In the Classroom

This article was originally published in Smartbrief on September 15, 2020. As a Reading Connections teacher for middle school students, I usually get to spend two or three years teaching, working with, and getting to know my...

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to run its course, questions abound regarding what the 2020–2021 academic year will look like for students, teachers, and other members of the school community. Indeed, many decision-makers spent the summer months scrambling for extra funding to support smaller class sizes, reduced busing, strict cleaning...

Amid the seemingly endless back and forth over what school will look like in the near (and perhaps distant) future, teachers still have to teach—whether online, in the classroom, or somewhere in between. And, as always, one of the key areas requiring attention is literacy. James Boss, director of the...

Due to COVID-19, the 2020 spring semester was completely turned on its head. Since then, educators and administrators have been reflecting on the successes and challenges of their schools' rapid transitions to remote learning, with the results of a survey conducted by the Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE) that...

Whether it’s remote instruction, social distancing and masks, or a hybrid schedule, educators know the 2020-2021 school year is going to be unlike any other. In the face of COVID uncertainty, educators who have incorporated blended learning programs into their classrooms in the past—and those venturing forth with online learning...

Although school has resumed in countries such as Norway and China, restarting K-12 education during a global pandemic is proving difficult in the United States. Amid questions about if, how, and when to do so, a host of ideas have emerged. Between the two poles of not reopening school buildings at...

Over the past few months, the COVID-19 pandemic has swiftly impacted almost all aspects of life as we know it, turning daily routines upside down and adding new intricacies to previously familiar tasks. In the education sector, schools across the country have been affected by closures—some of which have no...

Will a student skilled at self-regulation be better equipped to learn? The answer, according to the theory of social and emotional learning (SEL), is yes. Although some observers have pegged SEL as little more than a buzzword that's easy to throw around but tough to define and implement, the idea...

Although schools traditionally focus on academic skills, educators also play a significant role in students’ social and emotional development. After all, students are learning crucial interpersonal skills (e.g., self-management, relationship-building, and responsible decision-making) as they work on class projects and navigate peer relationships, and research bears out the importance of...

Could nurturing students’ self-awareness be the key to unlocking academic potential? Many researchers seem to think so. In a 2019 piece published by the online education news and resource site Education Dive, Sucheta Kamath shared thorough, informative tips for helping students embrace this important skill. According to an online profile...