What really matters right now. - SF PUBLIC SCHOOL MOM

What really matters right now. - SF PUBLIC SCHOOL MOM

What really matters right now

Teaching and learning in a time of Coronavirus, an educator perspective

By Karen Zapata

Karen Zapata is a member of Teachers for Social Justice, an Adjunct Professor at the University of San Francisco School of Education (Official) and Teacher at Berkeley High School.

The words distance learning and online teaching should not be used. This is not what we’re doing. We are providing assignments and worksheets to students.

Teaching and learning is a collaborative act, it’s a social act, and it’s one that only takes place when we have relationships and trust. We are running on the fumes of what we built in our classrooms over the first 3 quarters, but the conditions have changed.

Good teaching involves moves in-the-moment. It involves realizing you covered a topic too quickly, so you go back and review. Or your class was hella dry so you circle back and build a fiery conversation. It involves differentiation for your diverse learners. Do you know how incredibly difficult it is to create differentiated assignments that all kids can do independently? And ones that are just outside of each child’s zone of proximal development, so they are stretched just right. The perfect stretch.

Someone tell me what gradual release of responsibility looks like when we cannot be together? Someone, please describe how I humbly learn from my student’s bank of expertise, their funds of knowledge through google classroom?

And learning happens when we are laughing together, giving each other a bad time and apologizing if it goes too far. Learning happens in community, with people that share ideas that we hate or love and we can face them with our shouts of disagreement or calls of praise. We learn when we sit together and come up with a million metaphors, connecting new ideas to ones we already have.

What really matters right now? Here’s what I care most about from my students: CONTINUE READING: What really matters right now. - SF PUBLIC SCHOOL MOM

Every Child Left Behind | Teacher in a strange land

Every Child Left Behind | Teacher in a strange land

Every Child Left Behind

When I was in third grade, I contracted the mumps. This was my final act in the 50’s-Kid Illness Trifecta: measles, chicken pox, mumps. Back then, pre-vaccine, this was considered No Big Deal. Polio was the thing to worry about—it was a killer. I had a cousin die, at age two, from polio, but nobody knew anyone who lost their life from the mumps.

Unfortunately, however, I developed encephalitis—a brain inflammation—from mumps. I don’t have a lot of information about how the illness was diagnosed or treated; my mother, who would have been the keeper of that knowledge, is long gone. I only know that I was out of school for nearly two months.

I have these distinct 8-year old kid memories: Going to the hospital for tests. Needle pokes. Terrible headaches and keeping my face covered by a towel. Bitter blue pills that I took in applesauce. And lying in bed, alone, for weeks on end, as winter turned into spring.

When I returned to school, I was sent for achievement testing. This was not to find out how far I’d fallen behind, but because all the other third graders had taken the test while I was absent. I was pulled out of class and given the test by a different teacher.

When I finished, she took a pencil and skimmed through the answer sheet. You’re a very smart little girl, she said. This made me incredibly happy–and is undoubtedly the CONTINUE READING: Every Child Left Behind | Teacher in a strange land

Thurmond Holds Digital Divide Task Force Hearing - Year 2020 (CA Dept of Education)

Thurmond Holds Digital Divide Task Force Hearing - Year 2020 (CA Dept of Education)

State Superintendent Tony Thurmond and State Leaders Hear from Internet Service Providers in First Digital Divide Task Force Hearing

SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and state leaders heard from cross-sector partners about ways they are working together to strengthen distance learning efforts and close technology gaps for millions of students during Monday’s first hearing of the newly created Closing the Digital Divide Task Force.

During the 90-minute hearing co-chaired by Senator Connie M. Leyva (D-Chino), executives from internet service providers AT&T, Charter Communications, Comcast, Cox Communications, and Verizon updated task force members on their efforts to support the technology needs of students during the COVID-19 pandemic, ways they are reducing barriers to low-income families, and plans to expand service to rural communities.

Executives from each internet service provider vowed to remain members of the task force and to work collaboratively to design long-term solutions that support students’ success.

A full video archive of the hearing can be found on CDE’s Facebook page.

“Partnerships with the private and public sectors are critical to overcoming the technological barriers facing our students, and we are grateful for how quickly needs are being addressed through donations of devices and hotspots,” said Thurmond. “But there is still a tremendous amount of need among our state’s most vulnerable students. We must continue working together to close the digital divide, not just as a band-aid during this public health crisis, but once and for all.”     

“Now that we have completed our first meeting of the Closing the Digital Divide Task Force, it is clear that meeting the technological needs of students across California must remain a top priority,” said Leyva.“I look forward to working with State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, Governor Gavin Newsom’s administration, internet service provider companies, school administrators, teachers, parents, students, and other stakeholders to address the digital divide in our state.By closing the technology gap, we will ultimately be able to improve the success and achievement of all California students.”

During Monday’s hearing, task force members received an update on the CDE’s partnership with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to distribute a total of $30 million to support internet connectivity, as well as updates from Google and Amazon about their donations of thousands of devices and hotspots for students.

Additionally, educational leaders from two California school districts—Dr. Edgar Lampkin, Superintendent of the Williams Unified School District, and Dr. Bernadette Lucas, Chief Academic Officer of the Inglewood Unified School District—spoke about their experiences and challenges regarding student internet access. In a rural area like Williams, for example, families have difficulty accessing strong internet signals, whereas in more urban areas, families living in poverty may not be able to afford high-speed internet.

Thurmond and task force members will continue to meet and use the information and feedback gathered to create a formal plan for closing the digital divide, including timelines, budgetary considerations, and necessary legislative action steps.

Additional task force members include:

• Senator Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg)
• Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters)
• Assemblymember Autumn Burke (D-Inglewood)
• Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia (D-Coachella)
• Assemblymember Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles)
• Assemblymember Jim Wood (D-Santa Rosa)

# # # #

Tony Thurmond — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5602, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100

Thurmond Holds Digital Divide Task Force Hearing - Year 2020 (CA Dept of Education)

On Contact: The End Of Public Education - PopularResistance.Org

On Contact: The End Of Public Education - PopularResistance.Org

ON CONTACT: THE END OF PUBLIC EDUCATION

Chris Hedges talks to Cornell University Professor Noliwe Rooks about how America’s public education system, under successive administrations, continues to be segregated along racial lines, and what is taught is often shaped by business goals and ideas. With the rise of charter schools, a cover for privatization, steering public money towards corporate profits, the most disturbing trends are cyber charter schools where children only have to check-in with teachers three times a week, term papers outsourced and graded in India, and the advent of cyber classes for pre-K children. Rooks’ book, now in paperback, is entitled ‘Cutting School: Privatization, Segregation and the End of Public Education’.

YouTube channel: On Contact

Follow us on Facebook: Facebook.com/OnContactRT

Podcast: https://soundcloud.com/rttv/sets/on-contact

On Contact: The End Of Public Education - PopularResistance.Org

OK, Zoomer! | Bill Ayers

OK, Zoomer! | Bill Ayers

OK, Zoomer!

Yes, yes, I’m teaching my classes on Zoom (frown emoji).
It’s weird for me, but I’ve got it (I think) and, against my will and better judgment, I feel a little thrill and a burst of relief each time class ends without the internet exploding. I push all the right buttons, issue all the appropriate commands. Oh, joy! (smile emoji).

So here we are, suddenly, all of us: distance learning, e-learning, online teaching, virtual classrooms—the whole bewildering turmoil. I soldier on, necessarily but not happily, all the while with an irritating chorus of cheerleaders in the background pushing me forward: “online learning is an excellent way to increase student engagement and differentiate instruction;” “digital tools save time and do the heavy lifting by providing ready-to-use lesson plans, instructional materials, and assessments;” “distance learning can continue delivering instruction without disruption even in events like snow days or the COVID-19 pandemic.” Every line offends what I know to be true about teaching, and my sense of what it can achieve, but, wow! snow days or COVID-19—that pretty much covers the waterfront; wait! better add floods and fires and extreme weather.

I was particularly annoyed when I saw my neighbor Arne Duncan, former Secretary of Education, on TV finding, as always, a silver lining in the CONTINUE READING: OK, Zoomer! | Bill Ayers

Amid coronavirus, internet is hard for poor students to find - Los Angeles Times

Amid coronavirus, internet is hard for poor students to find - Los Angeles Times

Getting free internet is hard for poor students despite provider promises, survey finds

Tamara Solis faced a choice when it came to her children’s education: Pay for rent and food or pay for internet access. Broadband came in second, so she takes her kids to a friend’s garage apartment in Watts for internet — where they do their schoolwork in close quarters amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“It’s a small place,” said Solis, noting that it was difficult to abide by recommended physical distancing guidelines. “We try to do the best — one on the table, one on the sofa, one on the bed ... but it’s not big enough to keep far away.”

Her plight is not unique.

Despite promises of help, families in the low-income neighborhoods of Watts, Boyle Heights and South Los Angeles have struggled to get online, with at least 16% of students lacking basic internet access, according to a survey of public school families in those communities released Wednesday by the nonprofit Partnership for Los Angeles Schools.

Many more students likely lack the high-speed internet connection needed for regular online academic work, according to the organization, which manages 18 L.A. Unified campuses that enroll large numbers of black and Latino students who are members of low-income families.

The survey, conducted March 24 through April 4, also recorded other areas of concern: 15% of families reported that students had not yet been in contact with teachers, and 25% said students needed to print out materials at home for their assignments, but they lacked a printer. CONTINUE READING: Amid coronavirus, internet is hard for poor students to find - Los Angeles Times

School in the time of Coronavirus #2 – EdTech Wants Your School | Live Long and Prosper

School in the time of Coronavirus #2 – EdTech Wants Your School | Live Long and Prosper

School in the time of Coronavirus #2 – EdTech Wants Your School

EdTech Positions Itself for Boom Times

The Ed-tech industry is jumping into the gap left by closed schools during the coronavirus crisis. Many companies are offering temporary free options for students to use while their schools are closed. We can give them credit for offering a service for free during a crisis, but cynicism from past experience forces me to question whether it’s being done based on altruism or whether they are using the crisis to “hook” consumers on their products.

We in Indiana are well acquainted with the failure of virtual charter schools. I understand that everyone is forced into virtual schools right now — everyone except those who have little or no access to the internet — but the forced virtual schooling has only reinforced the importance of face to face relationships between teacher and student.

1: Teacher-student eye contact is important. “Eye contact makes so much difference: if students feel that the teacher is actually talking and engaging with them, they are more likely to engage with the teacher and listen to what they’re saying.”

2: Working at home has too many distractions. It’s hard enough for adults to CONTINUE READING: School in the time of Coronavirus #2 – EdTech Wants Your School | Live Long and Prosper

In Open Letter, Network for Public Education Asks Joe Biden to Be a Champion for Public Schools | janresseger

In Open Letter, Network for Public Education Asks Joe Biden to Be a Champion for Public Schools | janresseger

In Open Letter, Network for Public Education Asks Joe Biden to Be a Champion for Public Schools

Yesterday, Diane Ravitch, President of the Network for Public Education (NPE) and Carol Burris, NPE’s Executive Director published an open letter pressing Joe Biden, as a candidate for President, to provide strong leadership for justice in public education: “Our public schools and their students desperately need a champion.  We hope you will be that champion.  For two decades our schools and their teachers have been micromanaged by misguided federal mandates that require states to judge students, teachers, and schools by standardized test scores, as though a test score could ever be the true measure of a child, a teacher or a school.”

Ravitch and Burris remind Biden of his promise on December 14, 2019, when seven candidates for the Democratic nomination for President appeared at a Public Education Forum 2020.  The meeting, sponsored by the Alliance for Educational Justice; the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees; the American Federation of Teachers; the Center for Popular Democracy Action; the Journey for Justice Alliance; the NAACP; the National Education Association; the Network for Public Education Action; the Schott Foundation for Public Education-Opportunity to Learn Action Fund; the Service Employees International Union; and Voto Latino, was one of the most inspiring events I have attended.  It followed a series of Presidential debates all fall in which not one of the candidates had been asked to speak to the complex and fraught political implications of two decades of test-and-punish school reform.  The sponsors had brought more than 1500 teachers, organized parents, and public school students on a winter day to a convention center overlooking the Allegheny River. I don’t think I have ever been part of a crowd that was so wonderfully diverse. I found myself sitting next to a woman who has been serving for 30 years in a public school on the Navajo Nation as a special education teacher.

Now that he will be this year’s Democratic nominee for President, Ravitch and Burris CONTINUE READING: In Open Letter, Network for Public Education Asks Joe Biden to Be a Champion for Public Schools | janresseger

Homeless Families Face High Hurdles Homeschooling Their Kids | 89.3 KPCC

Homeless Families Face High Hurdles Homeschooling Their Kids | 89.3 KPCC

Homeless Families Face High Hurdles Homeschooling Their Kids

Eight-year-old Mariana Aceves is doing her math homework — subtraction by counting backwards — while sitting on the bed she shares with her mom, Lorena Aceves.

They're sitting on the bed because they have nowhere else to go: they live in an 8-foot-by-12-foot room called a tiny house. It's part of Seattle's transitional housing where people experiencing homelessness can live until they find a job and a place of their own.

There's room for the bed they share, a TV shelf, "and a little tiny plastic dresser, and then all of our clothing and our food goes underneath our bed," Lorena Aceves says.

Tens of millions of kids are taking classes online at home right now because of the coronavirus pandemic. That's hard enough for most families. But, if you're homeless and have no computer, sketchy wifi, and no quiet place to study, it's even more difficult. That's the case for the one and a half million school kids currently experiencing homelessness across the U.S.

When Seattle's schools closed in March, Aceves had to quit her new job, because she couldn't find childcare. She and her daughter have been holed up in their tiny house ever since.

"It's the boredom," Aceves says, "and me trying to reach out and find resources — CONTINUE READING: Homeless Families Face High Hurdles Homeschooling Their Kids | 89.3 KPCC

There’s Two Words For It: Stupid And Dangerous | Real Learning CT

There’s Two Words For It: Stupid And Dangerous | Real Learning CT

There’s Two Words For It: Stupid And Dangerous

We teach our students when they write a thesis-based essay in English classes to present clear evidence for their position and to reach a conclusion that is well-founded and offers a logical plan of action.

The Governor of Georgia clearly is not demonstrating the good thinking of  high school students.  If he wrote his plan in an essay, the essay would earn an F.

Watch this video of Dr. Karla Lorraine who is so dismayed that Governor Kemp has reached the conclusion, with absolutely no evidence, that the people of Georgia no longer need to maintain any social distancing and can gather together in gyms, massage parlors, movie theaters, bowling alleys, restaurants, and on beaches.

Governor Kemp is “liberating” Georgia. He is in sync with the President of the United States who contradicted the social distancing policy of his own CONTINUE READING: There’s Two Words For It: Stupid And Dangerous | Real Learning CT

How are school leaders planning for September? What guidance can we expect from the Governor, the Regents/Commissioner, and the school district? What decisions will be left to schools? | Ed In The Apple

How are school leaders planning for September? What guidance can we expect from the Governor, the Regents/Commissioner, and the school district? What decisions will be left to schools? | Ed In The Apple

How are school leaders planning for September? What guidance can we expect from the Governor, the Regents/Commissioner, and the school district? What decisions will be left to schools?

My last blog explored how parents would make decisions about whether their children would return to school in September. Today, how are school leaders: they have an incredibly complex task; responding each and every day and   thinking about what will September look like in their school.

Of course, a great deal depends on decisions higher up the chain. Remember; before Moses decided to part the Red Sea he checked with the bosses upstairs.

Every few days I check in with a thoughtful school leader.

I asked,

“How did you react when the announcement was made to close schools and move to remote learning?”

The school leader,

“Remote learning was like getting ‘pushed off the end of a diving board’ introduction to the new world. . .

While it was only a month ago it seems like many, many months, I used to greet kids as they entered the building, walk the halls, check in on classrooms, CONTINUE READING: How are school leaders planning for September? What guidance can we expect from the Governor, the Regents/Commissioner, and the school district? What decisions will be left to schools? | Ed In The Apple

YONG ZHAO: From “Yes, but” to “Yes, and…:” Reimagine Possibilities and Obstacles of Educational Change - Education in the Age of Globalization

Education in the Age of Globalization » Blog Archive » From “Yes, but” to “Yes, and…:” Reimagine Possibilities and Obstacles of Educational Change

From “Yes, but” to “Yes, and…:” Reimagine Possibilities and Obstacles of Educational Change

My encounters in recent weeks’ discussions (virtual meetings, social media interactions, and discussions on our new show #silverliningforlearning) once again focused my attention on a common phenomenon in education. Almost everyone thinks education should change and everyone seems to agree with the general directions of change (While the specifics of the desired change vary, the fundamentals are very similar—personalization, student agency/voice/self-determination, less testing, more authentic learning experiences, and attention to the whole child and cultivate different set of skills and competencies.) Moreover, there are many wonderfully successful examples of the education we aspire to have. Numerous teachers, school leaders, and even students have taken actions to translate their aspirations into realities. Although the totality of the traditional education establishment seems to be intact, there is abundant evidence to show that changes can happen. However, I still meet with many people with the “yes, but” mindset.

The “yes” is an endorsement of the merit and need of the proposed change, a nod to the possibility of change. The “but” lays out reasons for why the change cannot or should not be enacted in their own contexts. It is a list of factors that make their contexts different from others. The specific reasons can be expressed in different ways but generally reflect a concern over potential failure and negative consequences of the change, a lack of conditions that enable the change, and possible oppositions to the change. The reasons can be perceived or actual. Either way, they can be very convincing since no change, especially the more radical changes, can be guaranteed to be successful, positive, and easy to implement. Otherwise, the change would perhaps not be needed. As a result, the “buts” become powerful arguments and convenient rationalization for inaction.

To make the changes we desire, we need to replace the “yes, but” mindset with the “yes, and” mindset. The latter treats the “buts” as challenges to address rather than insurmountable obstacles. When we take CONTINUE READING: Education in the Age of Globalization » Blog Archive » From “Yes, but” to “Yes, and…:” Reimagine Possibilities and Obstacles of Educational Change

SSPI Thurmond Announces 2019-20 Enrollment Data - Year 2020 (CA Dept of Education)

SSPI Thurmond Announces 2019-20 Enrollment Data - Year 2020 (CA Dept of Education)

State Superintendent Tony Thurmond Announces 2019-2020 Enrollment Data

SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond announced today the release of 2019–2020 enrollment data for California’s kindergarten through grade twelve public schools. The data breaks down enrollment by ethnicity and grade, along with English Language Acquisition Status, and can be sorted by county, district, or school.

“In these unprecedented times, these data can provide a clear look at all California students,” Thurmond said. “It’s especially helpful in showing where students are struggling and additional resources are needed as we work to close the digital divide and provide assistance for schools having to utilize distance-learning models.”

One important category is school-level data for Free or Reduced-Price Meals, which is an effective indicator of student poverty. All data is utilized for state and federal reporting purposes, including determinations for supplemental grant funding through the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF). Important findings include:

• Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity (Multi-Year): Overall enrollment is down from 6,235,520 in 2014–15 to 6,163,001 in 2019–2020, a decrease of 1.2 percent. Also during that time, the percentage of white students decreased from 24.6 percent to 22.4 percent and the percentage of African American students decreased from 6.0 percent to 5.3 percent. However, between 2014–15 and 2019–2020, the percentage of Hispanic/Latino students increased from 53.6 percent to 54.9 percent.
• English Language Acquisition Status (Multi-Year): Between 2014–15 and 2019–2020, the percentage of Hispanic/Latino students classified as English learners decreased from 83.2 percent to 81.2 percent. Overall, between 2014–15 and 2019–2020, the percentage of students who are English learners decreased from 22.3 percent to 18.6 percent, while the percentage of students who are Reclassified Fluent English Proficient increased from 15.6 percent to 18.4 percent during that same time period. These data show a continuing trend of a decreasing proportion of students being identified as English learners and an increasing proportion of students being reclassified fluent English proficient.
• Enrollment for Charter and Non-Charter Schools (Multi-Year): While overall enrollment in non-charter schools decreased between 2014–15 and 2019–2020, enrollment in charter schools has increased from 8.7 percent to 11.0 percent of the public school population statewide.
• Charter and Non-Charter Student Group Enrollment (2019–2020): Charter schools tend to have a smaller percentage of their enrollment who belong to disadvantaged student groups, such as English learners, foster youth, homeless youth, migrant students, students with disabilities, and socio-economically disadvantaged. The difference is most pronounced for the English learner student group. In 2019–2020, 16.7 percent of charter school students are identified as English learners, while 22.9 percent of non-charter school students are similarly identified.

The data is compiled by the California Department of Education from data submitted by local educational agencies to the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS). The updated enrollment data is available on the CDE’s Data Quest website.

Additional resources:

Downloadable files to support the Data Quest reports.

Downloadable files containing school-level data for Free or Reduced-Price Meals.

# # # #

Tony Thurmond — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5602, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100

SSPI Thurmond Announces 2019-20 Enrollment Data - Year 2020 (CA Dept of Education)

CURMUDGUCATION: Recovery Commission Targets Gutting Of Public School

CURMUDGUCATION: Recovery Commission Targets Gutting Of Public School

Recovery Commission Targets Gutting Of Public School

While Trump has announced a variety of groups he wants to gather together to charter a pandemic recovery for the nation, there's one group that is already on the job-- and their plans for public education suck.

The National Coronavirus Recovery Commission-- doesn't that sound grand? It sounds like a real official government thing, only it isn't, exactly. It's the project of the Heritage Foundation, a right-tilted thinky tank that has been a major policy player in DC since the days of Ronald Reagan. They've successfully pushed a bunch of policies over the decades, with their one fumble coming in health care-- these are the guys who designed what became Romneycare that became Obamacare, thereby transforming a hyper-conservative policy idea into a policy that conservatives vowed to destroy. If you have wondered "Why don't conservatives come up with their own health care plan?" the answer is that they did-- and it's Obamacare. Oh, politics.

This guy.

The Heritage Foundation has joined the Federalist Society in serving as a staffing arm of the Trump administration, and had a whole list of appointee "suggestions" ready when Trump won. Which may explain why some coverage of the NCRC includes phrases like "will work with the White House on ways to have a smooth reopening of the country when it’s time."

The National Coronavirus Recovery Commission (subtitled "Saving Lives and Livelihoods") is composed of seventeen "heavy hitters" including former governor George Allen, retire Cato chief John Allison, some Heritage Foundation people like president Kay James and--

Well, look. It's Kevin Chavous, the big cheese at K12, the 800 pound gorilla of the cyber school world, the one funded by junk bond king Michael Milken and founded by a McKinsey alum (anoter early investor-- Dick DeVos). They've had more than their share of messes (like the time the NCAA decided K12 credits don't count). But the Trump administration has been good times for them. And Chavous used to help run the American Federation for Children, Betsy DeVos's dark money ed reform group, from which he called for the privatization of post- CONTINUE READING: CURMUDGUCATION: Recovery Commission Targets Gutting Of Public School

SPECIAL CORONAVIRUS UPDATE Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... The latest news and resources in education since 2007

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007

SPECIAL CORONAVIRUS UPDATE

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... 

The latest news and resources in education since 2007

This Week’s Resources To Support Teachers Coping With School Closures

by Larry Ferlazzo / 2h

Wokandapix / Pixabay I have a number of regular weekly features (see HERE IS A LIST (WITH LINKS) OF ALL MY REGULAR WEEKLY FEATURES ). It’s time for a new addition to that list, and this post introduces a weekly compilation of new and good resources to support those of us dealing with school closures. Some will be added to The Best Advice On Teaching K-12 Online (If We Have To Because Of The Coron

YESTERDAY

“Reading & Writing Instruction in the Age of the Coronavirus”

by Larry Ferlazzo / 12h

Reading & Writing Instruction in the Age of the Coronavirus is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column. Keep it simple, keep it flexible, and keep the routine familiar are among the suggestions three educators give in assigning students work while distance learning. Here are some excerpts:

Harvard Business Review Highlights Three Tried-And-True Classroom Management Strategies

by Larry Ferlazzo / 12h

ractapopulous / Pixabay The Harvard Business Review often writes about strategies to use in business that can easily be applied in the classroom Today’s article, How to Persuade People to Change Their Behavior , is another example of that cross-over (just to be clear, however, most business practices have no place in schools – see The Best Posts & Articles Explaining Why Schools Should Not Be Run

“Six Ways Educators Can Support LGBTQ Students During COVID-19”

by Larry Ferlazzo / 13h

Six Ways Educators Can Support LGBTQ Students During COVID-19 is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column. During the best of times, LGBTQ students often have a tough time navigating safely through the negative actions thrown their way. Two educators explain how teachers can help these students remotely. Here’s an excerpt:

NBC News Video: “From Smallpox To The Coronavirus: The History Of Vaccinations Explained”

by Larry Ferlazzo / 14h

Clker-Free-Vector-Images / Pixabay I’m adding this new video to A BEGINNING LIST OF THE BEST RESOURCES FOR LEARNING ABOUT THE CORONAVIRUS.

Ed Tech Digest

by Larry Ferlazzo / 14h

Eight years ago, in another somewhat futile attempt to reduce the backlog of resources I want to share, I began this occasional “” 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 2019 – PART TWO , as well as checking out all my edtech resources . Here are this

APR 20

“Spanish-Language Infographic: ‘7 Tips for Parents Supporting Remote Learning'”

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1d

Spanish-Language Infographic: ‘7 Tips for Parents Supporting Remote Learning’ is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column. In it, Educator Xatli Stox translates Lindsay Kuhl’s infographic on helping parents support distance learning into Spanish. Here it is:

My Latest BAM! Radio Show Is On “Six Strategies to Keep the Passion for Reading Alive While Teaching Online”

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1d

Six Strategies to Keep the Passion for Reading Alive While Teaching Online is the title of my latest ten-minute BAM! Radio Show. I’m joined by Sarah Said, Jennifer Orr, and Sarah Kirby-Gonzalez, who have all also contributed to my Ed Week Teacher column. I’m adding this show to All My BAM Radio Shows – Linked With Descriptions .

It’s Patriots’ Day – Here Are Teaching & Learning Resources About The American Revolution

by Larry Ferlazzo / 2d

272447 / Pixabay It’s Patriots’ Day : Patriots’ Day is an annual event, formalized as several state holidays , commemorating the Battles of Lexington and Concord , and the Battle of Menotomy , the first battles of the American Revolutionary War . I don’t actually have a specific Revolutionary War “Best” list. However, I have several posts about it filled with resources I use in my ELL US History

“All Classroom Q&A Posts on the Coronavirus Crisis”

by Larry Ferlazzo / 2d

All Classroom Q&A Posts on the Coronavirus Crisis is the headline of my latest Education Week Teacher column. You can find links here to all Classroom Q&A posts related to supporting teachers, students, and parents 

Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day... | The latest news and resources in education since 2007