the Chicago
Public Schools Truancy Task Force, a body mandated by state legislation.
The meetin...
There Is A Teacher Shortage.Not.
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THERE IS A TEACHER SHORTAGE. And just to be sure you understand, it’s not
that teachers don’t want to teach. It’s not that there aren’t enough
teachers cer...
Book Banning Turns to Dick and Jane
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Breaking News: Dateline February 4, 2022 - Parents in Dimwitty, Alabama
have asked the Dimwitty Board of Education to ban the children's primer *Fun
with...
Have You Heard Has a New Website
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TweetHave You Heard has a new website. Visit us at
www.haveyouheardpodcast.com to find our latest episodes and our entire
archive. And be sure to check out...
Follow me at Substack
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I've moved. Follow me at Substack
I'm now posting regularly at Substack. You can subscribe for free to my new
Edu/Pol blog at michaelklonsky.substack.com
...
Aspiring Teachers Get New Help Paying For College
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[image: colorful classroom pattern]
*; Credit: shuoshu/Getty Images*
Cory Turner | NPR
New rules kick in today that will help aspiring teachers pay for c...
Tips Akses Situs Judi Qq Tanpa Perlu Takut Nawala
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Kegiatan berjudi slot melalui situs judi qq online, sekarang sudah
dilakukan oleh banyak penjudi Indonesia. Tentu, Kamu yang sedang membaca
artikel ini a...
The Threat of Integration
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I have lived in the same house in the Miracle Mile section of Los Angeles
for over 30 years, where up until now I have had little or no interaction
with th...
We fight for a democracy worthy of us all!
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The nation stands at a crossroads, said NEA President Lily Eskelsen García
in her final keynote address to the 2020 NEA Representative Assembly and
it’s up...
The Passing Of Chaz 1951-2020 Age 69
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I am the son of Chaz and like to inform you that he passed away this
afternoon from the COVID virus. My father passed in peace beside his loved
ones. We ar...
The Fight For Our Children
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*The number of suicides among people ages 10 to 24 nationally increased by
56 percent between 2007 and 2017, according to a new federal report showing
the ...
Read to Self: Just a Kid and a Book.
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Date: Monday, January 5, 2020 Place: My classroom Student: Mrs.Mims, could
we start doing Read to Self again because I got this great book for
Christmas an...
Keeping Progressive Schools Alive
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Dear Friends and Colleagues, Happy New Year and a special thanks to those
who respond to past blogs about choice, et al. I always mean to respond to
each c...
Reminiscences
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I just finished dumping the rest of my lesson plans. I guess I held on to
the calculus ones for so long because I spent so much time working on them
an...
Just Asking for some Teachers I know.
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Recently Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers stated, We must … recognize that
part of supporting our kids in the classroom means supporting the educators
who t...
Cara Menang Bermain Judi Bola Online
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Bermain judi bola online tentu saja memiliki kesenangannya tersendiri baik
itu mendapatkan keuntungan maupun ketika menantikan hasil skor pada sebuah
perta...
A Critique of Standards-Based Grading
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It first happened to me about ten years ago. I was beginning my third year
of teaching in a new school in Washington, DC. Social studies teachers were
si...
My First and Last Visit to Hudson Yards
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Figuring I did not need to invite any more darkness and vulgarity into my
head than that provided on a daily basis from Trump’s White House, and
after read...
The World According to Michelle Rhee
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The men behind the curtain fashioning the brave new world of corporate run
education in America! Michelle Rhee is the founder of StudentsFirst, The
New T...
Whose Opinions Matter in Education World?
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It's hard to identify education heroes and sheroes. And perhaps even harder
to pinpoint just whose work is slanted, paid-for and dishonest.
Blockchain: Life on the Ledger
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Originally posted on Wrench in the Gears:
I created this video as a follow up to the one I prepared last year on
Social Impact Bonds. It is time to examine...
New Local Businesses in Sacramento
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Starting a new local business in Sacramento is a monumental task, but can
be accomplished with footwork, perseverance and knowledge. One must learn
the loc...
Lesson Plan: Rhyme and Rhythm in Poetry
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I’ve started a recent unit on poetry with my class. I’m not a poet, and I’m
not a poetry fan (I don’t hate it, but I’m a prose gal), so this makes it
harde...
The Apotheosis of Betsy DeVos
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Betsy Devos has drawn few headlines in recent months, and that is a good
thing for the Secretary of Education. Her tenure began with Vice President
Mike P...
Education Is a Civic Question
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In their final post to end Bridging Differences' decade-long run, Deborah
Meier and Harry Boyte urge readers to put the energy, talents, wisdom, and
hard w...
Site News: New Home for Education News & Commentary
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Quick! Get over there! The daily education news roundup and education
commentaries that you're probably looking for are now being published over
at The Gra...
Should We Be Grateful?
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In an odd turn of events, and with little explanation, Michigan Governor
Rick Snyder has decided to return the state’s School Reform Office back to
the Dep...
An Open Letter to NC Lawmakers
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An Open Letter to NC State Lawmakers and NC State Superintendent Mark
Johnson: I am a NC native, voter, and public school teacher. I am
addressing you all ...
The Secret to Fixing Schools (My Next Bestseller)
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The Secret to Fixing Schools (My next bestseller) Prologue I just finished
watching a fascinating documentary on Netflix entitled, “The Secret”. The
film p...
Farewell, Sleep
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Today is the official last day of my spring break. I've done a scientific
survey: My natural bedtime is 2 AM, and my natural wake up time is 9:41
AM. Tom...
REPORT: States With the Best and Worst Schools
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States With the Best (and Worst)Schools
By *Evan Comen, Michael B. Sauter, Samuel Stebbins and Thomas C. Frohlich*
January 20, 2017- http://247wallst.com
...
Test Refusal = People Power
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In recent months, social media has been ablaze with talk of regular folk
taking action to resist the Trump agenda. Protests are a daily occurrence,
and ev...
Random Musings and Observations. . . .
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I’ve been gone a while from the blogging scene. Some of my more regular
readers no doubt noticed but did not hassle me about it. Thank you for
that. Sinc...
AB 934: A LEGISLATIVE FIX FOR VERGARA?
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By Michael Stratford | in the Politco Morning Education Report | via email
05/24/2016 10:00 AM EDT :: Two national education groups are backing a
Califor...
MY NEW BLOG
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My new blog will consist of fictitious headlines, meant to be a blend of
humor and satire. I apologize ahead of time if any other satirical site has
simila...
Thank you
-
Dear Readers,
Thank you for visiting *The Perimeter Primate*. This blog is being retired
for the time being. Although I no longer post here, I do still s...
I am Retiring
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I have some news: I am retiring from the PBS NewsHour and Learning Matters.
[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other
conte...
New Beginnings: Kickstarter and EdWeek Teacher
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Greetings to InterACT readers one and all! If you’ve been following posts
here recently you might recall that I’m moving my blogging activity to
other loca...
Adelaide L. Sanford Charter School
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*“With Adelaide L. Sanford Charter School closing, Newark families must
move on.”* The Star-Ledger (NJ), 6/25/2013
NEWARK — Bobby and Troy Shanks saw the...
BiljaST / Pixabay Five years ago I began this regular feature where I share a few posts and resources from around the Web related to ESL/EFL or to language in general that have caught my attention. You might also be interested in The Best Resources, Articles & Blog Posts For Teachers Of ELLs In 2018 – So Far and THE BEST RESOURCES, ARTICLES & BLOG POSTS FOR TEACHERS OF ELLS IN 2018 – PART TWO . A
Author Interview: ‘Helping Students Reclaim Cognitive Resources’ Lost to Poverty and Racism is the headline of my latest column in Education Week Teacher. In it, Cia Verschelden agreed to answer a few questions about her book, “Bandwidth Recovery: Helping Students Reclaim Cognitive Resources Lost to Poverty, Racism and Social Marginalization.” Here are some excerpts:
Six years ago, in another somewhat futile attempt to reduce the backlog of resources I want to share, I began this occasional “Ed Tech Digest” post where I share three or four links I think are particularly useful and related to…ed tech, including some Web 2.0 apps. You might also be interested in The Best Ed Tech Resources Of 2018 – So Far , as well as checking out all my edtech resources . You
I’m fairly active on Pinterest and, in fact, have curated 17,000 resources there that I haven’t shared on this blog. I thought readers might find it useful if I began sharing a handful of my most recent “pins” each week (I’m not sure if you can see them through an RSS Reader – you might have to click through to the original post). You might also be interested in My Seven Most Popular Pins In 2018
Gilbert Mercier via Compfight Dana Goldstein, education reporter for The NY Times, is soliciting feedback from teachers about how they are dealing with race issue in the classroom. The Times has a form for teachers to complete here . She writes: How do you and your students discuss subjects like segregation, immigration, racial inequality, slavery, the Civil War or Native American history? How of
geralt / Pixabay TIME Magazine just named ten young people from around the world as “Next Generation Leaders.” Each person is featured in a short video and an accessible article. Apparently, it’s an annual event, and links to previous “leaders” can be found on the same page. I’ve embedded an example – a video about the teenage fighting against climate change, Greta Thunberg. You might also be int
InspiredImages / Pixabay “It’s Hard To Delay Gratification. Just Ask Cookie Monster” is a new fun video, accompanied by a useful short article , from NPR. I’m adding it to Best Posts About Helping Students Develop Their Capacity For Self-Control .
Scientific American has just posted about a study that suggests Unread Books at Home Still Spark Literacy Habits . How? “So if we grow up in a house, in a home where parents enjoy books, where books are given as birthday presents and cherished and valued, this is something that becomes a part of our identity and gives us this lifelong incentives to be literacy oriented, to always kind of steer to
Mediamodifier / Pixabay FlexClip is a free video-editing tool that is super-simple to use. You can use content they already have on their site and add text and your own audio narration, along with music. Or, you can use your own videos or photos. Once you create the video, you then export it. I’m not sure if there is an easier video-editing tool out there – certainly not for free. My creation, th
What Is Trauma-Informed Teaching? is the new question-of-the-week at my Education Week Teacher column. Feel free to leave responses in the comments sections there or here…
Capri23auto / Pixabay Google has announced they are matching donations to DonorsChoose projects that support inclusion & diversity. You can read more about it at their blog post and at DonorChoose. Here’s what DonorsChoose says about it: Google.org is matching donations to projects from teachers of color, women STEM educators, and projects that help students see their diverse identities reflected
steveriot1 / Pixabay Kahoot! , the wildly popular game/testing tool ( you can read here about how Carol Salva uses it with English Language Learners), has just purchased a Scandinavian web tool that “gamifies” learning to read and is planning to launch an English version in June. It’s called Poio . Based on the announcement, it’s not quite clear to me if it will be free or payment will be require
geralt / Pixabay Here are three new additions to The Best Posts & Articles On Building Influence & Creating Change : The ‘3.5% rule’: How a small minority can change the world is from the BBC. Dolores Huerta: Revolution in the Fields/Revolución en los Campos Community Engagement Resource is from The Smithsonian. In-Person Protests Are Stronger Than Online Activism is from The Atlantic.
Last summer, I wrote a fairly popular post headlined Leading With Inquiry, Not Judgment . In it, I shared some examples of how first asking why people are doing some things (or not doing some things) prior to declaring judgment on those actions might be an effective strategy in many different arenas, including in the classroom. Today, I read a piece on Medium that elaborated on that same concept,
I’m making a change in the content of the regular feature. In addition to sharing the top five posts that have received the most “hits” in the preceding seven days (though they may have originally been published on an earlier date), I will also include the top five posts that have actually appeared in the past week. Often, these are different posts. You might also be interested in IT’S THE TWELFT
In March, Google unveiled a fun and education Carmen Sandiego game that you could play on Google Earth (see “Where on Google Earth is Carmen Sandiego?” Is A Neat New Geography Game ). Today, they shared a second one, The Tutankhamun’s Mask Caper . In it, “Le Chevre, a master climber and classmate of Carmen Sandiego at VILE Academy, has stolen the priceless artifact. We’re counting on gumshoes eve
Pushed out and punished: One woman’s story shows how systems are failing black girls is a new impressive feature from USA Today. You might also be interested in a two-part series at my Education Week Teacher column on the same topic that was guest-hosted by Dr. Terri Watson, “What Does It Mean to Be Young, Black, and Female in America?” Here’s a video accompanying the USA Today article:
W. Kamau Bell’s latest episode of his show on CNN, United Shades of America , focuses on Hmong-Americans. You can read more about it at W. Kamau Bell: Hmong-Americans redefined patriotism before my eyes . I’ve embedded a short video excerpt below. I’m adding this info to The Best Websites To Learn About The Hmong .
‘Games Absolutely Have a Role in Teaching and Learning!’ is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column. In it, Abby Shink, Andrew Kozlowsky, Dr. Michael Young, Bradley Witzel, Heather Stinson, and Andrew Miller share their thoughts on learning games. Here are some excerpts:
Today, Google unveiled a free reading app called Rivet . It has 2,000 free e-books, and tons of features, including reading the words aloud and having students record what they hear – with artificial intelligence then assessing its accuracy. Teachers can create virtual classrooms and, I assume, monitor student progress (the ability to view student reading histories is not appear to be explicitly
I’ve recently begun this weekly post where I’ll be sharing resources I’m adding to The Best Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Resources or other related “Best” lists. You might also be interested in The Best Social Emotional Learning Resources Of 2018 – So Far. Finally, check out “Best” Lists Of The Week: Social Emotional Learning Resources . Here are this week’s picks: Three Ways To Grow From Fail
Author Interview: ‘Adventures in Teacher Leadership’ is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column. In it, Katherine Bassett and Rebecca Mieliwocki agreed to answer a few questions about their (with Joseph Fatheree) new book, “Adventures In Teacher Leadership: Pathways, Strategies and Inspiration For Every Teacher.” Here are some excerpts:
Five Keys to Successful Student Small Group Work is the topic of my latest ten-minute BAM! Radio show. I’m joined in the conversation by Jill Kester, Karen A. Goeller, and Rachael Williams, who have also all contributed written commentaries to my Education Week Teacher column. You can also now listen to the show on Google Play and Stitcher , in addition to iTunes. I’m adding this show to All My B
Ways to Use Games Effectively in the Classroom is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column. In it, Susan Lafond, Michael Fisher, Eric Schildge, Jennifer Thomas and Adam Powley discuss how…games can be used effectively in the classroom. Here are some excerpts:
Pexels / Pixabay Peer review of student writing can often be problematic. However, it also has the potential of being a very positive experience for students and teachers alike. I’ve written about it in the past, and shared related resources, but I thought it would be useful to collect them into one “Best” list. You might also be interested in all my many “Best” lists about writing instruction ,
Here are some recent useful posts and articles on educational policy issues (You might also be interested in THE BEST ARTICLES, VIDEOS & POSTS ON EDUCATION POLICY IN 2018 – PART TWO ):’ Things continue to heat up in our district. Here are new additions to A BEGINNING LIST OF THE BEST RESOURCES FOR LEARNING ABOUT OUR SACRAMENTO DISTRICT’S FINANCIAL FIASCO : Want to avoid a state takeover of Sac Ci
BiljaST / Pixabay Five years ago I began this regular feature where I share a few posts and resources from around the Web related to ESL/EFL or to language in general that have caught my attention. You might also be interested in The Best Resources, Articles & Blog Posts For Teachers Of ELLs In 2018 – So Far and THE BEST RESOURCES, ARTICLES & BLOG POSTS FOR TEACHERS OF ELLS IN 2018 – PART TWO . A
Six years ago, in another somewhat futile attempt to reduce the backlog of resources I want to share, I began this occasional “Ed Tech Digest” post where I share three or four links I think are particularly useful and related to…ed tech, including some Web 2.0 apps. You might also be interested in The Best Ed Tech Resources Of 2018 – So Far , as well as checking out all my edtech resources . You
Each week, I publish a post or two containing three or four particularly useful resources on classroom instruction, and you can see them all here. You might also be interested in THE BEST RESOURCES ON CLASS INSTRUCTION IN 2018 – PART TWO. Here are this week’s picks: Using Rubrics to Teach Science Writing is by Michelle Newstadt & Amanda Godley. I’m adding it to The Best Resources For Writing In S