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This site provides tools to create engaging and effective online video content for educational purposes. These practitioner and evidence-based approaches are  designed for educators at every level of technological fluency.

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This site is designed to provide you with the tools you need to create engaging and effective online video content for educational purposes. The approaches outlined here are practitioner and evidence-based and designed for educators at every level of technological fluency.

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Click on the icons to learn more:

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This site is designed to provide you with the tools you need to create engaging and effective online video content for educational purposes. The approaches outlined here are practitioner and evidence-based and designed for educators at every level of technological fluency.

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All faculty are required to map their first unit of the year.

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Understanding Trauma: Learning Brain vs. Survival Brain 

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Understanding Trauma: Learning Brain vs. Survival Brain 

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Video

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Understanding Trauma: Learning Brain vs Survival Brain

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Trauma Informed School Strategies During Covid-19

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Trauma Informed School Strategies During Covid-19

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Strategies for Supporting Educator Resilience and Trauma-Informed Self-Care

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Strategies for Supporting Educator Resilience and Trauma-Informed Self-Care

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This is 1.5 hours long.

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What About You? Strategies for Supporting Educator Resilience and Trauma-Informed Self-Care

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The National Child Trauma Stress Network

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The National Child Trauma Stress Network

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The National Child Traumatic Stress Network

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Children who suffer from child traumatic stress are those who have been exposed to one or more traumas over the course of their lives and develop reactions that persist and affect their daily lives after the events have ended.

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Summative Assessment in Distance Learning

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Summative Assessment in Distance Learning

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Article

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Summative Assessment in Distance Learning

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Whether schools are using regular grades or not, teachers need to accurately assess learning while their students are at home. These are some helpful ideas to consider.

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Formative Assessment in Distance Learning

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Formative Assessment in Distance Learning

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Article

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Formative Assessment in Distance Learning

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The pandemic has closed schools, but schooling goes on—and it remains crucial that teachers find ways to see what students are learning.

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How to Develop Culturally Responsive Teaching for Distance Learning

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How to Develop Culturally Responsive Teaching for Distance Learning

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Hammond distinguishes the differences between culturally responsive education, multicultural education and social justice education. Each is important, but without a focus on building students' brain power, they will experience learning loss.

When it comes to distance learning, applying culturally responsive teaching requires "remixing" education by borrowing from the best practices in how kids learn (Montessori, project-based learning, etc.) in a way that repositions the student as the leader of his own learning. By giving students more agency, the idea is to disrupt old routines around teaching and learning that make the student dependent on the teacher for receiving knowledge.

"It's going to stretch us a little out of our own comfort zones, but it's worth it in the long run if we can get students to continue to do that thinking," said Hammond.

She advises three strategies to help students gain that independence:

1. Deepen background knowledge

Many educators are understandably wondering whether they should teach new content or review familiar material. Hammond encourages educators to do the latter because cognitively dependent learners often have gaps in their background knowledge . "A lot of our students are compliant learners," she said. "They're having a hard time shifting right now [because] they're used to the worksheet, but that doesn't mean they're always processing information."

She advises teachers to help students connect new things they're learning to their brain's existing schema - also known as background knowledge - that comes from home, their community, their interests. Teachers can then give them authentic tasks that help them make meaning and connections. This helps turn new inert information into usable knowledge. "You cannot give another person background knowledge," she explained. "They have to acquire it, but as teachers we can help guide the process." This can be done by building upon student interest.

"Survey your students if you don't know what they like," said Hammond. Ask them what books they enjoy reading or what topics get them super excited. She said It doesn't matter if their interests are broad or narrow; it's important to learn what interests them so that you can use that information to:

Assign non-fiction books that build on student interests.

Create a "Netflix" playlist of documentaries, nature shows, historical events, etc.

Encourage kids and parents to do a walk-about, if that's possible in their community, following social distancing guidelines. Encourage parents and students to seek out community curiosities (landmarks or interesting sights) relevant to students' interest.

With each of these activities, it's important to give the students direction so they know what to look out for. "You have to tell the brain what to pay attention to," Hammond explains. She suggested questions like, "What was your biggest surprise from this book/show?" or thinking routine sentences like "I Used to Think ___. But, now I think ____."

She said to always make sure that students do something with the knowledge as well. She suggested having them share interesting facts they learned either during video conferences or via an audio/video clip. For those students with limited internet access, encourage them to share what they learned with their parents.

2. Cultivate cognitive routines

Growing students' brain power during distance learning starts with building cognitive routines. These routines are essential to processing and hardwiring information in the brain.

"Be the personal trainer of their cognitive development," Hammond said. To do this, she suggested having a routine set of prompts in each packet that become a regular part of the way students think. That way, students begin to think that way even when you're not in the classroom to reinforce that way of thinking.

One example is to ask students to connect the "unknown to the known" or across concepts by asking questions like, " What's the relationship or connection between these things?" or "How does this part fit into the whole? What are the parts of this whole?" These may seem simple, but these questions are critical when it comes to processing information so that students internalize these prompts until they become almost instinctual.

She said students should also be encouraged to sketchnote or doodle to actively process what they're learning as an alternative to note-taking. Sketchnoting can encourage people to make deeper connections to what they're hearing.

3. Build word wealth

Building a student's vocabulary is a key tool in equity strategies for schools. "Kids have different interests in words so find out where their energy is. You can have a differentiated assignment around word collecting, but the idea is to get them actively involved in word consciousness," said Hammond. She said there are many small but high-leverage ways to do this, such as introducing robust word study. A teacher can help students engage in wordplay, word consciousness and word knowledge. This should not happen through a worksheet assignment, but rather begin with building word consciousness of words in their community, home and home language.

Word games like Scrabble, Heads Up, Taboo or even word searches are small familiar but high-leverage activities because they're fun but also require a high cognitive load. You can create your own versions of these games and have students do this in any language. Students can also do word collecting activities like scavenger hunts, or make poetry using magnetic poetry. Students can also do a contrastive analysis, by comparing words they might find in Urban Dictionary to those they might find in a standard dictionary.

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How to Develop Culturally Responsive Teaching for Distance Learning | KQED

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Culturally responsive teaching is a powerful way to help students become independent learners, and it can be especially valuable during distance learning.

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The Value of Culturally Responsive Teaching in Distance Learning

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The Value of Culturally Responsive Teaching in Distance Learning

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Culturally Responsive Teaching

Zaretta Hammond shared practical strategies for fostering students' independence and agency while they are learning at home.

Independence is clearly needed for students working at home, so teachers should foster it very intentionally, said Hammond, author of Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain. "Culturally responsive instruction doesn't mean you're only mentioning issues of race and implicit bias," Hammond said: By seeking to expand learning capacities of historically marginalized students, "you're also focused on building brainpower by helping students leverage and grow their existing funds of knowledge."

"By giving students more agency, the idea is to disrupt old routines around teaching and learning that make the student dependent on the teacher for receiving knowledge," Major writes.

Hammond offered three suggestions for implementing CRT in the current situation:

1. Use students' background knowledge: The knowledge students have from their families, communities, and lived experiences informs the ways they process and retain new information, and Hammond said educators can guide students to connect what they're learning in classes to that background knowledge.

Hammond encouraged teachers to survey students to find out their interests and then use those as the foundation to help them build more knowledge. Students can take a walk with their parents to find "community curiosities" that spark their interest, for example, or create a list of shows or documentaries that focus on their interests.

Guiding students is about more than curating resources, Hammond said. Provide a framework that shows students how to explore a subject. For example, ask "What was your biggest surprise from this book/show?" Hammond suggested. Asking students to reflect on and share what they observed or learned in a video or audio note can reinforce the knowledge gained.

2. Build routines for the brain: Establishing questions for inquiry is "essential to processing and hardwiring information in the brain," Major writes. Using a regular set of prompts in every send-home assignment builds students' capacity to "begin to think that way even when you're not in the classroom to reinforce that way of thinking." Hammond called this being students' "personal trainer of their cognitive development."

Hammond suggested asking questions that encourage students to draw connections between pieces of information and to relate parts to the whole. For example, a basic question such as "What's the relationship or connection between these things?" gives students a consistent lens for examining new information. While the concepts are simple, the repetition of these questions will help students "internalize these prompts until they become almost instinctual."

3. Boost vocabulary: Creating active student engagement in vocabulary building is an important equity strategy, Major writes. By helping "students engage in wordplay, word consciousness, and word knowledge," educators boost students' understanding of words in a way that is more robust and engaging than a worksheet, she says. Word games and searches "are small, familiar but high-leverage activities because they're fun but also require a high cognitive load."

Poetry activities and word scavenger hunts, for example, can be engaging ways to build interest in new words. "Kids have different interests in words, so find out where their energy is," Hammond suggested: "The idea is to get them actively involved in word consciousness."

As students develop these skills-connecting new information to background knowledge, establishing cognitive routines, and improving vocabulary-they become more independent in their learning. And autonomy is a valuable asset not only for distance learning but for becoming more empowered, engaged learners.

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The Value of Culturally Responsive Teaching in Distance Learning

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Culturally Responsive Teaching Zaretta Hammond shared practical strategies for fostering students' independence and agency while they are learning at home. Independence is clearly needed for students working at home, so teachers should foster it very intentionally, said Hammond, author of Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain .

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Culturally Responsive Education in the Classroom: An Equity Framework for Pedagogy

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Culturally Responsive Education in the Classroom: An Equity Framework for Pedagogy

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by Adeyemi Stembridge

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Description

This exciting book helps educators translate the concept of equity into the context of pedagogy in the K-12 classroom. Providing a practice-oriented framework for understanding what equity entails for both teachers and learners, this book clarifies the theoretical context for equity and shares rich teaching strategies across a range of content areas and age groups. Unpacking six themes to understand Culturally Responsive Education (CRE), this powerful book helps teachers incorporate equity into behaviors, environments, and meaningful learning opportunities. Culturally Responsive Education in the Classroom provides specific, practice-based examples to help readers develop a culturally responsive pedagogical mindset for closing equity gaps in student achievement.

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Culturally Responsive Education in the Classroom: An Equity Framework for Pedagogy

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This exciting book helps educators translate the concept of equity into the context of pedagogy in the K-12 classroom. Providing a practice-oriented framework for understanding what equity entails for both teachers and learners, this book clarifies the theoretical context for equity and shares rich teaching strategies across a range of content areas and age groups.

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ASCD Virtual Conference: Respond, Reimagine, Restart July 16–17, 2020

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ASCD Virtual Conference: Respond, Reimagine, Restart July 16–17, 2020

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Registration for this conference is closed.

Registration for this virtual conference is FREE!
By registering for the virtual conference, you understand that your registration information will be viewed by our sponsors, partners, and affiliates when visiting and interacting with their virtual booth.
Additional Registration Policies and Information

Read more/less

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Virtual Conference: Respond, Reimagine, Restart

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Registration for this conference is closed. Registration for this virtual conference is FREE! By registering for the virtual conference, you understand that your registration information will be viewed by our sponsors, partners, and affiliates when visiting and interacting with their virtual booth. Additional Registration Policies and Information Read more/less

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New EdTech Classroom YouTube video series

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New EdTech Classroom YouTube video series

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Includes tutorials on Flipgrid, EdPuzzle, Google Forms, Adobe Spark, NearPod, and much more!

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Empowering teachers to reach a new generation. With a combined 20+ years of classroom teaching experience and a combined 10+ years creating YouTube content for teachers, expert lesson designers Sam Kary and Thom Gibson create videos to help you learn what it takes to create engaging learning experi…

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A Trauma-Informed Approach to Teaching Through Coronavirus

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A Trauma-Informed Approach to Teaching Through Coronavirus

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A Trauma-informed Approach to Teaching Through Coronavirus

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Experts from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network share their recommendations for educators supporting students during the COVID-19 crisis.

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How to Keep Students' Attention in a Virtual Classroom

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How to Keep Students' Attention in a Virtual Classroom

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Teachers worried about students zoning out during distance learning can lean on these programs for help.

Pollyana Ventura / iStock

We've all been there: We ask our class a question and no one responds. Awkward silence. Students start to look at the ceiling or flip through their notebook to avoid eye contact. Eventually, someone volunteers an answer, someone is called on, or worse, we simply move on without any participation.

Getting your students to participate is hard enough when you're in your classroom. Getting them to participate in a virtual classroom is a whole different ball game. The social pressure of uncomfortable eye contact just isn't the same on a videoconference call. In fact, it's nearly nonexistent with current technology.

Luckily, the technology exists to help provide supplemental strategies to get your students responding-you may even want to bring some of these strategies back to your classroom once schools open up again.

Ways to Boost Online Participation

Video chat polling features: Many video chat platforms come with polling features where the students see a question pop up on their screen. This is a great feature for a few reasons.

It helps you gauge what your class understands and what they may need you to review again. If you just spent five minutes reviewing a concept and end with "OK, any questions?" what do you usually hear back? Crickets.

Instead, ask a comprehension question using the poll feature. If only 35 percent of the class answers the question correctly, maybe it's worth spending a little extra time reviewing.

Check out how to use these features in individual apps:

Discussion breakout rooms: Polling is great for helping break up concepts in a lecture, but what if your class is discussion based and you want your students to break out into small groups to work on a shared assignment?

There is technology for that, too. First, start out with all students on the same video call, and then, with a click of a button, split your students up into small groups to work on an assignment using a collaborative tool like Google Docs.

They will be on a call with only their group mates. You as the host can hop among all the groups to check in and facilitate. Once the time is up, end the breakouts and bring everyone together again. Call on each group to share their work.

Zoom: You can have up to 50 breakout sessions at once and can hop between them as you'd like. Check out Zoom's support page to learn exactly how to set it up for your class.

GoToMeeting: This platform has shared documents built in and will store them for you to review once the meeting ends. More info here.

Microsoft Teams: This feature is reportedly coming soon.

Some of the videoconferencing platforms have this impressive feature built in already. See the list below to learn more about each one:

This is a great feature to use if you have access to it. Not only does it get students working together on shared assignments, but also it helps students get used to talking to each other through a computer.

Chat feature: Simply ask a question and have your students answer through the chat feature. This is not ideal, since all students will see the answers of other students, so you may not see an accurate representation of their understanding. But you will have a record of each student's participation.

External quiz apps: You can also use external quiz tools like Kahoot or Quizizz. Simply set up the quizzes ahead of time, and prompt your students to go take the quiz during your meeting by sharing the quiz code. Students can take a few minutes to navigate to the quiz website and answer a question or two before moving on. The best part about these platforms is that they're free for both teachers and students.

Kahoot!: The base platform is free and fun to use. If you're interested in more advanced features, such as advanced reporting, individualized quizzes, additional question formats, and more, Kahoot offers paid plans starting at just $3 per month.

Quizizz: This platform is 100 percent free and connects to Google Classroom. It has engaging gamification built in and an entire place to store your favorite teaching memes.

Quizlet: The free version of this platform is excellent. If you're interested in tracking student progress over time, removing ads, and adding personalized content, the paid version starts at just $3 per month with additional savings for schoolwide plans.

Mentimeter: This platform's free version is limited to only a couple of questions, but the integration with online interaction is definitely worth your time to explore. The paid version starts at $10 per month, or you can reach out to your school's admin to explore a schoolwide payment option to make it cheaper per instructor.

Here are links to some student-approved quiz platforms:

Expectations and Accountability

The above tools are great-but now let's explore how to implement these and set your students up for success. Clear expectations set the stage for student participation.

Let your students know what good participation looks like. Is logging in to the video call enough to count as participation? That may be all that your administrators are looking for, but what does good look like, according to your standards?

Counting each time a student talks or adds to a discussion can be time-consuming. So let technology work for you.

A great way to measure participation is by requiring a permanent product-this is something your student leaves behind after they leave the call. It can be anything from an answer to an online discussion prompt to their quiz score, a response left in the chat, or the shared product from a group assignment.

Be present: Join the call and stay for the duration of class time.

Comprehension checks: Answer each quiz question that pops up, perhaps with extra points for answering 100 percent correct.

Discussion assignment: Work with your team to complete the assignment.

Whatever your definition of good is, be sure it is measurable and achievable.

Regardless of which online tool you use, it is clear that we cannot rely on in-person tactics to encourage virtual class participation. Luckily, the tools and tactics here can help enhance your online teaching. You may even find yourself bringing these back to your classroom when schools reopen.

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How to Keep Students' Attention in a Virtual Classroom

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Teachers worried about students zoning out during distance learning can lean on these programs for help. Pollyana Ventura / iStock We've all been there: We ask our class a question and no one responds. Awkward silence. Students start to look at the ceiling or flip through their notebook to avoid eye contact.

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Sign up for free webinars in July OR view previously recorded webinars

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Enhance your online teaching skills!

3 weeks of learning for just $20!

Online learning support for K-12 educators in a flexible format that works for you! Whether you're teaching online or in a blended setting, ISTE's three-week Summer Learning Academy will prepare you for school this fall.
Download schedule Register Now
Group registration is available.

Webinars

Get expert guidance from these educators!

Online learning experts will help you build the skills to be successful in the fall, whether you're teaching in a blended or online learning environment.

Relevant topics covered will include:
AccessCollaborationEquityDigcitFormative assessmentLearning designSocial emotional learningUniversal Design for Learning

While these topics are helpful to teachers shifting to remote learning, the content applies to both blended and online learning settings.

Microcourses

Become proficient in online learning with our microcourses!

1-2 hours to complete each courseSelf-paced and skills-basedPrepares you to deliver engaging student learning experiences online

Learning Community

Connect with your colleagues

Engage in discussions and collaborate, with K-12 peers in ISTE's award-winning educator community.

Featured Guests

Join guests Kimberly Eckert, Telly Leung and Melinda Doolittle to cap off an amazing week of learning!

Kimberly Eckert

2018 Louisiana Teacher of the Year
Innovative Programs Coordinator

Telly Leung

Actor, singer and songwriter
( Aladdin, Rent, Glee)

Melinda Doolittle

Singer, author, American Idol star

Summer Learning Academy Schedule

Spend 1-2 hours a day gaining practical skills for teaching in an online environment - with fun Friday giveaways! Attend the one-hour interactive webinars live or watch a recording on your own time. Get a sneak peek of the schedule below.

ISTE's Summer Learning Academy runs July 13-31. Courses, webinars and the learning community will be available through October 2020.

6 PM EDT - Jennifer Williams
Innovative pedagogical practices to engage and motivate learners.

About the Presenter Jennifer Williams, Ed.D., has dedicated herself to the education field for over 20 years through her roles as a professor, school administrator, literacy specialist and classroom teacher. In her current work as the co-founder and executive director for the nonprofit Take Action Global, Williams helps build schools in refugee camps and remote areas of Africa, Asia and South America, and supports global school programs to empower students and teachers to take action on social good. She's the co-founder of TeachSDGs, the United Nations-appointed organization that's connected more than 30,000 international educators to the U.N.'s Sustainable Development Goals. She's a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert, a Kahoot! Founding Ambassador, a Nearpod PioNear and a Squirrels Alpha Squirrel. In 2016, Williams was named No. 33 on the list of 200 Top Education Influencers by Onalytica; in 2017 she was named No. 13 of the Top Women Edtech Influencers based on her work in education and educational technology.

6 PM EDT - Josh Stock
Creating lessons and videos that inspire your students and boost learning outcomes.

About the Presenter Josh Stock is a sixth grade language arts teacher at Santa Fe Trail Middle School in Olathe, Kansas. He's been teaching language arts-related subjects for 10 years, including ninth grade English, sixth to ninth grade reading, reading seminar and newspaper. He has a bachelor's degree in education, English, and a master's in instructional design and technology from Emporia State University. As an "awesomeness expert," Stock's passion for teaching and enthusiasm for all things learning are contagious, which comes through in his presentations. He's an active speaker and has recently appeared at industry events such as the Mid-America Association for Computers in Education Conference, the ISTE Conference & Expo, the National Council of Teachers of English Conference and the Kansas Department of Education Conference.

6 PM EDT - Michele Eaton
Reflecting on your role as a designer of learning experiences, and creating and using digital content in the classroom.

About the Presenter Michele Eaton is the director of virtual and blended learning for the MSD of Wayne Township in Indianapolis, Indiana. She focuses on staff and course development for Achieve Virtual Education Academy and the district's various blended initiatives and programs, from elementary to adult education. Eaton is a Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) Certified Education Technology Leader (CETL) and 2016 Next Generation Leader, 2018 EdWeek Leader to Learn From, president-elect of the ISTE Online Learning Network, conference chair for Indiana Connected Educators (an ISTE affiliate), member of the EdTech Heroes and moderator for the #INeLearn chat.

Dive into the ISTE U Microcourse titled Community Building in Online Learning!
About the microcourse Assessments and feedback are critical components of high-quality online learning - for students and teachers alike. By taking this course, you will be able to:

Incorporate formative assessments into online teaching.

Provide meaningful feedback to all students through digital tools.

On Fridays, ISTE will recap weekly highlights, lead activities to help you recharge and offer fun giveaways to take back to your classrooms.

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Summer professional development for K-12 educators

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3 weeks of learning for just $20! Online learning support for K-12 educators in a flexible format that works for you! Whether you're teaching online or in a blended setting, ISTE's three-week Summer Learning Academy will prepare you for school this fall. Download schedule Register Now Group registration is available.

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Online Assessment Strategies for Distance Learning

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Online Assessment Strategies for Distance Learning

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Learning journals

Journals where students write regularly about their own learning will provide you with a constant source of formative assessment. It also builds students' metacognitive abilities -their ability to 'think about thinking'.

Online learning journals can be as simple as a Word document. You can also use free blogging platforms (e.g. Live Journal or Blogger), video diaries or voice recordings for greater interactivity and engagement.

Learning journals can be freeform or you might encourage students to reflect on specific aspects of their progress. Here are some examples:

Challenge journals: Reflect on any challenges experienced during the week's learning and plan strategies for improvement.

Success journals: Reflect on the high points of the week's learning. New concepts understood, interesting pieces of knowledge gained and problems overcome.

Visual diaries: Students can use Paint or a simple digital illustrator to draw or doodle something inspired by the week's learning.

Question journals: Students write three questions each day to inform future learning or independent inquiry.

You can find many more examples .
Tips

Plan a platform where learning journals are visible to you alone if students are hesitant to share with their peers.

Use journal entries to inform future learning activities for individuals.

Model the reflection process for journal writing. Self-questioning ("What interested me most?", "What part did I find hardest?") is an effective way of encouraging deeper reflection.

Portfolios

Portfolios are a perfect assessment tool for distance education, with many schools having already adopted digital portfolios in place of the old filing system.

Use your LMS to set up a designated portfolio space for each student. Alternatively, you could use cloud software such as OneNote or Google Classroom. Dedicated portfolio platforms such as Seesaw are also available. Students can use this space to upload select pieces of work for assessment.

The ongoing nature of a student portfolio means that it can be used as both a formative and summative assessment. You can check student progress at any time by accessing their portfolio work and formally assess the final product at the conclusion of a learning unit.
Tips

Set a goal for your students' portfolios. What specific learning do you want to see displayed?

Decide whether you want your students' portfolios to demonstrate mastery or progress. This will determine what pieces of work should be included.

Instruct students to include set pieces of work, but also let them choose some of their own. This will give them ownership over their portfolio and prompt self-reflection.

Encourage reflection as part of the portfolio. For example, each work piece could be accompanied by a caption where the student explains why they chose to include it.

Video presentations and podcasts

Oral assessments function even more effectively online than they do in the classroom. The lack of a visible audience reduces anxiety and you have the opportunity to revisit their speaking as many times as you need in the form of a recording.

You can also encourage students to make use of multimedia components for more engaging presentations. The 'record' function on MS PowerPoint makes it easy for students to combine voice with a slide presentation and tech-savvy students might like to experiment with editing software.

You will be surprised what they have the capacity to produce!

Podcasts are a substitute for standard oral presentations. Consider grouping students together as a 'panel' to encourage dynamic discussion, as opposed to scripted monologues.
Tips

Coach students on the basics of online verbal communication, such as speaking clearly and into a microphone.

Have students do a test submission of their files so that they can troubleshoot any uploading issues.

If you have the capacity, students could do live presentations to their peers over Zoom, Teams or Skype. They can also share their screens on these platforms.

Remember to put the emphasis on the content of their presentation. Engaging multimedia should take the place of good verbal expression and information

Online discussion

Unlike classroom discussion, student comments on online message boards can be read as many times as you need to make an informed assessment of learning. Students also have time to post detailed and considered responses that you would not ordinarily get in a live setting.

Online discussion can also be factored into a summative assessment if you clearly specify the criteria being addressed. You might use it to assess a student's content knowledge, written communication, participation, collaboration or ability to make connections.
Tips

Set a protocol for online discussion which briefs students on respectful and effective communication strategies.

Promote quality contributions to online discussion as opposed to quantity. Specifying a certain amount of responses invites superficiality.

Monitor and facilitate online discussions with leading questions and prompts.

Trust your judgement

Remember that your professional judgement is always enough to reliably assess student learning. Don't feel the need to bring cumbersome testing methods into online teaching in an attempt to maintain control. Experiment with new strategies, get creative and - most importantly - trust yourself. You might change your whole approach to assessment in the process.

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Online Assessment Strategies for Distance Teachers and Learners

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For the past month, most accidental distance teachers have had their hands full just trying to stay connected with students. But with many schools still uncertain about when their doors will fully reopen, the need to actually assess student learning is becoming more pressing.

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20 Ways to Provide Effective Feedback for Learning

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20 Ways to Provide Effective Feedback for Learning

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contributed by Laura Reynolds

While assessment gets all the press, we often misunderstand effective feedback for learning.

When feedback is predominately negative, studies have shown that it can discourage student effort and achievement (Hattie & Timperley, 2007, Dinham). In my experience, the only thing I knew is that I hated public speaking and I would do anything possible to get out of it. As a teacher, most of the time it is easy to give encouraging, positive feedback.

However, it is in the other times that we have to dig deep to find an appropriate feedback response that will not discourage a student's learning. This is where the good teachers, the ones students remember forever in a positive light, separate themselves from the others.

A teacher has the distinct responsibility to nurture a student's learning and to provide feedback in such a manner that the student does not leave the classroom feeling defeated. Here you will find 20 ideas and techniques on how to give effective learning feedback that will leave your students with the feeling they can conquer the world.

20 Ways to Provide Effective Feedback

1. Feedback should be educative in nature.

Providing feedback means giving students an explanation of what they are doing correctly and incorrectly. However, the focus of the feedback should be based essentially on what the students is doing right. It is most productive to a student's learning when they are provided with an explanation and example as to what is accurate and inaccurate about their work.

Consider using the concept of a 'feedback sandwich' to guide your feedback: Compliment, Correct, Compliment.

2. Feedback should be given in a timely manner.

When feedback is given immediately after showing proof of learning, the student responds positively and remembers the experience about what is being learned in a confident manner. If we wait too long to give feedback, the moment is lost and the student might not connect the feedback with the action.

3. Be sensitive to the individual needs of the student.

It is vital that we take into consideration each student individually when giving feedback. Our classrooms are full of diverse learners. Some students need to be nudged to achieve at a higher level and others need to be handled very gently so as not to discourage learning and damage self-esteem. A balance between not wanting to hurt a student's feelings and providing proper encouragement is essential.

4. Ask the 4 questions.

Studies of effective teaching and learning (Dinham, 2002, 2007a; 2007b) have shown that learners want to know where they stand in regards to their work. Providing answers to the following four questions on a regular basis will help provide quality feedback. These four questions are also helpful when providing feedback to parents:

What can the student do?

What can't the student do?

How does the student's work compare with that of others?

How can the student do better?

5. Feedback should reference a skill or specific knowledge.

This is when rubrics become a useful tool (single-point rubrics, for example). A rubric is an instrument to communicate expectations for an assignment and a useful way to provide effective feedback for learning. Effective rubrics provide students with very specific information about their performance, compared to an established range of standards. For younger students, try highlighting rubric items that the student is meeting or try using a sticker chart.

6. Give feedback to keep students 'on target' for achievement.

Regular 'check-ins' with students let them know where they stand in the classroom and with you. Utilize the '4 questions' to guide your feedback.

7. Host a one-on-one conference.

Providing a one-on-one meeting with a student is one of the most effective means of providing feedback. The student will look forward to having the attention and allows the opportunity to ask necessary questions. A one-on-one conference should be generally optimistic, as this will encourage the student to look forward to the next meeting.

As with all aspects of teaching, this strategy requires good time management. Try meeting with a student while the other students are working independently. Time the meetings so that they last no longer than 10 minutes.

8. Feedback can be given verbally, non-verbally, or in written form.

Be sure to keep your frowns in check. It is imperative that we examine our non-verbal cues. Facial expressions and gestures are also means of delivering feedback. This means that when you hand back that English paper, it is best not to scowl.

9. Concentrate on one ability or skill.

It makes a far greater impact on the student when only one skill is critiqued versus the entire paper being the focus of everything that is wrong.

For example, when I taught Writer's Workshop at the elementary level, I would let students know that for that day I was going to be checking on the indentation of paragraphs within their writing. When I conferenced with a student, that was my focus instead of all the other aspects of their writing. The next day would feature a new focus.

Utilize this strategy when grading papers or tests to provide effective feedback for learning. This strategy allows you the necessary time to provide quality, written feedback. This can also include using a rotation chart for students to conference with at a deeper more meaningful level. Students will also know when it is their turn to meet with you and are more likely to bring questions of their own to the conference.

11. Educate students on how to give feedback to each other.

Model for students what appropriate feedback looks like and sounds like. As an elementary teacher, we call this 'peer conferencing.' Train students to give each other constructive feedback in a way that is positive and helpful. Encourage students to use post-it notes to record the given feedback.

12. Ask another adult to give feedback.

The principal at the school I taught at would often volunteer to grade history tests or read student's writing pieces. You can imagine how the student's quality of work increased tenfold! If the principal is too busy (and most are), invite a 'guest' teacher or student teacher to critique work.

13. Have the student take notes.

During a conference over a test, paper, or a general 'check-in,' have the student do the writing while you do the talking. The student can use a notebook to jot down notes as you provide verbal feedback.

14. Use a notebook to keep track of student progress.

Keep a section of a notebook for each student. Write daily or weekly, dated comments about each student as necessary. Keep track of good questions the student asks, behavior issues, areas for improvement, test scores, etc. Of course, this requires a lot of essential time management but when it is time to conference with a student or parent, you are ready to go.

Returning papers and tests at the beginning of class, rather than at the end, allows students to ask necessary questions and to hold a relevant discussion.

16. Use Post-It notes.

Sometimes seeing a comment written out is more effective than just hearing it aloud. During independent work time, try writing feedback comments on a post-it note. Place the note on the student's desk the feedback is meant for. One of my former students had a difficult time staying on task but he would get frustrated and embarrassed when I called him out on his inattentive behaviors in front of the class.

He would then shut down and refused to do any work because he was mad that I humiliated him. I resorted to using post-it notes to point out when he was on task or not. Although it was not the most effective use of my time, it really worked for him as a way to provide effective feedback for learning.

17. Give genuine praise.

Students are quick to figure out which teachers use meaningless praise to win approval. If you are constantly telling your students 'Good Job' or 'Nice Work' then, over time, these words become meaningless. Make a big deal out of a student's A+ on that vocabulary test. If you are thrilled with a student's recent on-task behaviors, go above and beyond with the encouragement and praise.

Make a phone call home to let mom or dad know how thrilled you are with the student's behavior. Comments and suggestions within genuine feedback should also be 'focused, practical, and based on an assessment of what the student can do and is capable of achieving' (Dinham).

18. "I noticed...."

Make an effort to notice a student's behavior or effort at a task. For example; "I noticed when you regrouped correctly in the hundreds column, you got the problem right." "I noticed you arrived on time to class this entire week." Acknowledging a student and the efforts they are making goes a long way to positively influence academic performance.

19. Provide a model or example.

Communicate with your students the purpose of an assessment and/or feedback. Demonstrate to students what you are looking for by giving them an example of what an A+ paper looks like. Provide a contrast of what a C- paper looks like. This is especially important at the upper learning levels.

20. Invite students to give you feedback.

Remember when you finished a class in college and you were given the chance to 'grade' the professor? How nice was it to finally tell the professor that the reading material was so incredibly boring without worrying about it affecting your grade? Why not let students give you feedback on how you are doing as a teacher?

Make it so that they can do it anonymously. What did they like about your class? What didn't they like? If they were teaching the class, what would they do differently? What did they learn the most from you as a teacher? If we are open to it, we will quickly learn a few things about ourselves as educators.

Remember that feedback goes both ways and as teachers, it is wise to never stop improving and honing our skills as teachers.
20 Ways To Provide Effective Feedback For Learning; A version of this post first appeared on opencolleges.edu.au;

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20 Ways To Provide Effective Feedback For Learning

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One way to provide effective feedback for learning is a 'feedback sandwich' to structure your feedback: Compliment, Correct, Compliment.

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The role of gratitude in dealing with stress and trauma

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Being told to "count your blessings" or "show some gratitude" is rarely helpful (and, frankly, often obnoxious), especially when you're already having a hard time. That's a lot of us right now. So let's start by talking about what gratitude is not: a turning away from or minimizing of the immense suffering and loss happening right now.

"Sometimes life is really hard, and right now things look really bleak," social psychologist Judy Moskowitz, Ph.D., M.P.H., professor of medical social sciences at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, director of the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at Northwestern, and president of the International Positive Psychology Association, tells SELF. "Gratitude is not about diminishing how difficult and unprecedented this all is, or being all Pollyanna about it, or pretending you're not anxious and that everything's fine. Because things are not fine, for anybody."

As we'll look at in depth, gratitude is something that can exist "alongside the very real and understandable negative emotions that most of us are experiencing right now," not in place of them, Moskowitz says. In fact, gratitude may help us better weather and recover from these hard times.

"Sometimes it's hard in the midst of tremendous uncertainty and grief, anxiety and anger about what's happening, to feel grateful," Robin Stern, Ph.D., the cofounder and associate director for the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and an associate research scientist at the Child Study Center at Yale, tells SELF. "But gratitude can be healing. "

The three ways we experience gratitude

We all have a basic understanding of what gratitude is, of course: the state of being grateful or thankful. But it's revealing to consider how the people who study gratitude define it. Researchers generally look at gratitude in three different but intersecting ways, Emiliana Simon-Thomas, Ph.D., cognitive psychologist and science director of the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, tells SELF.

1. An emotion
This meaning may be the one we're most familiar with. "Gratitude is often studied as a momentary emotional experience-a specific temporary state that happens when we realize that something good has happened, and often as a consequence of somebody else's efforts or actions," says Simon-Thomas, who helps run the Expanding the Science and Practice of Gratitude initiative at the Greater Good Science Center.

2. A trait
Gratitude is also studied as a trait or dispositional characteristic-how grateful of a person you are. As Simon-Thomas puts it, "Do you tend to notice what's good in your own life? Do you savor the goodnesses that are available to you? Do you recognize the extent to which things that are outside of yourself, whether it's people or some kind of existential privilege or resource, are the origin of the positive things that you enjoy in life?"

3. A practice
This framing of gratitude is connected to the first two-as something you can do to both evoke the emotion of gratitude and potentially strengthen it as a trait over time. "It's an activity or exercise of deliberately reflecting on what's going well or what kind of positive attributes one's life might be providing at the time," Simon-Thomas explains. "It's a way of making the emotion of gratitude more readily available and more likely to occur in general."

The science behind gratitude boosting your well-being

There is not an overwhelming amount of research on the psychological benefits of gratitude. "I think one of the reasons why gratitude maybe isn't the most popular research topic of all time is that it's not a very hard sell," Simon-Thomas explains. The idea that gratitude is a good thing worth valuing and embodying is not exactly novel-it's intuitive, well regarded, and deeply embedded in our culture. "Most philosophical and spiritual traditions espouse gratitude as a core virtue," Simon-Thomas points out, as does society at large. ( Survey data showing that the vast majority of people in the U.S. place a high value on gratitude supports this.)

That said, we do have a good amount of compelling evidence suggesting gratitude may have some very real implications for people's psychological well-being in a variety of ways. Much of this data is correlational, where researchers study gratitude as a trait in relation to various indicators of well-being. (Researchers have developed a number of surveys and scales to measure trait gratitude in people, such as the Gratitude Questionnaire, where you rate how much you agree with statements like "I have so much in life to be thankful for.") "It seems that people who see the world through that lens, who are typically grateful, tend to suffer less stress and be happier in general," Stern says.

A 2010 meta-review published in Clinical Psychology Review looked at dozens of studies to assess the impacts of gratitude on a wide variety of outcomes across many different domains, including: adaptive personality traits, mental illness, subjective well-being, social relationships, and physical health. Researchers found that people with higher trait gratitude were more likely to be more extroverted, agreeable, open, and conscientious and less neurotic. They were likely to experience less depression and greater subjective well-being, which includes high positive affect (mood), low negative affect, and high satisfaction with life. High trait gratitude is also associated with more positive social relationships and better physical health, especially in regards to stress and sleep. At least some of these relationships are thought to be unique: Gratitude can account for variations in the outcomes after controlling for 50 of the most studied traits in psychology.

We also have some interventional research that studies the impact of gratitude as a practice, measuring change over time in various outcomes as a result of gratitude exercises that participants are assigned to perform (such as keeping a daily/weekly gratitude diary or writing a gratitude letter to someone). The results here are still good but more mixed. A series of meta-analyses published in Basic and Applied Social Psychology in 2017 looked at 38 gratitude intervention studies to review the effects of gratitude on a variety of outcomes, immediately after the intervention and at follow-up points (ranging from one week to six months after the intervention ended). Compared to participants who had no intervention or a neutral one (like listing daily activities or interesting things), participants assigned to gratitude interventions fared better on a number of outcomes. They saw "evident differences" for well-being, happiness, life satisfaction, grateful mood, grateful disposition, positive affect, depression, optimism, and quality of relationships.

The role of gratitude in dealing with stress and trauma

There is a mounting body of particularly compelling evidence on the potential role of gratitude in coping with and recovering from trauma. "When we look at these kinds of studies, we see that even people who are going through or have gone through major traumatic experiences, something as simple as gratitude...can be helpful," Moskowitz says. "The idea is that it might be helpful for us too to practice it."

The majority of the data here is correlational, Simon-Thomas says. Generally, researchers study populations that have experienced serious trauma, such as combat, natural disaster, or a cancer diagnosis, and assess how trait gratitude is connected to psychological outcomes, including one or two common outcomes of trauma: post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and post-traumatic growth (PTG).

You're probably familiar with PTSD, a condition that can occur in people who have been exposed to a traumatic event, causing a number of serious symptoms, which can include flashbacks and intrusive thoughts about the event; negative beliefs about oneself; avoidant behaviors; trouble sleeping; feelings of numbness, guilt, or depression; hypervigilance and reactivity; and trouble sleeping, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). Researchers assess PTSD using clinically validated measurement tools such as interviews, self-reports, and symptom checklists.

PTG is just what it sounds like: the experience of personal psychological growth or transformation that can follow trauma and post-trauma challenges (including PTSD), the American Psychological Association (APA) explains. PTG is measured by researchers with self-report scales like the Post-traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI), per the APA, which assesses for positive growth in five key areas: (1) appreciation of life, (2) relationships with others, (3) new possibilities in life, (4) personal strength, (5) spiritual change. Some researchers see gratitude as a factor associated with or leading to PTG.

A number of research studies conceptualize gratitude as a "protective factor" against PTSD. A protective factor is basically the opposite of a risk factor-it is correlated with decreased likelihood of being diagnosed with a certain condition, fewer negative effects from stress, and better mental health, per the APA. Other studies frame gratitude as a potential factor associated with or leading to PTG.

One of the first studies to spark the idea that gratitude may play a role in post-trauma outcomes, Moskowitz says, was published in Behaviour Research and Therapy in 2006. It investigated the relationship between gratitude (both trait and daily-reported) and well-being in Vietnam War veterans with and without PTSD. They measured trait gratitude and trait affect (generally positive or negative disposition) once at the beginning of the study, then they had participants complete daily self-reports on their feelings of gratitude and their mood daily, along with other well-being measures, like rewarding social activity.

They found that in veterans both with and without PTSD, variations in trait gratitude corresponded with variations in their daily well-being-even more so than the relationship between well-being and things like mood, distress, and trauma-related stress. They also found that for veterans with PTSD, trait gratitude was a "significant, unique predictor of well-being" over and above someone's general positive disposition.

Researchers also looked into the role of gratitude in survivors of an earthquake that took place in the Ya'an region of Southwestern China in 2013. In one study, gratitude (along with social support) was a positive and stable predictor of PTG a year and a half after the earthquake. In another study, gratitude was associated with a decreased likelihood of PTSD and increased likelihood of PTG among the survivors, even three and a half years after the earthquake.

A 2017 study published in the journal Psychological Trauma investigated the role of resilience and gratitude in PTS and PTG among 359 survivors of a college campus shooting. They found that among people who scored high in gratitude, there was a much stronger relationship between PTS and PTG-the suggestion being that people high in gratitude are able to transform their stress into growth in the aftermath of trauma.

There's also research on the role of gratitude for people experiencing serious illness, like cancer. A 2013 study in the Journal of Happiness Studies found a strong positive correlation between gratitude and all dimensions of PTG in 67 people with breast cancer. And in a 2019 study in Frontiers in Psychology of 42 breast cancer patients, those who had a daily gratitude practice also reported higher self-esteem, optimism, acceptance of illness, and perceived social support compared to those who just had a daily journal practice.

There is also some evidence that gratitude is associated with better outcomes in people who have experienced more common traumas or stressors. Take, for instance, a 2009 study published in the journal Anxiety, Stress & Coping that looked at 182 college students who identified as female and had a history of trauma, with the most common traumas reported being a car accident and life-threatening illness/injury. On average, their traumas happened a little over four years earlier, and only 12.6% of them met the criteria for PTSD. Still, those who reported higher gratitude also reported fewer and less severe PTSD symptoms-even when taking into account other factors like their coping styles or how severe the trauma was.

A similar protective effect of gratitude was seen in college students in two joint longitudinal studies published in the Journal of Research in Personality in 2008. Researchers followed college undergraduates during their first semester at school (which, we can probably all agree, is a pretty stressful time). They gave students questionnaires at the beginning and end of the semester that measured a few different variables: trait gratitude, perceived social support, stress, and depression. Then they analyzed the data with some sophisticated statistical footwork (structural equation modeling) to tease out the directions of these relationships: Did trait gratitude actually impact any of the other variables, or was it the other way around? Or were they all just related? They concluded that having a higher baseline gratitude actually directly led to higher levels of social support and lower levels of stress and depression. On the flip side, it didn't seem that any of the variables directly led to greater gratitude. So maybe having higher gratitude does lead to better well-being, even during really stressful times.

How exactly does gratitude help people cope better?

So how do researchers explain the salutary effects of gratitude, especially as they pertain to trauma and coping? It's not entirely clear yet. "We have a lot of behavioral and correlational data," Simon-Thomas says, "but there's still a lot left to be learned at a biological or mechanistic level." For instance, we don't know much about what precisely is occurring in our brains when we practice gratitude. While we have a handful of good studies pointing to a couple of brain circuits, "there's not a huge amount of neuroimaging research on gratitude specifically," neuroscientist, writer, and coach Alex Korb, Ph.D., tells SELF.

Most of our understanding of what's going on is theoretical. Many of these theoretical frameworks are rooted in a particular area of study called positive psychology. If most of traditional psychology is focused on treating mental illness and reducing suffering, positive psychology is focused on cultivating well-being and human flourishing. The Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania describes it as "the scientific study of the strengths that enable individuals and communities to thrive." The American Psychological Association (APA) defines it as the study of the emotional states, individual traits, and social supports that "enhance people's subjective well-being and make life most worth living."

One influential theory here is the "broaden-and-build" model of positive emotions, pioneered by positive psychologist Barbara Fredrickson. We tend to view positive emotions-like joy, compassion, optimism, and gratitude-as merely evidence that someone is happy. But the broaden-and-build theory argues that the experience and cultivation of positive emotions, including gratitude, can actually produce benefits that lead to greater well-being in the long term-broadening our perspectives and building our psychological resources in ways that help us cope, bounce back, and thrive.

"Positive emotions aren't just the inverse of negative emotions," explains Moskowitz, whose own research is rooted in this model. "They actually have unique functions...and can actually help us build our resilience and help us cope."

Here are a few ideas about how that might work:

Gratitude may help widen your perspective

Positive emotions, like those produced by gratitude practices, are believed to expand the lens through which you see the world. "Negative emotions like fear or anxiety can really narrow your focus on the problem (which can be very adaptive)," Moskowitz explains, whereas "positive emotions help you broaden your perspective and allow you to see more possibilities."

Looking outward, positive feelings like gratitude can widen the scope of our attention to take more notice of the goodness (and good people) around us. "It sounds trite, but it's really true that taking the time to practice gratitude can open your eyes to how extraordinary so many things in our everyday life are," Stern says.

"Many of the benefits of gratitude are simply about directing your attention in certain ways-what parts of your life, what parts of reality you pay attention to," Korb says. "Your brain at the moment might not automatically pay attention to all the wonderful things in your life. But if you intentionally practice gratitude, you become more aware of these positive parts of your life that were always there and start to change that filter," Korb explains. "We are, for lack of a better word, training our minds to notice more of what is outside of the self-who's around us, what else we could be paying attention to, what's happening beyond our own immediate needs and self interest...[and] the potential threats and worries we tend to ruminate on," Simon-Thomas explains.

The broadening effect of positive emotions is thought to apply looking inward too, to the way we think (and, in turn, act). "Positive emotions and practices like gratitude can help you cope better by building your individual resources," Moskowitz says. The idea is that by doing practices that consistently induce positive emotions, we can widen and deepen the psychological resources available to us in times of stress, Mostkowitz explains. This cognitive broadening includes greater creativity, flexibility, novelty, and openness in the ways we think and behave-allowing us to see and engage in more possibilities.

Gratitude might simply give you a little break from stress

"Right now we are all steeped in the stress of COVID and having to isolate in our homes, and the worry we have for our loved ones and the country in general. It's hard to get away from it," Moskowitz says. "It's not an option to check out and not deal with [stress and trauma]." On top of that, "our reservoir of coping ability is really depleted because we're constantly engaged in this negative stuff going on," Moskowitz says.

The theory here is pretty intuitive: Positive emotions like gratitude are thought to help us cope in the midst of stress and difficulty by providing a little respite. "We think of it as a strategy to help you shift from unpleasant emotions to more pleasant emotion," Stern says.

"What practices like gratitude that help you even momentarily increase your positive emotions do is give you a break from that [stress]. It's like a breather," Moskowitz says. When you're practicing gratitude, you're not practicing anxious or envious thoughts. In turn, "those moments of positive emotion can help sustain you, can help you stay engaged through the coping process...[and] bolster that inner reserve you have for continuing to cope with it," Moskowitz says.

Gratitude may help you connect with other people

According to the broaden-and-build model, positive emotions also promote another crucial kind of resource for well-being and coping: social support. "People who show more positive emotions tend to draw more social support when they're stressed," Moskowitz says

There is also reason to believe gratitude is a unique prosocial behavior. "We develop a more prosocial and benevolent orientation toward others as we practice gratitude," Simon-Thomas explains. "We're practicing connecting the positive aspects of our life, the benefits that we enjoy, to the actions of other people."

Studies suggest that gratitude fosters prosocial behavior, strengthening social bonds, and forging new ones. This includes the 2006 Vietnam veterans study, which found that daily gratitude impacted the degree of daily rewarding social activity vets reported, as well as that pair of 2008 longitudinal studies of college freshmen we looked at earlier that concluded that gratitude seemed to "directly foster" social support. A 2017 Psychological Bulletin meta-analysis of 91 studies, including 18,342 participants, found "statistically significant, and moderate positive correlation between gratitude and prosociality."

This social support may in turn promote PTG. A 2008 meta-review of 103 studies looking at the role of optimism, social support, and coping strategies in contributing to PTG found that social support and social-support-seeking behavior were moderately related to PTG. In this way, Simon-Thomas says, "gratitude can ultimately provide us with more support and safety in the world."

There's much we have yet to learn about how exactly the benefits of gratitude work under the surface (and, perhaps, benefits we have yet to discover), but experts agree that the body research thus far tells us, loud and clear, that gratitude is something we can practice and get better at over time-and that it is worth doing so. "We can deliberately invoke this state of appreciation or recognition of the positive things we experience in life," Simon-Thomas says. "And that can become more habitual with practice."

How do you actually cultivate this state and trait in your own life? There are a few simple, effective, evidence-based ways to begin to foster gratitude on a daily basis, and you can read about them right here. As Stern puts it, "Why not try it, and see if it makes a difference?"
Related:

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Being told to "count your blessings" or "show some gratitude" is rarely helpful (and, frankly, often obnoxious), especially when you're already having a hard time. That's a lot of us right now. So let's start by talking about what gratitude is not: a turning away from or minimizing of the immense suffering and loss happening right now.

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Meeting the Needs of All Students Through Playlists

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Meeting the Needs of All Students Through Playlists

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posted in LINC

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By Kim Weber

And so it began...technology entered my classroom when two old computers from the newly refurbished computer lab were bestowed upon me as a "gift" to make my classroom more innovative. As most teachers did in 2000, I sighed and thought, "They probably don't even work." Little did I know that the adaptive reading software installed on those dinosaurs would be my foray into playlists, which did help me design more innovative learning for my students.

Playlists are vast and varied in their format but their intent is universal-to personalize learning to efficiently and effectively meet student needs. They create asynchronous learning paths that allow students to access content, practice skills, and demonstrate their learning while exercising control over the path, pace, place, and time of learning. The most effective implementation of playlists happens when a variety of formative assessments are embedded to inform the learning process.

As educators move away from the traditional, one size fits all approach to covering content, playlists are an accessible, friendly way to start making this shift. In my experience as a LINC Transformation Agent, I am often asked, "How does a playlist work for...?" finished with either a grade level or subject area. I love this question because the answer is, "Playlists work for all learning environments." Here I'll share several common questions that come up in my coaching sessions around how to implement instruction with playlists across the K-12 classroom environments to help you envision how playlists can work for your classes.
Early Elementary
Let's start right at the beginning: playlists in Kindergarten! First, keep in mind that playlists can and should offer a combination of offline and online activities, so don't let the pressure to use tech drive the instructional decisions. At any level, I like to ask myself what are some curriculum challenges I encounter and can tech solve the problem? If not, don't use it. These are the foundational years when key learning habits are formed. Prioritize building independence and self-regulation in your students through the use of playlists. Here are some suggestions for using playlists in younger grades:

Use QR codes instead of logins.

Scaffold choices and use a gradual release model.

Model and rehearse routines for independence.

Use images/recorded directions for activities in addition to text: A good example comes from Ferry Farm Elementary School: Early Elementary Playlist .

Reserve time for self and group reflection to build their metacognitive awareness.

Include higher order tasks, so students learn to think strategically and make real world connections. This could be a great place to build in collaboration too.

Late Elementary/Middle School
The LINC PAACC Framework defines personalization as, "co-creating unique learning pathways and experiences for individual learners." During late elementary and middle school, students are at the ages where co-creating can become a regular part of instruction and playlists are easily adapted to meet students' different needs. Pre-conferences with the teacher to identify key standards and plan the path through playlists will increase student engagement and ownership.

This age group benefits from a variety of digital playlist formats. Simple are a great entry point and allow work to continue outside the classroom for homework or when a student is absent. You can progress to a Google Slide Playlist which offers more student agency. While playlists are designed to increase access and agency, it is important to include accommodations for students who do not have access to technology outside of school. Below are ideas to enhance late elementary and middle school playlists:
High School
This is the launching pad for adult life. The Future of Jobs Report 2018 by the World Economic Forum emphasizes, " A mindset of agile learning will be needed on the part of workers as they shift from the routines and limits of today's jobs to new, previously unimagined futures." Playlists at this level should expose students to meaningful, higher order tasks that are relevant to their futures in the workforce. By the time students reach high school, their academic levels range vastly and personalization becomes imperative. Incorporating playlists that cover entire units will help students work at their own pace and get the support they need through small group or 1:1 pullout sessions. This from Eastern Senior High School in Washington D.C. shows how personalized learning can look in your classroom. Try some of the ideas below with your high school students:

Once your students have built their independence muscles, explore using playlists in other instructional models such as Whole Group Rotation and Station Rotation. I'd love to hear how these strategies are working for you, or if you have others to share. You can find me on Twitter @mskimbaweb

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Meeting the Needs of All Students Through Playlists LINC: The Learning Innovation Catalyst

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Playlists are vast and varied in their format but their intent is universal-to personalize learning to efficiently and effectively meet student needs. They create asynchronous learning paths that allow students to access content, practice skills, and demonstrate their learning while exercising control over the path, pace, place, and time of learning.

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Prioritizing Human Connection When Social Distancing Is the New Norm

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Prioritizing Human Connection When Social Distancing Is the New Norm

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School leaders and administrative teams across the country are weighing alternatives and contingency plans for combating the spread of COVID-19. With outright closure appearing to be the best option for "flattening the curve," many are wisely pointing out that massive moves to online teaching and learning will likely require more training and support than can be mustered on an emergency basis.

Online education experts and technologists are offering up advice and training to help. But even assuming the availability of proper devices and the internet, the inconsistency of support and capacity available will likely exacerbate existing gaps. Put bluntly, access is not the same as equity.

The decision leaders are making to close schools, then, is a wrenching one. Not just because of the potential for lost learning time (a considerable challenge with potentially long-lasting effects), but because of the very real, critical role schools serve for students on a daily basis. Beyond the physical supports of school (food, warmth, safe spaces), kids need interaction with peers and caring adults for development. Making the effort to keep engaging students, even if we have to do it remotely, is worth it and, for some, likely life-saving.

So how do we begin to work through this challenge? It's tempting to jump directly into technical conversations about tool selection, content provision, and lesson design-these are important planning components. However, a question I'd rather start with is this: In a time requiring literal distance, how will we ensure continued interpersonal and emotional connection across our learning communities?

Between Learners and Teachers

A feeling of connection with one's teacher is crucial for perseverance, satisfaction, motivation, and affect, and students report lower "teacher presence" in online settings. Given this, figuring out how educators remain visible to learners and creating more touchpoints is critical.

Teachers can do this through one-on-one check-ins and goal-setting via phone or video, by embedding audio and video messages into their communications, and being active in online discussions. Following these steps might take more time, so teaching teams might also consider working together across groups of students (for example, having one teacher record a lesson for all groups, freeing up time for one-on-one check-ins).

Between Learners

Leaders and teachers should consider how they will foster deeper peer-to-peer collaboration, support, and academic and non-academic dialogue among students. Many tools have built-in features like discussion boards. But making time for social engagement activities through smaller video discussion groups, daily learning buddy check-ins, or open video "office hours" could also be helpful.

It's worth considering how non-instructional leaders like guidance counselors might create touchpoints for processing and question-asking as well.

Between Teachers

Even in the best of in-person school conditions, teaching can feel isolating. As educators work to figure out new approaches, how can we ensure educators on the front lines of change have easy-to-access means for social support and problem-solving?

We've done a lot of work to explore what effective teacher learning looks like online. But efforts to connect don't need to tackle all of professional learning at once. School leaders should quickly consider how to ensure teachers have social and professional connections through standing check-ins over video or other virtual means, such as Slack, for sharing ideas and resources.

To the Big Picture

Finally, we need to think hard about how we can ensure learners' understanding of connection to the bigger, long-term picture. Persevering during independent learning requires a student to stay focused on goals and understand the relevance of their work.

More than ever, each student needs a plan that clearly articulates what they need to work on and why, and links to resources for learning. They also need a way to know they've hit a bar for mastery, as well as for documenting and reflecting on their learning and growth. Individual learning plans can be a critical tool for learners and teachers alike. Early prototypes need not be perfect, but there are many examples to work from.

These dimensions of connection are by no means exhaustive. We're just beginning to learn and think about how schools can bridge gaps in a pretty unprecedented time. So, in what ways are you thinking about keeping learners connected in their learning? We'd love to hear them.

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Prioritizing Human Connection When Social Distancing Is the New Norm - EdSurge News

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School leaders and administrative teams across the country are weighing alternatives and contingency plans for combating the spread of COVID-19. With outright closure appearing to be the best option for "flattening the curve," many are wisely pointing out that massive moves to online teaching and learning will likely require more training and support than can be mustered on an emergency basis.

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Remote Unity: Building a Sense of Community during School Closures

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Remote Unity: Building a Sense of Community during School Closures

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Remote Unity: Building a Sense of Community during School Closures - Scientific Learning

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As schools transition to remote learning, or at-home learning, educators might consider ways to foster a sense of school community, even when social distancing means that "school" is spread out across individual homes. Teachers and those familiar with social-emotional learning already know: strong relationships are a key component of successful learning.

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by Tiffany Jewell

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COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic: Considerations for Early Childhood Professionals

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COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic: Considerations for Early Childhood Professionals

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Presented by Andrew Roszak, J.D., M.P.A., EMT-Paramedic, Executive Director, Institute for Childhood Preparedness

Sponsored by Gryphon House
WATCH THE EDWEBINAR RECORDING Get a CE Certificate for this edWebinar Learn more
We understand that these are challenging times and there is a considerable amount of conflicting information at this time. Gryphon House is partnering with the preparedness experts at the Institute for Childhood Preparedness to offer this special edWebinar, designed to help cut through the noise and provide you with the essential information you need as an early childhood professional. Gryphon House author, Andrew Roszak, provides the latest updates and information designed to help keep you safe.

This recorded edWebinar will be of benefit to preK teachers, librarians, childcare providers, and school and district leaders.
About the Presenter
Andrew Roszak, JD, MPA, EMT-Paramedic, serves as Executive Director for the Institute for Childhood Preparedness. Andrew has worked on emergency preparedness issues at the local, regional, state, and federal level for the past 20 years. Andrew has expertise in emergency preparedness, public health, law and policy, and early childhood education. He formerly served as Senior Director of Environmental Health, Pandemic Preparedness and Catastrophic Response at the National Association of County and City Health Officials, where he worked each day with the CDC and the 3,100 local health departments across the United States to help prepare communities for pandemics and disasters. Follow Andrew on Twitter: @AndyRoszak @ChildPrepared

Join the Early Learning Book Chats community to network with educators, participate in online discussions, receive invitations to upcoming edWebinars, and view recordings of previous programs to earn CE certificates.

Gryphon House, Inc. is an award-winning publisher of early childhood resources for teachers and parents.

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COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic: Considerations for Early Childhood Professionals

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Presented by Andrew Roszak, J.D., M.P.A., EMT-Paramedic, Executive Director, Institute for Childhood Preparedness Sponsored by Gryphon House WATCH THE EDWEBINAR RECORDING Get a CE Certificate for this edWebinar Learn more We understand that these are challenging times and there is a considerable amount of conflicting information at this time.

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Three Big Ideas for Implementing Effective SEL Strategies

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Three Big Ideas for Implementing Effective SEL Strategies

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WATCH THE EDWEBINAR RECORDING
Dr. Stephanie Jones emphasizes that when implementing effective social and emotional learning (SEL) strategies, educators, practitioners, and administrators need to think about the what, the why, and the how of the essential skills of SEL. In the International Center for Leadership in Education's edWebinar edWebinar, Jones, Director of the Ecological Approaches to Social-Emotional Learning (EASEL) Lab, explained that there are six SEL domains studied and documented by researchers. The first three domains are skills and competencies: cognitive, emotional, and social, and the next three are belief ecologies: attitudes, habits of mind, and ways of thinking about the world. One way to think about how these two sets go together is that on the one hand are things that you learn and know how to do, and on the other is a set of internal guideposts that tell you to use those skills when it's essential and when it matters.
The WHAT... What's Included
Regardless of setting or age, the goal of SEL is for students to engage in classroom learning activities, and four key components must be in place for this to happen. Students need to focus their thinking by marshaling their attention and using their awareness to gather information from the teacher and the book. To access the content, they need to manage their behavior and not be distracted by what's happening around them. Students need to build positive relationships, so they must trust that an adult is going to be there for them and is giving them information that they can use. Most importantly, children need to understand and deal with feelings throughout the entire learning process.
Why? Why Now? Why at All?
Three critical pieces of evidence tell us how vital the research and studies about SEL as catalysts of effective social and emotional strategies. Long-term correlation studies provide evidence on how core social and emotional skills measured in early childhood, things like self-control and social competence, are predictive of future life and work outcomes. The second piece of evidence is the trials of programs, interventions, and strategies designed to improve these skills. What those studies have found about programs implemented with fidelity and high quality is that there will be a change in children's abilities. The third piece of evidence comes out of the world of neuroscience about how stress influences the brain and then cascades into behavior, causing the six domains of SEL to be particularly vulnerable to experiences of stress and adversity.
How? What's Effective? What's Innovative?
For an SEL program to be effective, it must establish safe and caring learning settings characterized by effective behavior management, instruction in social and emotional skills, and give students some ownership of the work itself. The characteristics of effective SEL education are living and modeling the skills that educators and practitioners hope that children will acquire, and teaching skills directly about the words and what the behaviors look like that are associated with them. Students must have opportunities to practice their skills, learn from mistakes, and talk about them in a safe environment. Effective social and emotional strategies bridge safe and caring learning environments and instruction with a foundation of connective, supportive, and reciprocal relationships between children and adults.

This edWeb broadcast was sponsored by the International Center for Leadership in Education.
WATCH THE EDWEBINAR RECORDING
This article was modified and published by eSchool News.
About the Presenter
Dr. Stephanie M. Jones is a professor of child development and education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She's spent the last ten years studying the impact of social-emotional learning interventions on behavioral and academic outcomes of preschool and elementary students. Throughout the process, she has developed and tested programs, pedagogy, and curricula that foster social-emotional competencies among children, adults, and their environments. Stephanie is a firm believer in evaluating educational programs with rigorous scientific research and providing early and middle childhood practitioners and policymakers with accessible content. She's conducted such research for several programs and early education efforts, including Reading, Writing, Respect, and Resolution, Resolving Conflict Creatively, SECURe, and the Head Start CARES initiative. Before she received her doctorate in developmental psychology from Yale University, she worked as a Research Associate at Columbia University's National Center for Children in Poverty. In addition to serving as Senior Fellow at ICLE, Stephanie serves on numerous national advisory boards including the National Board of Engaging Schools and the Council of Distinguished Scientists for the National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development convened by the Aspen Institute. In 2008, she was awarded the Grawemeyer Award in Education for her work on A Vision for Universal Preschool Education; a few years later she received the Joseph E. Zins Early-Career Distinguished Contribution Award for Action Research in Social and Emotional Learning.
Join the Community
Social-Emotional Learning is a free professional learning community on edWeb.net where educators can collaborate and share ideas, examples, and resources for incorporating social-emotional learning in the classroom.

The International Center for Leadership in Education's mission is to challenge, inspire, and equip today's educators - both teachers and leaders - to prepare our students for lifelong success.

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Three Big Ideas for Implementing Effective SEL Strategies

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Dr. Stephanie Jones emphasizes that when implementing effective social and emotional learning (SEL) strategies, educators, practitioners, and administrators need to think about the what, the why, and the how of the essential skills of SEL. In a recent edWebinar, Jones, Director of the Ecological Approaches to Social-Emotional Learning (EASEL) Lab, explained that there are six SEL domains studied and documented by researchers.

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Equity in Education, Even During the Pandemic

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Equity in Education, Even During the Pandemic

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WATCH THE EDWEBINAR RECORDING
As the COVID-19 crisis has forced schools to close their buildings and move online, inequities in access to technology, books, and even food have become more apparent. Still, there are ways educators can continue to support the learning needs of their full range of students and make the education they provide more equitable.

During a recent edWebinar sponsored by Scholastic Education, Digital Solutions, Cornelius Minor, a Brooklyn-based educator and staff developer, and Dr. Jennifer Williams, a professor at St. Leo University's College of Education, identified ways that teachers can increase their understanding of equity issues that may affect learning needs, in order to respond with effective solutions.
Progressing to a "Better Normal"
Acknowledging the widespread desire to "return to normal," Cornelius pointed out that would also result in the continuation of recent trends such as the underrepresentation of females in science and technology, and the high rate of school suspensions for students of color. He then explained specific techniques that educators can use now to improve outcomes for students who are at disadvantages due to factors such as race, economic class, and language proficiency.

In particular, the current need to reinvent the way educators teach provides an opportunity to adapt rules, policies, and customs that can lead to inequitable outcomes for specific groups of students. Pointing out that some children are active learners, and that educators need to think about approaches that will support their achievement, Cornelius mentioned a recent experience in which young students were asked to sit still during a 20-minute read aloud.

Knowing that some students have no difficulty doing that, but it can be challenging for others, Cornelius explained that he had created opportunities for students to respond through movement and talking, which can improve the academic and behavioral performance of students who need to engage in active and social comprehension.

Cornelius also cited a recent response to data on secondary students at an urban school, which found that many girls were not attending after-school sessions designed to improve their performance on chemistry tests. Interviews with girls who did not attend revealed that because the sessions were from 3 to 6 PM during February, a number of parents felt it would not be safe for the girls to walk home from the sessions in the dark and therefore stopped them from attending, so the time was changed and attendance improved.
Finding Solutions in Time
Jennifer noted that many teachers are realizing how adaptive and creative they can be due to the current circumstances, and the same understanding can be applied to finding solutions for diverse students' learning needs. This should not be seen as a quick and easy way to achieve perfection, but rather a process of invention and successive iterations with the understanding that work on equity is a work in progress.

Many teachers have traditionally found time management to be a challenging issue, and now may be under even greater time pressure as they adapt to teaching during the pandemic, so Jennifer recommended focusing on three key questions in regard to time: when to "jump in," when to slow down, and when to speed up.

Making sure that diverse students' interests and values are represented should be a key consideration in regard to jumping in. Teachers need to be able to pivot and respond, especially to distress signals, but there should also be a proactive approach to considering how best to engage different students in the learning process, and to make sure they all feel noticed and have their achievements recognized.

As for when to slow down or speed up, Jennifer emphasized the importance of being mindful of the presence of "flow," and protecting periods of active and engaged learning so that a rigid schedule does not become a barrier to effective education. This requires flexibility in regard to time and thought, and may also require more communication with administrators, parents, or others so that they understand the educational value of what is happening.

In closing, Cornelius cited the importance of "academic pluralism," with students being able to learn and demonstrate mastery through multiple means of engagement, representation, action, and expression.

This edWeb broadcast was sponsored by Scholastic Education, Digital Solutions.
WATCH THE EDWEBINAR RECORDING
This article was modified and published by eSchool News.
About the Presenters
Cornelius Minor is a Brooklyn-based teacher and staff developer. He works with teachers, school leaders, and leaders of community-based organizations to support equitable literacy reform in cities across the globe. He has been featured in Education Week, Brooklyn Magazine, and Teaching Tolerance Magazine. He has partnered with The Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, NYC DOE, ILA, and Lesley University's Center for Reading Recovery and Literacy Collaborative. Whether working with educators and kids in Los Angeles, Seattle, or New York City, Cornelius uses his love for technology, hip-hop, and social media to bring communities together. As a teacher, Cornelius draws not only on his years teaching middle school in the Bronx and Brooklyn, but also on time spent skateboarding, shooting hoops, and working with young people.

Dr. Jennifer Williams is a professor at Saint Leo University's College of Education and the co-founder and executive director of Take Action Global, an organization designed to inspire change by providing opportunities for students around the world to take action on social good causes through education. Recognized as a transformational leader in education, Dr. Jennifer Williams has dedicated herself for nearly 25 years to the field of education through her roles as an education activist, professor, school administrator, literacy specialist, and classroom teacher. She speaks, writes, and consults on practices that develop global perspectives and social good through creative uses of technology, and her research interests include innovations in teaching and learning, equity and diversity in education, and social action. Jennifer is inspired every day by teachers and students that are catalysts for making the world a better place!
Join the Community
Leadership 3.0 is a free professional learning community on edWeb.net where school and district leaders collaborate on innovative strategies to help teachers grow professionally, advance student learning, and improve communications with all stakeholders.

At Scholastic, we believe that the development of robust literacy skills is at the very heart of empowering children to thrive in school and in life. That's why we create literacy solutions that support the whole child-in the classroom, at home, and in the community. From transformative, research-based literacy instruction, to expert professional development, and groundbreaking family & community engagement, we are with you every step of the way on the path to literacy.

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Equity in Education, Even During the Pandemic

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As the COVID-19 crisis has forced schools to close their buildings and move online, inequities in access to technology, books, and even food have become more apparent. Still, there are ways educators can continue to support the learning needs of their full range of students and make the education they provide more equitable.

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Derald Wing Sue
1 hour, 20 minutes

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Derald Wing Sue: Race Talk and the Conspiracy of Silence

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White Men Challenging Racism: 35 Personal Stories

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White Men Challenging Racism: 35 Personal Stories

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Harry Brod, Cooper Thompson,  Emmett Schaeffer (Editors)

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Description

White Men Challenging Racism is a collection of first-person narratives chronicling the compelling experiences of thirty-five white men whose efforts to combat racism and fight for social justice are central to their lives. Based on interviews conducted by Cooper Thompson, Emmett Schaefer, and Harry Brod, these engaging oral histories tell the stories of the men's antiracist work. While these men discuss their accomplishments with pride, they also talk about their mistakes and regrets, their shortcomings and strategic blunders. A foreword by James W. Loewen, author of Lies My Teacher Told Me, provides historical context, describing antiracist efforts undertaken by white men in America during past centuries.

Ranging in age from twenty-six to eighty-six, the men whose stories are presented here include some of the elder statesmen of antiracism work as well as members of the newest generation of activists. They come from across the United States--from Denver, Nashville, and San Jose; rural North Carolina, Detroit, and Seattle. Some are straight; some are gay. A few--such as historian Herbert Aptheker, singer/songwriter Si Kahn, Stetson Kennedy (a Klan infiltrator in the 1940s), and Richard Lapchick (active in organizing the sports community against apartheid)--are relatively well known; most are not. Among them are academics, ministers, police officers, firefighters, teachers, journalists, union leaders, and full-time community organizers. They work with Latinos and African-, Asian-, and Native-Americans. Many ground their work in spiritual commitments. Their inspiring personal narratives--whether about researching right-wing groups, organizing Central American immigrants, or serving as pastor of an interracial congregation--connect these men with one another and with their allies in the fight against racism in the United States.

All authors' royalties go directly to fund antiracist work. To read excerpts from the book, please visit http: //www.whitemenchallengingracism.com/

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White Men Challenging Racism: 35 Personal Stories

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White Men Challenging Racism is a collection of first-person narratives chronicling the compelling experiences of thirty-five white men whose efforts to combat racism and fight for social justice are central to their lives. Based on interviews conducted by Cooper Thompson, Emmett Schaefer, and Harry Brod, these engaging oral histories tell the stories of the men's antiracist work.

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The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness 

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The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness 

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by Michelle Alexander

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Completing the CAPTCHA proves you are a human and gives you temporary access to the web property.

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Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students

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Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students

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by Zaretta Hammond

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Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students a book by Zaretta L Hammond

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A bold, brain-based teaching approach to culturally responsive instruction To close the achievement gap, diverse classrooms need a proven framework for optimizing student engagement. Culturally responsive instruction has shown promise, but many teachers have struggled with its implementation--unti…

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Global Online Academy 8/3-8/7

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Designing for Online Learning: Relationships

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Designing for Online Learning: Relationships

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Global Online Academy

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The Art and Science of Blended Learning: Preparing for the 2020–21 School Year

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The Art and Science of Blended Learning: Preparing for the 2020–21 School Year

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Virtual Course Dates: Monday, August 10–Sunday, August 23

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The Art and Science of Blended Learning: Preparing for the 2020-21 School Year

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This course covers the principles of both effective blended (classroom and online) and 100% online learning design, and provides suggestions for how teachers can facilitate their classes in the 2020-2021 school year.

Teachers will learn how to differentiate between learning activities that can successfully be used in the classroom, and those that work well in a distance learning format. Teachers will explore ideas for expanding the use of formative assessment to better support student learning at a distance.

This course also addresses some of the issues that often trip up teachers who are new to teaching online, such as how to build engagement and community; make asynchronous learning authentic, meaningful, and relevant; and assess learning effectively.

Topics Include

Differentiating effective learning designs for classroom and online learning

Fostering community and connectedness within the classroom as well as at a distance

Understanding how to make asynchronous work effective and meaningful

Determining how to create meaningful assessments and give feedback that improves student learning

Work With a Cohort of Peers

Participants will be grouped by grade division level, to the best of our ability, to ensure content is specific to your unique needs and challenges.

Takeaways

Discover how to backward design your classes so they can be offered in a blended online format.

Explore how to create engaging distance learning experiences for students.

Learn how to design assessments that help students move toward mastery of important content and skills.

Discover how to build community in your blended online classes.

Who Should Attend

Teachers of all subjects at all levels; academic leaders such as division heads, deans, curriculum directors; and anyone interested in strengthening their understanding of distance learning.

Because there is not a tradition of distance learning for young children, there is not much evidence to draw on to teach "best practices" for the youngest grades.

However, many practices have emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic that are having some great results, and conform with what we already know about distance learning for older students. This course will give teachers of younger students a chance to understand important principles, learn from examples, and investigate important questions as they prepare to teach in a distance or blended format in 2020-2021.

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The Art and Science of Blended Learning: Preparing for the 2020-21 School Year | Independent School Management | Advancing School Leadership-Enriching The Student Experience

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This course covers the principles of both effective blended (classroom and online) and 100% online learning design, and provides suggestions for how teachers can facilitate their classes in the 2020-2021 school year. Teachers will learn how to differentiate between learning activities that can successfully be used in the classroom, and those that work well in a distance learning format.

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Required for all 81st Street Faculty

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Educator Resources & Technology Training - Google for Education

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Discover numerous educator resources including technology training for teachers, courses, certifications and professional development for educators.

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Why Going Remote is Not the End of Learning and Community

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Why Going Remote is Not the End of Learning and Community

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Students taking class through the Malone Schools Online Network
"There's a degree of humanness in person in real time. I'm pretty concerned going forward that that can't be achieved through a screen." Eliot Min, Harvard '23
As schools everywhere shutter their buildings and move online, parents and teachers hear "remote learning" and imagine a loss of routine, uninspired lessons, and severed relationships. As a parent navigating my own child's first foray into learning at a distance, I struggle with what her experience will be - from the logistics to the cognitive growth.

Yet as an educator who has spent nearly a decade in the online learning space, I'm optimistic. I know that, done well, online schooling can be every bit as meaningful, connected, and rigorous as traditional in-person learning. Moreover, schools have never been better prepared to do this right.

Of course, there are real problems with closing school buildings, especially related to supervision of children, the ripple effects on parents, and disruption of school meals. Even families with technical resources may not have enough devices for every family member to learn and work at the same time - or the space to do so.

But now we're in it, and the many schools with which I work are doing an admirable job making a quick "toggle," as one school leader put it, to a new kind of school.

Here are a few ways that educators can make the most of online learning:

1. Connect in Real Time

Gone are the days of disconnected, isolated students plodding through message board comments or watching endless lectures on demand. Online learning done right puts value on "synchronous" time - live interaction through video conferencing. As the most successful online programs know, the magic happens when students and teachers can be seen and heard. When I taught 7th-grade American History online, I could not always tell the height of my students or smell the lunch they would eat in class, but I could certainly pick up on their body language. I knew when a student was having a bad day. We had the same kinds of inside jokes one finds in any classroom. And their connections were real.

In the program I lead now - which connects high school juniors and seniors across the country in advanced electives online - students have journeyed across states to meet their online classmates in person for the first time. They regularly request college recommendation letters from teachers with whom they have never shared a physical space. In the case of a pandemic, teachers have a special responsibility to connect with students this way, ask them how they are doing, and give them space just to be together. Connecting live is an exercise in empathy.

2. Flip the Classroom

Teaching well online depends on "flipping the classroom," reserving class time for interaction (e.g. discussion, debate, presentations) and out-of-class time for watching recorded lectures, reading or lab work, and completing assignments, some of which might even be group activities. In our educator training, brick and mortar teachers make this transition by listing out everything they do in a traditional course and then pulling out anything that does not absolutely have to occur in live class. Lecturing? No - record a video explaining the subject and have students answer question as they watch. Checking basic understanding? No - require an online quiz before class starts. Don't use precious time together to do anything other than the most human of learning activities - asking complex questions, challenging one another, and constructing knowledge.

The best online programs have undergone a fundamental rethinking of "seat time" and the traditional school schedule created during the Industrial Revolution. There is a reason that the flipped classroom and new concepts of learning time have caught on in brick and mortar classrooms, and most schools in my world are rethinking school schedules. Our online teachers find they can cover roughly the same content as in a traditional format but go deeper in seminar discussions, forced to cut out what's not essential. Several have taken the online version of a class they teach, such as Multivariable Calculus, and completely redesigned the brick and mortar version to follow the same format.

3. Make it Meaningful

There is a surprising richness in bringing students' home environments into class and the class into those spaces. Educators always "get to know" their students, but it's something else when you can see a middle schooler's dog wander around behind her or suddenly hear the music a sibling has decided to blast from another room during a senior's practice debate speech. Teachers encountering their students at home in high definition have the opportunity to bring students' diverse lives into the classroom. The same is true for one-on-one conversations such as counseling sessions. When I interviewed applicants to Stanford Online High School, I picked up tremendous information from seeing a student at home (while staying attuned to bias).

Teachers can create new assignments that make use of the home space - kitchen lab work with a grandparent's recipe, interviewing a relative, writing about the noise of the city bus, or plotting the pace of the neighborhood jogger. Our program values the geographic diversity of our students, allowing them to discuss issues across political divides or complete projects on their local food systems, architecture, or Native American history. Why not take advantage of different perspectives that are not usually represented in the classroom, even if students live in the same community?

4. Recreate Everything That Matters

Outside of the classroom, online learning is actually pretty exciting. Full-time online high schools, such as Stanford Online High School, build community through many of the "normal" activities we all value in schools. (In fact, my first job there was as Director of Student Life, which seemed like a joke to many!) Most activities our schools cherish can exist online: homeroom/advisory, assemblies, extracurricular activities, counseling, college guidance. Even physical education can morph into the online space! I once launched a virtual lunch period, during which students ate their lunches while doodling on a virtual whiteboard and discussing their plans for winter break. Debaters can debate, students can perform musically, and advisors can meet with students, all through video conference. A brick and mortar school moving online ought to leave space in the schedule for these activities and casual connections. They are especially important now because they foster routine, familiarity, and community connection.

5. You Can Do It!

Social media is abuzz with college professors and secondary school teachers alike unsure how they'll make the transition online. Those feelings are valid, and it is a lot to ask a teacher to reframe a course quickly. Yet on the whole, educational institutions have never been more prepared to make a quick switch online. Good online learning makes use of the talent already "in the building," and good teachers typically make good online teachers. Many who have never taught online already flip their classrooms. Moreover, while there are vast variations among schools, many already have facility with video conferencing systems and licenses with learning management systems, which allow for submitting and returning assignments, posting syllabi, taking attendance, and more. More free tools pop up by the minute.

Indeed, several school leaders have admitted to me of late that the possibility (or reality) of closure is forcing some of the change they knew they ought to make anyway: spurring teachers to set up websites for their courses, move away from the lecture format, and find efficiencies using technology so as to emphasize learning relationships.

Challenges still abound: from equity concerns to supervision of children (too much or too little), to the time it takes teachers to prepare for a new kind of teaching to time zones for university students suddenly dispersed across the globe. Online learning is harder to implement with very young students. However, even if clumsily at first, schools with strong communities will transition online, staying true to their missions and values. Precisely because they exist in the brick and mortar world, their strong in-person interactions will carry them into the virtual world seamlessly. They will continue to learn together and care for one another for as long as the school building is closed - and return to it more joyful than ever.

Author:

Claire Goldsmith is Executive Director of the Malone Schools Online Network, a consortium of brick and mortar independent schools across the United States collaborating to offer advanced high school electives in virtual seminars. Previously, she ran admissions and external relations and taught at Stanford Online High School.

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Why Going Remote is Not the End of Learning and Community

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"There's a degree of humanness in person in real time. I'm pretty concerned going forward that that can't be achieved through a screen." Eliot Min, Harvard '23 As schools everywhere shutter their buildings and move online, parents and teachers hear "remote learning" and imagine a loss of routine, uninspired lessons, and severed relationships.

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Making Remote Teaching Relational: Building Empathy Online

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Making Remote Teaching Relational: Building Empathy Online

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Podcast

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making remote teaching relational: building empathy online with claire goldsmith

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‎Reach. Teach. Talk. With Nat Damon: Making Remote Teaching Relational: Building Empathy Online with Claire Goldsmith on Apple Podcasts

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‎Show Reach. Teach. Talk. With Nat Damon, Ep Making Remote Teaching Relational: Building Empathy Online with Claire Goldsmith - Mar 26, 2020

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Effective Best Practices in an Online Classroom

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Effective Best Practices in an Online Classroom

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Stanford Online High School

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Synchronous online courses support immediate interaction and communication between teachers and students through multimedia tools. Signature functions widely used in synchronous course setups include audio-conference, text chat, document sharing, audiovisual image sharing, and document annotation (whiteboard and slides). Synchronous online courses offer unique benefits and challenges compared to asynchronous online methods and traditional classroom.

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Best Practices for an Online Classroom | Stanford Online High School

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Synchronous online courses support immediate interaction and communication between teachers and students through multimedia tools. Signature functions widely used in synchronous course setups include audio-conference, text chat, document sharing, audiovisual image sharing, and document annotation (whiteboard and slides). Synchronous online courses offer unique benefits and challenges compared to asynchronous online methods and traditional classroom.

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Assessment Design: A Matrix to Assess Your Assessments

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Assessment Design: A Matrix to Assess Your Assessments

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Article

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Ed note: On May 26, 2015, Grant Wiggins passed away. Grant was tremendously influential on TeachThought's approach to education, and we were lucky enough for him to contribute his content to our site. Occasionally, we are going to go back and re-share his most memorable posts. This is one of those posts. Thankfully his company, Authentic Education, is carrying on and extending the work that Grant developed. On Rigor, Language, & Verbs
by Grant Wiggins, Authentic Education

Rigor is not established by the unthinking use of Webb or Bloom or other verbs. Here, for example, is a widely-findable chart I found on the NJ Dept. of Education website, in which Webb's rubrics have been turned into a leveled chart of supposedly-appropriate verbs:

A moment's thought after looking over these verbs should make you say: Huh? How can the verb, itself, determine the rigor? Couldn't the rigor of so-called high-level verbs be compromised by a simplistic task and scoring system? Vice versa: can't we imagine some of the low-level verbs occurring in highly-challenging and rigorous assessments? (e.g. Who, what, when, and why in a complex journalism case would be rigorous work.)

Take 'predict' for example. It is viewed as relatively low-level - Level 2. But what if I ask you to predict the effects on plants of using special soil, food, and artificial lights, and I score you against industry-level standards? Vice versa: suppose I ask you to critique a drawing against the criterion 'pretty.' Pretty low level stuff.
Assessment Design: A Matrix To Assess Your Assessments; This article was excerpted from a post that first appeared on Grant's personal blog
In summary, just throwing some verbs around as starters for 'rigorous' tasks is not enough to address the first bullet concerning the challenge of the task. Rigorous tasks are a function of cognitive load and situational complexity, not just the verb used. Self-assess against our audit matrix to test your tests, therefore:

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Assessment Design: A Matrix To Assess Your Assessments

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Ed note: On May 26, 2015, Grant Wiggins passed away. Grant was tremendously influential on TeachThought's approach to education, and we were lucky enough for him to contribute his content to our site. Occasionally, we are going to go back and re-share his most memorable posts. This is one of those posts.

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by Mahzarin Banaji

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Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People a book by Mahzarin R. Banaji and Anthony G. Greenwald

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“Accessible and authoritative . . . While we may not have much power to eradicate our own prejudices, we can counteract them. The first step is to turn a hidden bias into a visible one. . . . What if we’re not the magnanimous people we think we are?”--The Washington Post I know my own mind.I am able…

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The How and Why of Trauma-Informed Teaching

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The How and Why of Trauma-Informed Teaching

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Working with trauma-affected students is a difficult balancing act.

We acknowledge the harmful impacts of the past, and hold out hope for a future of healing. We create a safe environment for students to share their lives, yet maintain professional boundaries. We provide our caring and our help to others, but have to pay attention to our own well-being, too. We work in our classrooms but depend on the support of our community.

These were the clear takeaways for teachers who participated in Edutopia's recent Twitter chat on the topic of trauma and social and emotional learning (SEL). Two parallel ideas emerged in the back and forth. First, as teachers we need to focus on the individual student and the strong, one-to-one relationships that support our trauma-affected kids. And second, creating these bonds requires a broader cultural adjustment and reprioritization, where the whole community works together to cultivate a space in which students, educators, and staff members thrive.

What about classrooms without a lot of trauma? It's risky to assume that our students haven't experienced trauma-according to a seminal study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, childhood trauma is far more pervasive than previously believed and is often invisible. And chat participants asserted that trauma-informed and SEL practices benefit all children, building critical skills like self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy, and an openness to teamwork and cooperation. Adopt a "universal approach," suggested the nonprofit Zero to Three, and "assume all children are trauma-affected and need social and emotional learning instruction and support."

An emerging body of research backs that stance. A 2017 metastudy of over 97,000 K-12 students, for example, found that SEL practices boost academic success, decrease disruptive behavior, and reduce emotional distress in the long term.

So how do we balance the individual focus with a community commitment to trauma-informed SEL? Luckily, our Twitter chat participants had some great advice to share.

Know Your Students

To support students who have experienced trauma, start by flipping the traditional classroom paradigm: Relationships have to come before content, insisted dozens of educators.

It's a simple enough rule, but it runs against the grain and needs to be constantly reinforced: "If you're not addressing the trauma, and the students are distracted, checked out, and falling increasingly behind, even the best curriculum won't matter," explained Wendy Clark, reflecting on the order of events that drive real learning. If that point wasn't a settled matter by the end of the thread, Bill Waychunas cut straight to the heart of the issue by inverting the original proposition entirely: "Better question," he wrote, turning Edutopia's opening salvo around: "How do you teach academics WITHOUT having SEL embedded throughout your teaching and classroom?"

Excellent question. Wish we'd thought of it.

Still, if teachers agreed that one-to-one relationships were the critical building blocks of good SEL-and good trauma-informed practice-how can that effort be scaled to 20 or 30 unique students, each of whom experiences trauma differently? The good news is that it's not all on the individual teacher; system-wide supports are required to distribute the work and create a broader culture of belonging and mutual support (more on that below). Within that context, though, all educators need to row in the same direction: The trick, according to Mathew Portell, principal of the trauma-informed school Fall-Hamilton Elementary in Nashville, is to never lose sight of the individual student: "Trauma affects children in so many different ways. Some kids are reactive while others are reserved. It is key to know the students' stories in order to know how to support them."

With so much pain in the classroom, educators should be mindful that traumatic life experiences can sometimes emerge as behaviors that we might otherwise label as challenging. "Trauma can manifest in so many behaviors! Hypervigilance can masquerade as hyperactivity," offered Sarah MacLaughlin, recasting a child's nervous disposition as a possible response to a difficult home environment. "Fear can look like aggression: flight, freeze, or fight."

And it's not just very young children whose behavior may mask an underlying challenge. Math teacher Kareem Farah sees a connection between anger and trauma in his high school kids: "Students in poverty have been conditioned to suppress their pain. It often manifests as anger. It is critical to recognize that frustrated students are often those that have experienced the highest levels of trauma and need the most loving attention."

The Whole School Model

So relationship-building in the classroom is essential-the one-to-one with students is indispensable-but the impact of the work is amplified and reinforced only when it occurs within the broader contexts of the school and community.

Many teachers in the chat highlighted the need for a consistent, team-based approach. As Carmen Zeisler put it, "Being trauma-informed is not a checklist, but a mindset change. It is critical that everyone in the building is working towards being trauma-informed." Other educators agreed, adding that administration and school board support is needed to sustain these changes.

Teachers recommended ways to develop staff buy-in: Sarah Giddings shared that colleagues at her school meet in small groups to stay accountable to one another, and that extends to support staff like computer technicians. Lindsey Mattingly's school, Valor Collegiate in Nashville, engages all staff in restorative circles so teachers get firsthand experience of the social and emotional skills required of students in that model-with powerful results: "When teachers fully understand trauma and its manifestations, the mindset will shift from one more thing to do to THE thing we must do."

Understandably, there's bound to be pushback. Acknowledging that there is sometimes skepticism about broad, new programs is helpful-teachers and administrators won't all jump onboard enthusiastically. Several educators recommended connecting trauma-informed practices to the existing compassion and empathy among teachers: "You show them what they are already doing. Then they realize they are already partly there," says English teacher Alison Killy. And Joe LaCasse agreed that the foundations of trauma-informed practices were already embedded in many classrooms, and it was really a matter of emphasis: "Deep down, all teachers care about kids. So, this really gets at the core of being a teacher. It's not just something 'extra.'"

What About Me?

Well exactly. What about you?

The teaching profession is intellectually and emotionally challenging. Many educators in the chat recognized that the social and emotional work has to start with themselves. Educators who see the value of a practice in their own lives are more likely to be passionate advocates, and the learning ecosystem is only truly healthy when all members of the community are thriving. In other words, helping teachers feel emotionally grounded and supported is helping students, too. "Don't forget that teachers have SEL needs! Concentrate on teacher well-being and empower them to address their own needs," suggested the organization Move This World. In a school culture that focuses on wellness for all, teachers can practice and then model positive social and emotional skills for their students more authentically.

Social and emotional support for teachers also helps buffer the effects of secondary traumatic stress and vicarious trauma-when teachers experience symptoms similar to post-traumatic stress disorder because of the stress of bearing witness to others' trauma. Supportive peer connections are an important part of that prevention: "Don't let teachers with struggling students feel alone," recommended Rosa Derricott. "It should be a school-wide approach where everyone's supporting each other."

In the end, of course, we can't rely on our schools alone to address systemic issues of poverty, violence, or drug addiction. The net of responsibility must be cast more widely. "A trauma-informed approach to social emotional learning requires partnership between counselors, teachers, parents, and other trusted adults to help guide students through short and long-term challenge," suggested the chat participant Mom of All Capes. Not to put too fine a point on it, but perhaps it was user Belinda Talonia who said it all most succinctly: "SEL belongs to all of us."

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The How and Why of Trauma-Informed Teaching

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In an extraordinary Twitter chat, educators discuss building trauma-informed social and emotional learning environments.

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Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America's Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing

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Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America's Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing

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Required of all colleagues.
ORDER HERE!

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"Dr. Joy DeGruy's Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America's Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing is a masterwork. Her deep understanding, critical analysis, and determination to illuminate core truths are essential to addressing the long-lived devastation of slavery. Her book is the balm we need to heal our selves and our relationships. It is a gi of wholeness."

--Susan Taylor, editorial director, Essence

"Dr. Joy DeGruy is a priceless asset to us all. She has li ed the bandages from the four hundred-year-old abscess of slavery that remains unhealed. Many black and white Americans have been taught that slavery ended
by legislative means in 1865--so the issue is neatly sidestepped in school curricula, print and broadcast media. However, the hallmark of classroom teaching and responsible journalism must be proper context--for full understanding. e removal of the slave shackle is important, but what about the emotional damage su ered by the enslaved?"

"Dr. DeGruy has raised this argument brilliantly, for years lecturing far and wide. Her many appearances on my program, Like It Is, have evoked huge audience reactions from our viewers. Many have told me how coming to understand Dr. DeGruy's message on Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome has helped them grapple with the multiplicity of problems today. I share those feelings of my viewers."

"Now Dr. DeGruy has set down her highly important message/thesis in print. And so, to quote this wondrous physician, Let the healing begin."

--Gil Noble, producer and host, Like It Is, WABC

"Dr. DeGruy's book is seminal research in the eld of di erential cross- cultural diagnosis for mental health. Cultural Competence is a requirement for mental health and behavioral science workers. is text is required reading for all learners and practitioners. It is a vast reservoir of the how, why what, when, and where for much of the enduring injury and psychic pain of African Americans. is text moves us beyond de cit modeling and pathology; it opens a window to innovative models for healing in our multi-ethnic, pluralistic and linguistically diverse society."

--Edwin J. Nichols, Ph.D, Clinical/industrial psychologist

"At last, the book that all people who are truly interested in understanding the lingering psychological and social impact of enslavement on Africans and Europeans has arrived. It is no exaggeration to say that Dr. DeGruy's Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome will mark a milestone in the understanding of the relationship between racism and slavery. Read this book again and again and then give it to your friends, family and colleagues who want to understand how the ghost of slavery haunts us all."

--Dr. Ray Winbush, Institute for Urban Research, Morgan State University

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Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America's Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing (Revised)

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In the 16th century, the beginning of African enslavement in the Americas until the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment and emancipation in 1865, Africans were hunted like animals, captured, sold, tortured, and raped. They experienced the worst kind of physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual abuse.

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White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism

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White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism

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Required for all colleagues who identify as white. ORDER HERE!

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White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism a book by Robin Diangelo and Michael Eric Dyson

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The New York Times best-selling book exploring the counterproductive reactions white people have when their assumptions about race are challenged, and how these reactions maintain racial inequality. In this “vital, necessary, and beautiful book” (Michael Eric Dyson), antiracist educator Robin DiAnge…

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Faculty are required to be proficient in all areas listed on this document.  Tutorials are attached, and the Tech Dept will conduct scheduled Zoom Office hours throughout the summer.

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Yes, You Can Do Trauma-Informed Teaching Remotely (and You Really, Really Should)

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Yes, You Can Do Trauma-Informed Teaching Remotely (and You Really, Really Should)

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Opinion

How to support students experiencing adversity during the coronavirus crisis

This is a challenging time for everyone, and teachers are concerned. Concerned for their health and their families. Concerned about equity, access, and best practices as they turn to new online learning-management systems. Concerned about curricular continuity. And concerned for students' physical and emotional well-being.

In recent years, trauma-informed teaching strategies have offered salve in times of stress, giving educators guidelines for supporting students experiencing adversity. But how can these pedagogies translate to an online context? How can we support students' social-emotional health and help them process these unprecedented events when we are not sitting in a circle or walking out to recess?

In addition to completing my undergraduate education program via distance learning, I have worked for three years with middle and high school students through Write the World, an online writing platform for young people across the globe. Zoom is my office, asynchronous programming and communication the constraints within which to develop innovative curricula.

Throughout my work supporting the writing, thinking, and development of teenagers in this virtual space, I have found it helpful to keep in mind psychologist Howard Bath's three tenets of trauma-informed care: safety, connection, and emotional regulation. Although the COVID-19 crisis precludes teachers' ensuring students' physical safety, there is much we can do to create online learning environments that feel safe-that foster connection and emotional regulation as we all face uncertainty and potential trauma.

Research suggests that when adversity feels like a shared experience, we cope better-not only emotionally, but neurologically. That's (partly) why we should be integrating storytelling into online learning. From teenagers who take to Twitter while mourning the death of a close friend to gang violence, to middle schoolers who whisper to the paper cutout of an ear taped to their classroom door, trauma studies reveal that the very act of formulating and articulating narratives about our lived realities offers reprieve and promotes resilience.

But there are much more effective ways to bear witness to students' stories than resorting to Twitter or a "talk to the ear" system. In your online community, be forthright about your care and concern for students and the contexts in which they find themselves. Establish yourself as a safe person to whom they can turn for support. Do this by directly acknowledging the circumstances we are in and being honest about how this situation impacts you.

Though it is always important to maintain appropriate boundaries with students, calibrated reciprocity is a key component of storytelling. Naming emotions ("I'm feeling stressed and confused") can teach students, by modeling, that it is healthy to experience, articulate, and process emotions in community. Especially in difficult times.

Countless trauma studies also suggest that establishing a sense of routine in the face of stress helps students maintain (or regain) feelings of control, ensuring that they know what to expect. Something as small as a schedule can help give structure to students' days in times of upheaval, when very little feels familiar. Imbue online-learning rhythms into your routine: Check in at the same time of day; require reading assignments during a set period; build into your schedule times for debriefing, sharing stories of solidarity, or moments of mindfulness. Knowing what to expect helps calm students and quell concern.

Even as you are helping your students through this difficult time, be sure to honor your own limits as well. Secondary traumatic stress, or compassion fatigue, occurs in helping professionals who are routinely exposed to others' traumas. Stress changes our brains and behaviors, making emotional regulation much harder to achieve. This doesn't just mean that the young people we teach may be coming to us dysregulated; we, too, may be teaching from a place of dysregulation. When students' traumas exacerbate our own, we may respond with a number of self-protective but misaligned mechanisms: retreating rather than reaching out, reacting with frustration, avoidance, denial.

Though paradoxical, these responses often come from a place of caring. We care about young people's well-being, and we feel powerless to change their circumstances as we witness their pain. This-coupled with the distancing inherent in virtual education-can breed feelings of saturation, isolation, and helplessness, which are precursors to and symptoms of secondary traumatic stress.

Build into your remote working routine time away from screens. Call a colleague, friend, or family member. Get outside if you are able. Read. Cook. Write letters. Protect your emotional reserves so that you may receive students' distress in a way that meets them where they are, validates what they're going through, and promotes everyone's attainment of-and attunement to-emotional regulation.

Know, also, that psychological studies reveal perceived support availability -the sense that one could turn to a circle of connection for help should one need to-is critical to, and perhaps more important than, actual proximity and intervention. This means that virtual reach-outs-letting your students know that you are there and that you care-can make a real difference in their lives, no matter how inadequate it may feel to you.

In my community, an elderly couple sit in their car in a grocery store parking lot too afraid to walk inside. A young mother takes their list and returns with an overflowing cart. Musicians gather in living rooms and offer virtual house concerts. Yogis Zoom meditation courses to reduce stress.

All around us, there are helpers. People who remind us of breath, of melody, of humanity.

Remember that education transcends test scores and curricular continuity. Sing out in your own way-fostering connections across generations, time, and space. We need each other, now, and our joining together is itself a defense-an inoculation-against that which seeks to divide us.

May we not lose this boon of caring on the other side of the COVID-19 bell curve.

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Yes, You Can Do Trauma-Informed Teaching Remotely (and You Really, Really Should)

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Opinion This is a challenging time for everyone, and teachers are concerned. Concerned for their health and their families. Concerned about equity, access, and best practices as they turn to new online learning-management systems. Concerned about curricular continuity. And concerned for students' physical and emotional well-being.

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Vol. 77

No. 2

Abstract

1. Expect Unexpected Responses

2. Employ Thoughtful Interactions

3. Be Specific About Relationship Building

4. Promote Predictability and Consistency

5. Teach Strategies to "Change the Channel"

6. Give Supportive Feedback to Reduce Negative Thinking

7. Create Islands of Competence

8. Limit Exclusionary Practices

Fostering a Feeling of Safety

Small changes in classroom interactions can make a big difference for traumatized students.

Credit: Shannon Fagan

Abstract

1. Expect Unexpected Responses

2. Employ Thoughtful Interactions

3. Be Specific About Relationship Building

4. Promote Predictability and Consistency

5. Teach Strategies to "Change the Channel"

6. Give Supportive Feedback to Reduce Negative Thinking

7. Create Islands of Competence

8. Limit Exclusionary Practices

Fostering a Feeling of Safety

Up to two-thirds of U.S. children have experienced at least one type of serious childhood trauma, such as abuse, neglect, natural disaster, or experiencing or witnessing violence. Trauma is possibly the largest public health issue facing our children today (CDC, 2019). Traumatized students are especially prone to difficulty in self-regulation, negative thinking, being on high alert, difficulty trusting adults, and inappropriate social interactions (Lacoe, 2013; Terrasi & de Galarce, 2017). They often haven't learned to express emotions healthily and instead show their distress through aggression, avoidance, shutting down, or other off-putting behaviors. These actions can feel antagonistic to teachers who don't understand the root cause of the student's behavior, which can lead to misunderstandings, ineffective interventions, and missed learning time.

Neurobiologically, students can't learn if they don't feel safe, known, and cared for within their schools (Aupperle et al., 2012). When teachers are proactive and responsive to the needs of students suffering from traumatic stress and make small changes in the classroom that foster a feeling of safety, it makes a huge difference in their ability to learn. Here are some examples.

1. Expect Unexpected Responses

First, teachers must learn to put students' reactions into context-and not to take them personally. Students with trauma histories can react and behave in seemingly unexpected ways, such as having a sudden outburst during a favorite activity or crying out of the blue one second after laughing. Teachers may be taken by surprise. They say things like, "But he was fine this morning, I didn't see that coming!" or "She normally loves playing the drums in music class. I have no idea where her reaction came from." This uncertainty leaves the teacher in a constant state of hyper-alertness when interacting with the student. This in turn can result in fatigue, as the teacher is guarded and unable to predict what will happen from one moment to another.

One way to understand these reactions is to think of the student as a soda can, and events that may trigger their trauma stress as shaking that can. We can't tell by looking if the can was recently shaken, but if it was, opening the can results in an unexpected explosive, messy reaction. If a student is triggered and experiencing heightened emotion, even a benign direction such as, "Please move over to make room for Jenny" could result in an "explosion" that the teacher never saw coming. By using trauma-sensitive strategies in the classroom, we can help reduce the times our students are "shaken."

2. Employ Thoughtful Interactions

Traumatized students often behave in ways that may interfere with teaching and learning, which can be frustrating. Teachers are in a position of power, and these students may be overly defensive, anticipating adult criticism, or defiant, as a way to assert control (Jennings, 2018). Yet for traumatized students, the ability to learn and behave appropriately can be person-dependent. When they are with a safe and supportive adult, their behavior reflects that.

Consider this scenario drawn from schools I've worked with: Trevor, a 6th grader whose father overdosed on heroin two years ago and who has witnessed ongoing domestic abuse throughout his childhood, was in Ms. Carlton's class for part of the day and Ms. Finch's class for the other part. Ms. Carlton had a reputation of working well with hard-to-reach kids, and sure enough, Trevor behaved in a stellar way in her class. When he was with Ms. Finch, however, he was sent to the office nearly three times a week for explosive behavior.

The teacher is 50 percent of every interaction with a student: By changing the way we give a direction or respond, we can reduce problematic behavior. Ms. Carlton had taken the time to build a trusting relationship with Trevor and learned to give directions in a way that he would respond well to. Interaction strategies are a type of accommodation that typically go unnamed and unwritten, but they were the reason that Trevor could feel safe and access the curriculum (Minahan & Rappaport, 2012).

If Ms. Carlton had written down the successful strategies she used with Trevor, the list might have started with avoiding authoritative directives such as, "Pick that up." To give Trevor a sense of control, Ms. Carlton always embedded choice in her directions, asking, "Do you want to be in the front of the line or the back of the line?" instead of simply telling him to "line up." This helped prevent a poor reaction (Minahan, 2019).

Ms. Carlton also conveyed respect and transparency by providing the reason behind each direction. Instead of saying, "No backpacks on the floor. I don't want to trip and fall!" Ms. Carlton would say, "Oh dear, I hope I don't fall. I have a bad knee! Could you please move your backpack?" Stating the reason first assured that Trevor knew the context (and necessity) of the demand.

Conversely, Ms. Finch would often go up close to Trevor, tower over him, and say in front of his peers, "Stop tapping your pencil!" This typically ended in a power struggle and Trevor's escalating behavior. Trevor, like many traumatized students, had experienced a loss of control in his life, and power struggles with an authoritative figure were particularly triggering. Ms. Carlton instinctively knew that a more private nonverbal direction could be less confrontational for a student in "fight or flight" mode. She would write, "Please stop tapping" on a piece of paper, put it gently on Trevor's desk without his peers noticing, and then give him space by walking away quickly. When possible, she also gave Trevor extended time to comply with directions to avoid power struggles, asking, for example, "Can you please pick that up before lunch?" rather than, "Pick that up now" (Minahan, 2019). This allowed Trevor time to decompress and respond rationally.

3. Be Specific About Relationship Building

At one point in the year, Ms. Carlton told Ms. Finch that building a relationship with Trevor was key to her success with him, and she suggested that Ms. Finch do the same. Unfortunately, saying, "Build a relationship" is too vague and leaves too much up to the teacher's instincts. Instead, Ms. Carlton could have told Ms. Finch that she greeted Trevor every day at the classroom door and asked him about the Avengers or basketball. She could have told Ms. Finch how she used the "two by ten" rule; she talked to him for two minutes a day for 10 days in a row about topics unrelated to academics or behavior. Whenever Ms. Carlton could see she wouldn't have time for this in the 10-day period, she asked the counselor or special education teacher to cover her class for two minutes so she could go for a walk with Trevor. She repeated this trust-building strategy several times throughout the year, especially after he exhibited anger or frustration and after school vacations and long weekends.

Ms. Carlton skillfully used relationship-building and interaction strategies to work with Trevor. Yet the impact could have been greater had she written and shared those strategies with Ms. Finch and the rest of Trevor's team via a shared document, behavior plan, or student success plan (Minahan, 2019). Likewise, if counselors, school nurses, and psychologists write and share such techniques with each classroom teacher, kids like Trevor, when triggered, wouldn't always have to leave class to find a safe adult.

Not knowing what is coming next can put anyone on high alert, especially traumatized students. Providing predictability through visual schedules of the class agenda or school day can help. Ms. Carlton was adamant about previewing any changes to the normal routine ahead of time (saying, "We are going to have indoor recess today because of the snow," or "The DVD player isn't working so we can't watch a science video at the end of class today"). This prepared Trevor and thus elicited a calmer response.

A teacher's behavior can also feel unpredictable to traumatized students. When students are working independently and quietly-doing what they are supposed to be doing-they don't know when they will get the teacher's attention. But when students are doing the wrong thing-like drumming on the desk with a pencil in each hand or swearing-teachers are more predictable and react quickly! Because predictability is comforting to students with anxiety and trauma histories, they may resort to getting the teacher's attention through inappropriate means. Trevor could get Ms. Finch to react immediately by flipping his water bottle noisily, but could go 20 minutes without so much as eye contact from her when he was quietly reading.

To counter this imbalance and create an overall feeling of safety, teachers can use predictable positive attention (Minahan, 2014). During independent work time, if a teacher says to a student "Great work! I'll be back to check on you," the student has no way of predicting how long they need to wait-and from past experience they know that the teacher may forget to return altogether. Using predictable positive attention, however, the teacher can say, "I am going to check on you in 10 minutes," put a timer on the student's desk, and add, "Come tap me on the shoulder when the timer goes off." If the teacher has many students in the class that could benefit from this, she could transfer the strategy to small groups: "I will check on this desk group at X time."

Another strategy for providing predictable attention, especially for middle and high school students, is to hand an anxious or traumatized student a sticky note with a time on it as they walk into class each day. The first time, the note will need to be explained: "If you don't understand something in class, please don't worry-I am going to check on you during independent work time at 11:45, and I will answer any questions you have then." Ms. Carlton found this strategy comforting to Trevor. This predictable check-in pairs the negative thoughts the student may have ("I don't know how to do this") with a reassuring thought ("But my teacher will be here in seven minutes!"). The student can better tolerate uncomfortable feelings when they know help and a positive interaction are coming. Telling the student what will happen and when and always following through establishes the teacher as a consistent, reliable adult.

5. Teach Strategies to "Change the Channel"

Traumatized students often engage in inaccurate thinking, tending to focus on the negative. Common classroom management strategies often only exasperate this tendency. How many of us have seen frequent movement breaks on a student's IEP or student success plan? It is one of the most common accommodations that we offer to students who seem dysregulated. Unfortunately, during these breaks, students can ruminate on negative memories, current stressors, angry thoughts, or worries. If we ask a high school student who is getting angry and becoming agitated to take a walk, he may ruminate the whole time and return just as angry. Sending a 1st grader to a "calming chair" can leave her to perseverate on worrying thoughts. Instead, we need to help them "change the channel." Both Ms. Carlton and Ms. Finch used breaks with Trevor, but in vastly different ways.

When adults can't sleep, we often read a book or watch TV, which distracts us from uncomfortable thoughts so we can fall back asleep. Teachers can use the same principle for kids with trauma and anxiety: Teach students that their brain is like a remote control that they can use to "switch the channel" to help them calm down (Minahan & Rappaport, 2012). These switching activities are called cognitive distractions or thought breaks and are incompatible with negative thinking. A listening center or "find the picture" activity can be helpful to young children. For older students, you might try Mad Libs, trivia, or more abstract strategies such as counting all the green items in the room, saying the alphabet backwards, or thinking of the first 10 lines of a favorite movie. Ms. Carlton taught Trevor to do Star Wars trivia when he was upset, which helped him calm down quickly. Conversely when Ms. Finch had Trevor go for a walk, his negative thinking would escalate, and he would often not return to class.

6. Give Supportive Feedback to Reduce Negative Thinking

Many traumatized students interpret information through a negativity amplifier. When a teacher says, "Please correct the first problem," the student might hear, "You are stupid." Or a student might report that the teacher screamed at her when the teacher was really using a calm tone, as even neutral facial expressions can be misinterpreted. It is helpful to smile and explicitly say when you are happy with the student, a strategy Ms. Carlton utilized. When giving negative feedback, teachers can use the positive sandwich approach-starting and ending with a positive comment: (1) "I love how you remembered the formula," (2) "You made a small calculation error there," (3) "Great job getting problem #3 correct."

7. Create Islands of Competence

Recognizing areas of strength in students is a powerful way to combat the poor self-concept and negative thinking associated with trauma (Jennings, 2018). To support a more accurate self-concept, teachers can provide what Robert Brooks calls "islands of competence" for students swimming in a sea of inadequacy (2003). When a student thinks negatively, the negative moments during the day tend to weigh more heavily than the positive moments. We need to counter this effect with positive experiences. Educator teams need to ask themselves, "Does the student feel competent during the day?" If the answer is no, contriving an island of competence for the student is in order. Ms. Carlton often asked Trevor to help a younger student or a peer who was struggling in an academic area Trevor was strong in, or had him fix the stapler when it was malfunctioning. She would also point out in a written note to Trevor that he was the first student to finish a math activity. In high school, educators may want to foster students' talents by never letting them drop electives (which might require creativity in scheduling academic support in core classes).

It is important that students experience competence to develop a more accurate self-narrative and to begin to create a positive future picture of themselves. We want them to say, "I really helped that student with her artwork. When I grow up, I could work with kids." Or "I am good at fixing things. I could be a mechanic someday."

8. Limit Exclusionary Practices

Behavior is communication, and we've looked at how traumatized students often communicate feelings through their behavior. Teachers' behavior is also communication-and it may not be communicating the message we are striving to send. Common teacher practices such as ignoring inappropriate behavior, sending students to the office, or sending younger kids to sit alone at a back table or in the hallway can unintentionally trigger students who have experienced abandonment or neglect. We need to remember that when some of our students were young and cried, no one came. Ignoring them can trigger a trauma response and make them feel the teacher doesn't like them or is even happy that they are upset.

Ms. Finch would ignore Trevor when he was expressing anger, such as by crumpling up a paper, growling, or slinging a book from his desk onto the floor. On the other hand, Ms. Carlton responded to such moments at the beginning of the year by validating Trevor's feelings ("I am sorry you are upset" or "I see that you are angry"). This is a much more empathetic approach, will preserve the relationship, and will avoid triggering a trauma response in the student.

Another practice to be cautious about is using time with a preferred adult as an incentive. For example, a principal might say, "If you get all your homework done this week, you and I will have lunch together!" The problem with this is that if the student doesn't get all their homework done, then the principal withholds their attention and time. This implies the relationship is conditional and can trigger an abandonment trauma response for some students. It is better to use one-to-one time with students in a noncontingent way. This way adults are communicating, "I like you for who you are," not "I like you when you behave the right way."

Fostering a Feeling of Safety

Students can't learn unless they feel safe. When it comes to student trauma, there is much that is beyond educators' power, but there is also a great deal they can do to build a supportive and sensitive environment where students feel safe, comfortable, take risks, learn, and even heal.

Reflect & Discuss

➛ As Minahan writes, "Students can't learn if they don't feel safe." What small changes are you willing to try in your classroom to foster a sense of safety among traumatized students?

➛ Think about one of your students who struggles with behavior. How could you help him "switch the channel" when he is upset?

➛ Do you routinely share-and exchange ideas about-what's working with a traumatized student? How could you better improve lines of communication across the whole support team?

ASCD is a community dedicated to educators' professional growth and well-being.

Let us help you put your vision into action.

ASCD empowers educators to achieve excellence in learning, teaching, and leading so that every child is healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged.

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Vol. 77 No. 2 Abstract 1. Expect Unexpected Responses 2. Employ Thoughtful Interactions 3. Be Specific About Relationship Building 4. Promote Predictability and Consistency 5. Teach Strategies to "Change the Channel" 6. Give Supportive Feedback to Reduce Negative Thinking 7. Create Islands of Competence 8.

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An Interview with the Founders of Black Lives Matter

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An Interview with the Founders of Black Lives Matter

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Interview of BLM Founders Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi  by Mia Birdsong at Ted Talk Conference

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Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi: An interview with the founders of Black Lives Matter

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Born out of a social media post, the Black Lives Matter movement has sparked discussion about race and inequality across the world. In this spirited conversation with Mia Birdsong, the movement's three founders share what they've learned about leadership and what provides them with hope and inspiration in the face of painful realities.

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Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Ted Talk

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Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice -- and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.

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How teachers can help students navigate trauma

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How teachers can help students navigate trauma

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How teachers can help students navigate trauma

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“To make a difference in the life of a child ... I made the commitment to tell my personal story,” says educator Lisa Godwin. In this moving talk, she shares her experience of overcoming childhood trauma with the quiet, unwavering support of a teacher and school counselor -- and shows how educators can help students and families navigate hardships by sharing their own stories.

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How to resolve racially stressful situations

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How to resolve racially stressful situations

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Howard C. Stevenson Ted Talk

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Get a daily email featuring the latest talk, plus a quick mix of trending content.

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Howard C. Stevenson: How to resolve racially stressful situations

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If we hope to heal the racial tensions that threaten to tear the fabric of society apart, we're going to need the skills to openly express ourselves in racially stressful situations. Through racial literacy -- the ability to read, recast and resolve these situations -- psychologist Howard C.

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Certified Educator Level 2

Google Certified Educator Level 2

If you're an educator who is a super user and enthusiast of Google tools in the classroom, this certification proves your expertise. Find out what it takes to get certified. Or, if you're ready, take the certification exam now.

Individuals who have achieved this certification may publicize their status with their personalized certificate and badge. Always label your status with the achieved level: Google Certified Educator Level 2. This certification is valid for 36 months.

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Certified Educator Level 2 Google Certified Educator Level 2 If you're an educator who is a super user and enthusiast of Google tools in the classroom, this certification proves your expertise. Find out what it takes to get certified. Or, if you're ready, take the certification exam now.

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Seesaw proficiency is required of all Lower School teachers.

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Seesaw | Elementary Learning Experience Platform

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Training - Seesaw | Elementary Learning Experience Platform

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Webinars & Events Learn the ins and outs of Seesaw! Join us live or learn at your own pace. Upcoming Events Can't join live? Register anyway! All registrants receive a recording. View Full Calendar On-demand Webinars Watch an on-demand to learn on your own time!

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In addition to the free version, we do have an institutional membership. If you have interest in learning more, please ask.

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Flipgrid Tutorial - Creating Video Assignments

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Required for all LS-EC Faculty.

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Join us in the Teaching Virtually with Young Children Bootcamp!

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A Virtual Dialogue Series for Early Childhood Educators

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A Virtual Dialogue Series for Early Childhood Educators

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Use the submission form below to submit questions or topics for discussion for any upcoming dialogues.

Special Topic: Health and Hope for Early Childhood
What will rise from these trying times

View the recording here: https://youtu.be/bAwm5vJNTmM

View the chat transcript here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/19zdl5T7wKLrcWmkAkOOTLRKumrLflYx0WgOABCi2fcI/edit?usp=sharing

View the resource guide here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1m34B_P2fq0iqQUQfSsmibqludpblRR7V/view?usp=sharing

Special Topic: Supporting Mental and Emotional Wellness for Educators, Children, and Families in a Time of Physical Distancing
​
View the recording here: youtu.be/nbIcGXdv48U
Read a reflection from the dialogue here: educators.boulderjourneyschool.com/onlinelearningdatabase/reflection-on-virtual-dialogue
View the chat transcript here: ​ drive.google.com/file/d/1-8cLdrjftr4K05YRSLWLhbrL7_lcnDs8/view?usp=sharing

Featuring a special guest panel of experts with various backgrounds in mental health and emotional wellness.

​Danny Lewin, Associate Director, Sleep Medicine, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Behavioral Medicine and Licensed clinic psychologist, Children's National Health System and George Washington, University School of Medicine
https://childrensnational.org/visit/find-a-provider/daniel-lewin

Julia McGarey, MA, Founder and Coach, Partnered Path Parenting
http://partneredpath.com/

Theresa Melito-Conners, PhD (Dr. MC), Founder of Dr. MC's Self-Care Cabaret & Public School Special Education Administrator in Massachusetts
www.drmcselfcare.com

Julie Zabolio, MA, LPC, IMH-E®, Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist - Health Solutions
www.health.solutions

Laura Conley, Life Coach, Laura Conley Coaching
https://lauraconley.com/

Michele Starr Beach, MA, ECE, Psychotherapy, Parent Coaching
​ https://thepatchworkschool.com/

Special Topic: Supporting Infants & Toddlers in a time of Physical Distancing
with Special Guest, Lisa Matter, MA, IMH-E® Infant Family Specialist, Expanding Quality in Infant Toddler Care Initiative Manager, Child Care Quality Initiatives

​View the recording and read the chat notes here: ​ https://youtu.be/R4YYbeEazFs

Thank you to everyone who participated and expressed interest in the first series of Virtual Dialogues. We found them to be rich and powerful, and we hope you do too. You will find links to the recordings of these dialogues here. There is a link to the synthesized notes in each Youtube video description.

If, while watching, you have responses, additions, or reflections, please post them in the Youtube comments so that we can continue to extend the dialogue.

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Use the submission form below to submit questions or topics for discussion for any upcoming dialogues.

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Association for Middle Level Education
July 14 - July 16

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Schedule at a Glance

July 6th - Basecamp Opens

Campers gain access to Basecamp, including a library of content and resources, access to Camp Guides through scheduled Fireside Chats and the Quick Help Button, and the opportunity to interact with other campers on shared issues. Basecamp will stay open through July 24th.

Three Day Trail Hike July 14 - 16

Join us for collaborative, interactive sessions during which our Camp Guides will offer insights and facilitate conversation on some of the biggest challenges and opportunities that we will tackle this fall.

PLEASE NOTE: Session times are all Eastern time zone. Topics are subject to change based on camper feedback. All sessions will be recorded and available in Basecamp to campers who can't attend them live.

Day 1 - July 14

Day 2 - July 15

11:40 a.m.-12:25 p.m.

Breakout 6

Trails merge for Assessing Student Learning with Rick Wormeli

1:25 p.m.-2:10 p.m.

Breakout 7

Trails merge for Identifying and Bridging Gaps in Learning with Rick Wormeli

2:55 p.m.-3:40 p.m.

Breakout 8

Trails merge for Addressing Concerns About Cheating with Rick Wormeli

3:50 p.m.-4:35 p.m.

Breakout 9

Trails merge for Recognizing & Understanding PTSD and ACE in student, staff, and parents with Lori Desautels

4:45 p.m.-5:30 p.m.

Breakout 10

Trails merge for Implementing Strategies for Trauma Informed Instruction with Lori Desautels

Day 3 - July 16

July 17th - Basecamp Continues

Campers can continue to interact with Camp Guides, finish up Fireside Chats, and ask any remaining questions through July 24th.

July 24th - Camp Closes for Summer

We'll continue to meet up through monthly all-camp Bonfires to check in with each other and how things are going as school starts.

November 12th-14th - #AMLE20

Campers can finally meet in person at #AMLE20 in National Harbor, MD. There will be special campfire sessions throughout the conference.

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July 6th - Basecamp Opens Campers gain access to Basecamp, including a library of content and resources, access to Camp Guides through scheduled Fireside Chats and the Quick Help Button, and the opportunity to interact with other campers on shared issues. Basecamp will stay open through July 24th.

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A Classic Problem -- Putting Diverse Books into Practice

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A Classic Problem -- Putting Diverse Books into Practice

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Harvard Edcast with Kim Parker, cofounder of #Disrupttexts.
For the podcast transcript: https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/19/09/harvard-edcast-putting-diverse-books-practice

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A Classic Problem -- Putting Diverse Books into Practice by Harvard EdCast

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The books children read in the classroom today look a lot like they did decades ago. Kim Parker, cofounder of #Disrupttexts, wants to change that. In this EdCast, she addresses the challenges facing educators trying to diversify books in their classroom. With diverse books regularly appearing on the American Library Association's most challenged and banned books in libraries and schools, Parker discusses this and our inability to move beyond the literary canon. She offers ideas for educators trying to take steps to incorporate diverse books in their practice and how parents can be supportive allies in the process.

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The #DisruptTexts Twitter chat and website are facilitated by Tricia Ebarvia, Lorena German, Dr. Kim Parker, and Julia Torres.

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#Disrupt Texts is a crowdsourced, grass roots effort by teachers for teachers to challenge the traditional canon in order to create a more inclusive, representative, and equitable language arts curriculum that our students deserve. It is part of our mission to aid and develop teachers committed to anti-racist/anti-bias teaching pedagogy and practices.

We believe that literacy is liberation. By developing students' literacy skills, we support their ability to critically read and navigate a democratic society. To be literate in today's world, students must develop empathy and an understanding of a diversity of experiences.

We do not believe in censorship and have never supported banning books. This claim is outright false. It is a mischaracterization of our work made to more easily attack us, serve an agenda, and discredit the need for antiracist education. Teachers and schools determine curriculum for any number of reasons, and in fact, we know that censorship and banning efforts disproportionately hurts LGBTQIA+ authors and BIPoC authors are already underrepresented in the publishing industry.

We believe that literature provides access to a diversity of experiences by providing "mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors" (Bishop, 1990) to develop empathy and understanding. A curriculum that does not reflect the diversity of human experience does a disservice to all students.

We believe that no curricular or instructional decision is a neutral one. For too long, the traditional "canon" - at all grade levels - has excluded the voices and rich literary legacies of communities of color. This exclusion hurts all students, and especially students of color.

We believe that critical analysis of all texts helps students become stronger thinkers. Each of us has studied, taught, and continue to teach from canonical texts, just as we also make intentional choices about teaching, pairing, and centering BIPOC voices.

Thus, #DisruptTexts advocates for curriculum and instructional practices that are culturally responsive and antiracist.

You can read and learn more about #DisruptTexts and its founders by browsing the site, including the publications and media page.

In addition, please follow #DisruptTexts on Twitter as teachers from across the country and world come together to apply a critical lens on a central text (the 2021 #DisruptTexts Twitter chat topics and schedule TBD.) We'll discuss how to disrupt traditional pedagogies by suggesting alternative titles and approaches through thoughtful pairings, counter-narratives, and inclusive, diverse texts sets.

The #DisruptTexts chat and website are facilitated by Tricia Ebarvia, Lorena German, Dr. Kim Parker, and Julia Torres.

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Disrupt Texts is a crowdsourced, grass roots effort by teachers for teachers to challenge the traditional canon in order to create a more inclusive, representative, and equitable language arts curriculum that our students deserve. It is part of our mission to aid and develop teachers committed to anti-racist/anti-bias teaching pedagogy and practices.

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22 Diverse Book Choices for All Grade Levels

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22 Diverse Book Choices for All Grade Levels

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In a vibrant, multicultural society, representing the richness of students' lives in a class or school library takes a conscious effort. Including writers and fictional characters with a variety of backgrounds, beliefs, and life circumstances is a way to increase the chances that students will find, to use the metaphor that Rudine Sims Bishop popularized, both windows and mirrors in the library-books that reflect their lives, and ones that give them insight into the lives and experiences of people who aren't like them.

No book shelf is going to represent the fullness of this nation. From the descendants of people who arrived here more than 15,000 years ago to the newest immigrants, we're simply too much. But the inclusive set of books below-many of which were recommended by multiple teachers-span all grade and Lexile levels up to 1140L, and include award winners and best sellers, books that have stood the test of time and newer options. We hope they reflect human diversity in the broadest sense, addressing race and ethnicity, religion, sexual identity, socioeconomic status, and other special circumstances.

Grades pre-K to 2

Deena Misses Her Mom
Deena is a formerly well-behaved girl who has been lashing out in school ever since her mom was sent to jail. Deena's story-sensitively illustrated by Leslie Jindalay Pyo-was written by high school students Jonae Haynesworth, Jesse Holmes, Layonnie Jones, and Kahliya Ruffin to reflect the lives of the children they were tutoring in Washington, DC. Parental imprisonment is a shockingly common occurrence in America: More than 5 million children in the U.S. have had at least one parent in jail.

Grades 3 to 5

Grades 6 to 8

The Arrival
A sepia-toned marvel, The Arrival conveys in images-there is no dialogue-a man's journey from his troubled home country to a new one. Artist Shaun Tan places the reader in the immigrant's shoes by using an invented alphabet on the signs in the strange new world he enters-the language is as impenetrable to the reader as it is to the protagonist.

Ghost
A National Book Award finalist, Jason Reynolds's Ghost is the story of an African American middle school runner with the talent to qualify for the Junior Olympics-if he can learn to control his temper. Money is tight and his father is in jail, and Ghost has been having a lot of what he calls "altercations." This is the first in a series of books about the members of a track team.

George
George is a transgender fourth grader who wants to try out for the lead role in the school production of Charlotte's Web so that her mother will see her as a girl. Alex Gino presents George's struggles with both bullying and the painful reassurance that she will "turn into a fine young man." George won a Stonewall Book Award-and made the American Library Association's 10 Most Challenged Books list in 2016 and 2017.

Grades 9 to 12

Bless Me, Ultima
A classic of Latino literature, Rudolfo Anaya's coming-of-age tale is an exploration of faith-Antonio, the young protagonist, makes his First Communion in the Catholic Church but also finds a spiritual guide in Ultima, an elderly curandera, or healer, who helps him explore indigenous traditions of New Mexico.

The Hate U Give
Angie Thomas's debut novel was a sensation when it was published in 2017, remaining on The New York Times best-seller list for 50 weeks. It centers on the killing of an unarmed black teen by a white police officer, a shooting witnessed by 16-year-old Starr, whose days are split between her black neighborhood and mostly white suburban school. The killing of her friend Khalil drives those two worlds farther apart than ever.

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22 Diverse Book Choices for All Grade Levels

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Suggestions from teachers who are working to offer students at every grade level book choices that represent their lives.

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75 digital tools and apps teachers can use to support formative assessment in the classroom

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75 digital tools and apps teachers can use to support formative assessment in the classroom

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from NWEA (Northwest Educational Association) website

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75 digital tools and apps teachers can use to support formative assessment in the classroom

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We’ve compiled an extensive list of 75 digital tools that can help teachers use formative assessment to elicit evidence of student learning.