news & tips for teachers
News & Tips for Teachers
How Teachers can create a Personal Learning Network (PLN)
May 22nd, 2013
There’s a lot of buzz around building a Teachers Personal Learning Network (PLN). Some have no idea how to navigate the world of PLNs, let alone how to build a network themselves. The good news is that you already have the tools …
How to use Infographics as a Teaching Tool
May 21st, 2013
An infographic, which is a combination of words and images designed to explain a concept, can be an excellent teaching tool. Since infographics are available all over the Internet, they not only fill the Common Core State Standards’ requirement of teaching students …
Summer School Teaching Strategies
May 17th, 2013
For most kids, summer means endless days of freedom to explore, hang out with their kids and get a break from the rigors of school, but if you are teaching summer school, you know that for a few lucky ones, this …
U.S. Sec. of Education: My National Teacher Appreciation Week Wish List
May 9th, 2013
By Pamela Moreland In observance of National Teacher Appreciation Week, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said he wanted to find a way to help teachers be the leaders in the nation’s transition to higher learning standards. He asked “policymakers, district leaders …
National Teacher Appreciation Week: How to #ThankATeacher
May 7th, 2013
By Pamela Moreland Before the week–National Teacher Appreciation Week, that is– gets away from us, let’s thank a teacher. Yes, even if you are a teacher, thank a teacher who inspired you to take this challenging career. Thank the teacher who guided …
“Flipped” Classrooms: How Do They Work?
May 6th, 2013
by Jacquie McGregor In 2007, Jonathan Bergman and Aaron Sams, teachers at Woodland Park High School in Woodland Park, Colorado, came up with the idea of using PowerPoint to record their classroom lectures and post them online for students to review. Their …
Using Technology: Second-Graders Inspire Their Teacher – and Each Other
April 12th, 2013
For second-grade teacher and blogger Erin Klein, technology in the classroom is always about responding to the world kids already live in. At least that is how it started, and how it evolved. Klein was teaching kindergarten when she noticed how her …
IPads and Other Tablets in the Classroom: How to Get it Right
April 4th, 2013
Education technology leader Kathy Schrock has long believed all students should have their own devices. Schrock, a fan of portable technology since the days of the PalmPilot, argues that handheld devices and software have become so economical and widespread that schools finally …
Cracking the Code: Should Schools Require Students to Learn How to Write Software?
April 3rd, 2013
By Brian P. Gatens There’s a part of my personality that naturally keeps an eye out for cultural shifts and trends. For example, I remember walking through the mall last summer and hearing a group of kids singing “Now here’s my number, …
The Power of Social Media to Engage Students Online
March 11th, 2013
Teachers should want to be where students are engaging. Today that means being online, said Lisa Nielsen, New York City Department of Education’s director of digital literacy and citizenship. Nielsen is also the brain behind the Innovative Educator blog and co-author of …
4 Tips for Dealing with High-Demand Parents
March 11th, 2013
By Brian P. Gatens Sooner or later, all educators have to work with high-demand parents. I’ve found a few basic strategies can defuse tension and help teachers and parents find common ground when these situations pop up. Effective schools always have a …
Teachers: Stand Up and Speak Out for Your Profession
March 7th, 2013
By Brian P. Gatens Ok, let’s cut to the chase. You’re not a victim. Yes, yes, the teaching profession has been battered and bruised these past several years. We’ve been swept up in an economic tsunami that has engulfed all public-sector workers. …
Quiet in the Classroom: The Power of Introverts in Learning
March 5th, 2013
by Jacquie McGregor I came across a series of articles recently that made me rethink some of my philosophies as an educator. A great deal of my time as a teacher has been spent in music classrooms. Band, choir, orchestra, jazz band, …
Teachers vs. Administrators: Ending the Adversarial Relationship
February 27th, 2013
by Terry Wilhelm An administrative colleague of mine recently retired from the school where she’d worked for many years and wrote a farewell open letter to her staff. As part of a warm, positive goodbye, she said the following: Over the years, …
STEM Education and the Socioeconomic Construct: Overcoming the Barriers
February 22nd, 2013
by Jacquie McGregor “Everyone has a stake in improving STEM education. Inspiring all our students to be capable in math and science will help them contribute in an increasingly technology-based economy, and will also help America prepare the next generation of STEM …
Lessons from Online Education for Brick-and-Mortar Schools
February 11th, 2013
by Jacquie McGregor The Center for Education Reform reports that in 2000, approximately 45,000 students were enrolled in online learning programs nationwide. By 2011, almost 2,000,000 students enrolled in online learning through K-12 school districts, with an additional 275,000 enrolled in full-time …
Reading Strategies for Emergent Readers: Pre-Reading
February 4th, 2013
By Jacquie McGregor The implementation of Common Core State Standards calls for teachers and students to approach English Language Arts, including reading, differently than we have in the past. The core of CCSS philosophy is that reading should be a higher-level thinking …
Twitter: Bringing the World into Your Classroom
January 31st, 2013
Illinois Teacher of the Year Josh Stumpenhorst has done something unusual in his sixth-grade language arts classroom. He’s let the world in. For many teachers, opening the classroom through social media networks like Twitter or Skype can be scary. But it doesn’t …
Common Core and Technology: Can Schools Afford the New Standards?
January 30th, 2013
By Marcus A. Hennessy, CEA (ret.) Teachers and administrators in a lot of K-12 schools are wondering where they’re going to come up with the money to implement the technology components of the new Common Core Standards. Schools’ budget dilemmas were just …
Thinking Critically About Common Core State Standards
January 22nd, 2013
by Jacquie McGregor In recent years, most educators have undergone intensive in-services and professional development courses devoted to understanding Common Core State Standards, usually without a chance to examine its pros and cons. We’re also familiar with the problems the CCSS movement aims to solve: in …
There’s an app for that: Educators must plan for a successful launch
December 11th, 2012
Educator Randon Ruggles is a big fan of using apps for tablets and smartphones as educational tools, but acknowledges that they can be a source of frustration. “I see a huge disconnect with what could be done and what’s going on in …
Gamifying Education: Think Differently, Start Small
November 30th, 2012
Gamification, that is in education applying game design thinking to non-game applications to make them learning the 3 Rs more fun and engaging, is more than just a buzzword, another task to check off. Experts argue that it can improve learning and …
Five Activities to Celebrate and Teach Thanksgiving in the Classroom
November 16th, 2012
Although the celebration of Thanksgiving goes back to the days of the pilgrims, it did not become an official holiday until 1941. That is when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt officially proclaimed the fourth Thursday in November to be the official national day …
Digital “Gamification” in the Classroom: A Growing Teaching Trend
November 15th, 2012
By Marcus A. Hennessy, CEA (ret) A middle school in New York applies The World of Warcraft (WoW) in-School Project to bolster at-risk students’ skills in digital literacy and leadership. The University of Colorado’s departments of Computer Science and Education, and its …
Using Smartphones (and other PDAs) in Class: These Days, it’s Cool!
November 13th, 2012
By Marcus A. Hennessy, CEA (ret) A few years ago, as Blackberries, iPhones, and Androids began to flood the smartphone market, middle and high school teachers tended to discourage their students from using them in class. And for good reason: aside from …
Teaching Critical Thinking Through Debate
October 17th, 2012
As the time draws near for U.S. citizens to exercise their voting rights, teachers have an opportunity to engage students in classroom discussions surrounding the presidential elections. Students must be taught to frame their knowledge with deeper concepts than what immediately surrounds …
What Is Bullying and Who Does It?
October 15th, 2012
By K’Lee Banks, M.Ed. In this second post about bullying to coincide with this month’s recognition and awareness for National Bullying Prevention Month, we examine both the actions of bullies and the individuals who are likely to . What Is Bullying? Bullying …
October is National Bullying Prevention Month
October 8th, 2012
By K’Lee Banks, M.Ed. The month of October is designated as the time to talk about bullying prevention. This national awareness day appears under different names: National Bullying Prevention Month National Anti-Bullying Awareness Month National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month Stomp Out Bullying …
Lesson Plans for the Presidential Election 2012
October 3rd, 2012
Primaries, caucuses, polls, election day, ideology, deficit, debt: it is impossible to escape the rhetoric circulating around November 6, 2012 voting expectations. Helping students understand the semantics and processes of voting in the United States is a subject that many teachers find …
Ed Tech: 4 Tips from Cool Cat Teacher that Will Make You a Tech Savvy Teacher
October 3rd, 2012
By HotChalk Staff Vicki Davis is a technology teacher and has a lot going on. She’s a fulltime teacher, mother of three, an author and co-creator of the Flat Classroom Project focusing on technology that expands learning. Oh, and she blogs. In …
Teacher’s Guide to the Flipped Classroom
October 2nd, 2012
At one time, education was a passive experience in which students sat in class listening to lectures or reading books. While lectures and textbooks are still part of the educational system, they have taken a backseat to flipped learning. In this educational …
Six Hispanic Heritage Month Lesson Plans for All Ages
September 26th, 2012
In 2010, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that more than 50 million Americans have some Spanish ancestry. It is necessary for students to understand and recognize this rich culture and its influence on America. These lessons will help engage and enlighten learners …
Classroom Activities for Hispanic Heritage Month
September 26th, 2012
Because September is both National Hispanic Heritage Month and the time when several Spanish-speaking regions celebrate their independence, now is the perfect time to use lesson plans that incorporate Hispanic culture. Hispanic culture in America is a vibrant mix of language, folklore, …
Celebrate Back to School with Teacher Supplies Contest!
September 10th, 2012
What’s at the top of your back to school list? A new whiteboard? A case of colorful construction paper? How about a set of new books? Hotchalk Lesson Plans Page and Really Good Stuff want to know the 3 things you can’t …
7 Free Preschool Lesson Plans for Back to School
September 6th, 2012
According to Beginning to Read, children that are not proficient in reading by the time they reach fourth grade will likely end up in jail or on welfare. It is estimated that seventy-eight percent of children that fall behind in their educational advancement must …
The Power of Student Blogging in the Classroom
September 4th, 2012
Anyone can publish their thoughts and ideas with the whole world as their audience, the incredible potential of the Internet and blogging is undeniable. The problem is how to get people to make use of that potential. Or more specifically, how can you …
13 Classroom Management Tips from Twitter
August 30th, 2012
By K’Lee Banks, M.Ed. If you haven’t yet discovered the power of social media through sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, you are missing out on valuable tools and sources of information. By exercising some discernment, you can glean useful tips …
7 Tips for Writing a Lesson Plan for Back to School
August 30th, 2012
It’s that time again: time for teachers to write lesson plans for the first days of a new school year. In order to ensure that you address the needs of all your students, it is essential to write lesson plans that are …
Write Your Own Lesson Plan With Our Free Lesson Plan Template
August 30th, 2012
“So today, class, we are going to learn about…” Whether you are a teacher with many years of experience or are just considering a career as an educator at the elementary, secondary, or college level, you should know that one of the …
These ESL Lesson Plans Are Encouraging and Fun for Students
August 3rd, 2012
Make it fun to make it memorable. That is an essential rule for teachers whose classes include learners of English as a second language. Instruction that accommodates ESL learners is good for all students. Excellent ESL lessons are designed to introduce and …
Make the Most of Your Summer Planning for Next School Year
August 1st, 2012
It is a common misconception that teachers have the summers off. Though you may not actually be inside the school building, you will undoubtedly be planning for the next academic year. Below are some tips you can use to make sure that …
7 Lesson Plans for Summer School Students
July 25th, 2012
Teachers are the first line of defense for engaging students academically. Summer school programs often help students develop a better understanding of core academic subjects. Rather than thinking about summer school as tutorial or remedial, we need to enlist our best teachers …
This Company is Tying Early Childhood Education to America’s Economic Success
July 25th, 2012
Early childhood education forms a foundation of knowledge that children will build on for the rest of their lives. If the child’s early learning experiences are lacking, his future educational endeavors will suffer as a result. In fact, many industry experts view …
3 Signs You Are Ready to Start a Master’s in Education Program
July 25th, 2012
Making the decision to further your education with a master’s degree will require a commitment of time and money and is a decision you should consider carefully. It will require study, work and intense research with a demanding course load. There are …
Keep Students Focused with these 5 Tips for Classroom Management
July 25th, 2012
Classrooms today are full of distractions, especially when students carry cell phones, iPods, or other digital devices, and surreptitiously use them in class. In other cases, students enjoy socializing a bit too much or they have legitimate learning or developmental disabilities that …
Inspiring Teachers That Are Changing the World, One Classroom at a Time
July 25th, 2012
Education is paramount to succeed in our society. An educated child has a better chance in obtaining everything that they want in their lives, such as finding their dream career, having a fulfilling social lifestyle, and creating innovative technologies that help our …
Teachers Pay Teachers is Changing the Way Educators Make a Living
July 25th, 2012
Teachers never get a break from school-related activities even when summer arrives and the kids are at home. Many teachers prepare for the coming school year by creating lesson plans, projects, powerpoint slides, and smartboard activities. They develop ways to educate the …
How to Inspire Strong Writing Using Video Writing Prompts
July 25th, 2012
If a child can’t learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn. ~Ignacio Estrada Have you ever seen a beautiful sunset that initiated a flood of emotions—and adjectives? If so, you experienced a prompt from nature that …
5 Ways Studying Abroad Will Make you a Better Teacher
July 25th, 2012
When studying to become a teacher many things can help you to expand your horizons and become a better teacher. Nothing in life can make you a better teacher than studying abroad. Having the opportunity to meet people from other cultures and …
Environmental Literacy: A Vital Topic in the Modern K-12 Classroom
April 26th, 2012
“Preparing our students to be good environmental citizens is some of the most important work any of us can do. It is for our children, and our children’s children, and generations yet to come.” —U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, September 2010 …
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