Following educational trends can sometimes feel like watching fads come and go—confusing at best and frustrating at worst. But keeping an eye on these trends can be helpful in addition to completing your professional development requirements. Many are based on educational research or current events that can help you support
A survey of educators found that most feel they don’t have enough information and classroom management strategies for students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).[2] Because children with ADHD need the right resources to thrive in the classroom, this can seriously inhibit their ability to reach their academic potential. As a teacher,
As a teacher, one of the best ways to help students is by reducing barriers to learning. One approach that can help you achieve this is the Universal Design for Learning. Introduced by educational researchers in the early 2000s, the Universal Design for Learning provides a framework for offering individualized
Beloved educator and children’s television host Fred Rogers once said, “Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning.” There’s more truth to this quote than you might expect. Play can lead to social-emotional and intellectual growth, and
One of the most important factors in a child’s school success, even more so than economic or social status, is parental or family empowerment. How involved caregivers are with a child’s education is the major factor in academic achievement. But it can be difficult for families to be active in
When families are engaged in their child’s education, everyone benefits. Student scores improve, families become empowered, and educators can build healthier school communities. But while these benefits are so clear and crucial, educators often face significant challenges to improving family-teacher communication in schools—for reasons both recognized and unknown. To combat
Classrooms in the United States are more diverse—culturally and linguistically—than ever before.[15] Yet schools are often structured to exclude students from marginalized communities. In many cases, without even realizing it, educators plan their curriculum without considering whether it includes the diverse backgrounds and identities of their students. That’s where culturally
“A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes.” –Mark Twain (but not really).[1] Thanks to the Internet, news can travel around the world at the speed of light. So can lies, conspiracy theories, and misinformation. The spread of wild conspiracy theories
To solve a problem they are struggling with, some students need only to “think outside the box.” This tactic is called divergent thinking, and it gets students to come up with several answers to a question and decide which is the best, most useful one. Read on to take a
Conflict: It’s great for drama, and an inescapable part of human progress, but it can make for fraught situations in the classroom. Conflict can happen even in the most supportive, positive, and open classrooms, disrupting your students’ ability to learn. If left unchecked, it could even lead to violence. Many
