“Dance is an art form that triggers emotions and feelings like no other. It provides an opportunity to explore important issues viscerally and emotionally, through the best language on the planet, the movement of the body.” –– Rob Fruchtman
As our global population continues to grow, migration and increasing social...
There are now numerous studies which point to the fact that world-ready kids will require a holistic education. Knowledge, Skills, Attitudes and Values are all important when we talk about creating a holistic approach to learning. Quality schools with plenty of resources are creating frameworks needed to ensure kids are...
With the end of the school year right around the corner, summer learning loss is a weighty topic on every educator's mind. Even in the absence of a formal reading intervention program, there are recommendations that can help families support children's reading development over the summer months. We've compiled a list of 7 tips you can share to help prevent summer slide!
Let me start by saying I certainly don’t have all the answers when it comes to education. I, do, think, however, after spending many years working as an educator, writing, and researching about the topic, I have some ideas. We don’t have to search far to know that the United States education system has its challenges.
Globally, we continue to slip behind other countries. We are no longer the model, as countries like Finland and South Korea have gained the spotlight. At the risk of...
I never saw great value in being formally observed by an administrator or peer-evaluator, receiving some feedback and never hearing from them again. As an elementary teacher, that just didn’t feel like the best approach.
Sure, I received direct feedback and benefited from having an outside person “objectively” observe my teaching practices—but it felt flat, like something was missing. What was missing, in my opinion, was the coaching aspect. Someone to work alongside me, to guide me...
I often believe we are academically restricting students on a daily basis. In our efforts to make learning gains and boost test scores, we have narrowed our view of learning and understanding, and thus, severely restricted the ways students can demonstrate learning.
Think about it. How often our students given a paper-and-pencil test (in this highly digital age)? How many essays or written response exams do students take each school year? Now, there’s nothing inherently wrong with...
Listening to reading helps students develop fluency, expression, and comprehension skills. Creating a Listening Center in your classroom can help support reader focus and build student confidence, which translates to success.
Organizing and maintaining listening centers that keep students independently engaged can be tricky.
Our friends over at Primary Paradise share some simple but highly...
Even if the make-up of your classroom and school isn’t particularly diverse, it’s still so important to share a variety of diverse chapter books with our students that reflect our students and the overall population. My favorite moments in my classroom are always the times when I look around the room and all of my students have their nose in a different book. When I see each of my students engaged in reading (and I’m...
The Children in India 2012 study found that approximately 48% of India’s children are “stunted” and 20% are “wasted”. It also showed that 40% of children between the 5th and 7th grade dropped out of school. Most of these...