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Mind Yeti is a library of research-based guided mindfulness sessions that help kids and their adults calm their minds, focus their attention and connect to the world around them.

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Mind Yeti is a library of research-based guided mindfulness sessions that help kids and their adults calm their minds, focus their attention and connect to t…

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Quick video on how to model a calm down strategy with a student- super simple!

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Sipping Water for Self-Care During the School Day

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Pushing Against the Wall (Calming Technique) 

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Pushing Against the Wall (Calming Technique) 

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Quick Video on how to incorporate this technique to benefit all students.

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Pushing a Wall to Settle the Nervous System

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Listen to this post as a podcast:
When I worked with student teachers on developing effective lesson plans, one thing I always asked them to revise was the phrase "We will discuss."
We will discuss the video. We will discuss the story. We will discuss our results.
Every time I saw it in a lesson plan, I would add a note: "What format will you use? What questions will you ask? How will you ensure that all students participate?" I was pretty sure that We will discuss actually meant the teacher would do most of the talking; He would throw out a couple of questions like "So what did you think about the video?" or "What was the theme of the story?" and a few students would respond, resulting in something that looked like a discussion, but was ultimately just a conversation between the teacher and a handful of extroverted students; a classic case of Fisheye Teaching.

The problem wasn't them; in most of the classrooms where they'd sat as students, that's exactly what a class discussion looked like. They didn't know any other "formats." I have only ever been familiar with a few myself. But when teachers began contacting me recently asking for a more comprehensive list, I knew it was time to do some serious research.

So here they are: 15 formats for structuring a class discussion to make it more engaging, more organized, more equitable, and more academically challenging. If you've struggled to find effective ways to develop students' speaking and listening skills, this is your lucky day.

I've separated the strategies into three groups. The first batch contains the higher-prep strategies, formats that require teachers to do some planning or gathering of materials ahead of time. Next come the low-prep strategies, which can be used on the fly when you have a few extra minutes or just want your students to get more active. Note that these are not strict categories; it's certainly possible to simplify or add more meat to any of these structures and still make them work. The last group is the ongoing strategies. These are smaller techniques that can be integrated with other instructional strategies and don't really stand alone. For each strategy, you'll find a list of other names it sometimes goes by, a description of its basic structure, and an explanation of variations that exist, if any. To watch each strategy in action, click on its name and a new window will open with a video that demonstrates it.

Enjoy!
a.k.a. Chat Stations
Basic Structure: Stations or posters are set up around the classroom, on the walls or on tables. Small groups of students travel from station to station together, performing some kind of task or responding to a prompt, either of which will result in a conversation.

Variations: Some Gallery Walks stay true to the term gallery, where groups of students create informative posters, then act as tour guides or docents, giving other students a short presentation about their poster and conducting a Q&A about it. In Starr Sackstein's high school classroom, her stations consisted of video tutorials created by the students themselves. Before I knew the term Gallery Walk, I shared a strategy similar to it called Chat Stations, where the teacher prepares discussion prompts or content-related tasks and sets them up around the room for students to visit in small groups.
a.k.a. Values Continuum, Forced Debate, Physical Barometer, This or That
Basic Structure: A statement that has two possible responses-agree or disagree-is read out loud. Depending on whether they agree or disagree with this statement, students move to one side of the room or the other. From that spot, students take turns defending their positions.

Variations: Often a Philosophical Chairs debate will be based around a text or group of texts students have read ahead of time; students are required to cite textual evidence to support their claims and usually hold the texts in their hands during the discussion. Some teachers set up one hot seat to represent each side, and students must take turns in the seat. In less formal variations (which require less prep), a teacher may simply read provocative statements students are likely to disagree on, and a debate can occur spontaneously without a text to refer to (I call this variation This or That in my classroom icebreakers post). Teachers may also opt to offer a continuum of choices, ranging from "Strongly Agree" on one side of the room, all the way to "Strongly Disagree" on the other, and have students place themselves along that continuum based on the strength of their convictions.

Basic Structure: Students are divided into 4 groups. Three of these groups are assigned to represent specific points of view. Members of the fourth group are designated as "provocateurs," tasked with making sure the discussion keeps going and stays challenging. One person from each group (the "speaker") sits in a desk facing speakers from the other groups, so they form a square in the center of the room. Behind each speaker, the remaining group members are seated: two right behind the speaker, then three behind them, and so on, forming a kind of triangle. From above, this would look like a pinwheel. The four speakers introduce and discuss questions they prepared ahead of time (this preparation is done with their groups). After some time passes, new students rotate from the seats behind the speaker into the center seats and continue the conversation.

Variations: When high school English teacher Sarah Brown Wessling introduced this strategy in the featured video (click Pinwheel Discussion above), she used it as a device for talking about literature, where each group represented a different author, plus one provocateur group. But in the comments that follow the video, Wessling adds that she also uses the strategy with non-fiction, where students represent authors of different non-fiction texts or are assigned to take on different perspectives about an issue.
a.k.a. Socratic Circles
Basic Structure: Students prepare by reading a text or group of texts and writing some higher-order discussion questions about the text. On seminar day, students sit in a circle and an introductory, open-ended question is posed by the teacher or student discussion leader. From there, students continue the conversation, prompting one another to support their claims with textual evidence. There is no particular order to how students speak, but they are encouraged to respectfully share the floor with others. Discussion is meant to happen naturally and students do not need to raise their hands to speak. This overview of Socratic Seminar from the website Facing History and Ourselves provides a list of appropriate questions, plus more information about how to prepare for a seminar.

Variations: If students are beginners, the teacher may write the discussion questions, or the question creation can be a joint effort. For larger classes, teachers may need to set up seminars in more of a fishbowl-like arrangement, dividing students into one inner circle that will participate in the discussion, and one outer circle that silently observes, takes notes, and may eventually trade places with those in the inner circle, sometimes all at once, and sometimes by "tapping in" as the urge strikes them.
a.k.a. Affinity Diagramming
Basic Structure: Give students a broad question or problem that is likely to result in lots of different ideas, such as "What were the impacts of the Great Depression?" or "What literary works should every person read?" Have students generate responses by writing ideas on post-it notes (one idea per note) and placing them in no particular arrangement on a wall, whiteboard, or chart paper. Once lots of ideas have been generated, have students begin grouping them into similar categories, then label the categories and discuss why the ideas fit within them, how the categories relate to one another, and so on.

Variations: Some teachers have students do much of this exercise-recording their ideas and arranging them into categories- without talking at first. In other variations, participants are asked to re-combine the ideas into new, different categories after the first round of organization occurs. Often, this activity serves as a good pre-writing exercise, after which students will write some kind of analysis or position paper.
a.k.a. Speed Dating
Basic Structure: Students form two circles, one inside circle and one outside circle. Each student on the inside is paired with a student on the outside; they face each other. The teacher poses a question to the whole group and pairs discuss their responses with each other. Then the teacher signals students to rotate: Students on the outside circle move one space to the right so they are standing in front of a new person (or sitting, as they are in the video). Now the teacher poses a new question, and the process is repeated.

Variations: Instead of two circles, students could also form two straight lines facing one another. Instead of "rotating" to switch partners, one line just slides over one spot, and the leftover person on the end comes around to the beginning of the line. Some teachers use this strategy to have students teach one piece of content to their fellow students, making it less of a discussion strategy and more of a peer teaching format. In fact, many of these protocols could be used for peer teaching as well.

Basic Structure: Another great idea from Sarah Brown Wessling, this is a small-group discussion strategy that gives students exposure to more of their peers' ideas and prevents the stagnation that can happen when a group doesn't happen to have the right chemistry. Students are placed into a few groups of 4-6 students each and are given a discussion question to talk about. After sufficient time has passed for the discussion to develop, one or two students from each group rotate to a different group, while the other group members remain where they are. Once in their new group, they will discuss a different, but related question, and they may also share some of the key points from their last group's conversation. For the next rotation, students who have not rotated before may be chosen to move, resulting in groups that are continually evolving.

Basic Structure: Two students sit facing each other in the center of the room; the remaining students sit in a circle around them. The two central students have a conversation based on a pre-determined topic and often using specific skills the class is practicing (such as asking follow-up questions, paraphrasing, or elaborating on another person's point). Students on the outside observe, take notes, or perform some other discussion-related task assigned by the teacher.

Variations: One variation of this strategy allows students in the outer circle to trade places with those in the fishbowl, doing kind of a relay-style discussion, or they may periodically "coach" the fishbowl talkers from the sidelines. Teachers may also opt to have students in the outside circle grade the participants' conversation with a rubric, then give feedback on what they saw in a debriefing afterward, as mentioned in the featured video.

Basic Structure: One student assumes the role of a book character, significant figure in history, or concept (such as a tornado, an animal, or the Titanic). Sitting in front of the rest of the class, the student responds to classmates' questions while staying in character in that role.

Variations: Give more students the opportunity to be in the hot seat while increasing everyone's participation by having students do hot seat discussions in small groups, where one person per group acts as the "character" and three or four others ask them questions. In another variation, several students could form a panel of different characters, taking questions from the class all together and interacting with one another like guests on a TV talk show.
a.k.a. Pyramid Discussion
Basic Structure: Students begin in pairs, responding to a discussion question only with a single partner. After each person has had a chance to share their ideas, the pair joins another pair, creating a group of four. Pairs share their ideas with the pair they just joined. Next, groups of four join together to form groups of eight, and so on, until the whole class is joined up in one large discussion.

Variations: This structure could simply be used to share ideas on a topic, or students could be required to reach consensus every time they join up with a new group.

Whereas the other formats in this list have a distinct shape-specific activities you do with students-the strategies in this section are more like plug-ins, working discussion into other instructional activities and improving the quality and reach of existing conversations.

One of the limitations of discussion is that rich, face-to-face conversations can only happen when all parties are available, so we're limited to the time we have in class. With a tool like Voxer, those limitations disappear. Like a private voice mailbox that you set up with just one person or a group (but SOOOO much easier), Voxer allows users to have conversations at whatever time is most convenient for each participant. So a group of four students can "discuss" a topic from 3pm until bedtime-asynchronously-each member contributing whenever they have a moment, and if the teacher makes herself part of the group, she can listen in, offer feedback, or contribute her own discussion points. Voxer is also invaluable for collaborating on projects and for having one-on-one discussions with students, parents, and your own colleagues. Like many other educators, Peter DeWitt took a while to really understand the potential of Voxer, but in this EdWeek piece, he explains what turned him around.

A backchannel is a conversation that happens right alongside another activity. The first time I saw a backchannel in action was at my first unconference: While those of us in the audience listened to presenters and watched a few short video clips, a separate screen was up beside the main screen, projecting something called TodaysMeet (update: TodaysMeet has shut down. Use YoTeach! instead.) It looked a lot like those chat rooms from back in the day, basically a blank screen where people would contribute a few lines of text, the lines stacking up one after the other, no other bells or whistles. Anyone in the room could participate in this conversation on their phone, laptop, or tablet, asking questions, offering commentary, and sharing links to related resources without ever interrupting the flow of the presentations. This kind of tool allows for a completely silent discussion, one that doesn't have to move at a super-fast pace, and it gives students who may be reluctant to speak up or who process their thoughts more slowly a chance to fully contribute. For a deeper discussion of how this kind of tool can be used, read this thoughtful overview of using backchannel discussions in the classroom by Edutopia's Beth Holland.
a.k.a. Accountable Talk
Talk moves are sentence frames we supply to our students that help them express ideas and interact with one another in respectful, academically appropriate ways. From kindergarten all the way through college, students can benefit from explicit instruction in the skills of summarizing another person's argument before presenting an alternate view, asking clarifying questions, and expressing agreement or partial agreement with the stance of another participant. Talk moves can be incorporated into any of the other discussion formats listed here.

Whole Brain Teaching is a set of teaching and classroom management methods that has grown in popularity over the past 10 years. One of WBT's foundational techniques is Teach-OK, a peer teaching strategy that begins with the teacher spending a few minutes introducing a concept to the class. Next, the teacher says Teach!, the class responds with Okay!, and pairs of students take turns re-teaching the concept to each other. It's a bit like think-pair-share, but it's faster-paced, it focuses more on re-teaching than general sharing, and students are encouraged to use gestures to animate their discussion. Although WBT is most popular in elementary schools, this featured video shows the creator of WBT, Chris Biffle, using it quite successfully with college students. I have also used Teach-OK with college students, and most of my students said they were happy for a change from the sit-and-listen they were used to in college classrooms.

An oldie but a goodie, think-pair-share can be used any time you want to plug interactivity into a lesson: Simply have students think about their response to a question, form a pair with another person, discuss their response, then share it with the larger group. Because I feel this strategy has so many uses and can be way more powerful than we give it credit for, I devoted a whole post to think-pair-share; everything you need to know about it is right there.

TWO MORE YOU'LL LOVE

Since writing this post, I have learned about two more discussion strategies that teachers are finding to be incredibly effective and powerful for getting students to talk, especially about books and other texts:

This protocol has students come up with their own Thoughts, lingering Questions, and Epiphanies from an assigned reading. Teachers who have used this method say it has generated some of the richest conversations they have ever heard from students!

This strategy places students into one-on-one conversations, getting them to learn each others' names better and create a track record of what they talked about. Excellent for classes where you want to assess for discussion and help students get more comfortable with each other.

So what else do you have? I would like to think this is a pretty complete list, but I'm sure more strategies are out there. If you use a discussion strategy that's not mentioned here, please share it below.

Come back for more.
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The Big List of Class Discussion Strategies

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Here they are: 15 formats for structuring a class discussion to make it more engaging, more organized, more equitable, and more academically challenging.

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for adults and youth

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Millions of people have taken the free VIA survey to discover their greatest strengths so they can use them in their everyday lives.

How is a Report different from the free VIA Survey?

Our free survey provides your rank order list of character strengths with the strengths that are most core to your identity at the top. A VIA Report provides personalized, in-depth analysis of your character strengths, including actionable tips to apply them to find greater well-being.

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Millions of people have taken the free VIA survey to discover their greatest strengths so they can use them in their everyday lives. Our free survey provides your rank order list of character strengths with the strengths that are most core to your identity at the top.

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Learn Five High-Leverage Practices to support their own social-emotional development and well-being.

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What is SEL for Educators?

Social-emotional learning (SEL) shares some similarities with terms such as emotional intelligence, resilience, well-being and self-care. However, the specific components of SEL for adults in school settings are unique.
Educator SEL is:

The competencies that adults need in order to manage stress and create a safe and supportive classroom environment

The skills and mindsets that adults need to effectively embody, teach, model and coach SEL for students

The overall well-being and emotional state of adults in school settings

Based on a synthesis of the latest research, we have created Five High-Leverage Practices to streamline learning, practice, and application. None of the outlined practices, skills, or strategies works in isolation. They interact dynamically and are part of an ongoing process of learning and development.

Why Download the SEL for Educators Toolkit?

This toolkit can be used in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), staff meetings, professional development, training sessions, or for individual learning, reflection, and practice.

For the purposes of this resource, educator refers to any adult in a school setting who interacts with students. This can include, but is not limited to, classroom teachers, paraprofessionals, principals, deans, instructional coaches, specialists, special education teachers, and coaches. Although this resource can be used by individuals, we encourage collaboration as a way to understand the content, engage in practice, and to expand perspective by processing in community.
The toolkit focuses on the following objectives:

Educators will reflect on the importance and impact of their own social-emotional learning.

Educators will learn Five High-Leverage Practices to support their own social-emotional development and well-being.

Using embedded activities, educators will deepen their understanding and strengthen their skills related to the Five High-Leverage Practices.

Learn More

The toolkit is designed to be flexible and adaptable; educators can review and use the tools in their entirety, or select one or more focus areas. Due to the wealth of resources focused on system-level support, this toolkit focuses on what educators can do to support their individual growth.

Below, you can download TransformEd's SEL for Educators Toolkit for educators and school leaders focusing on the social-emotional development and well-being of the adults in school settings.
The Toolkit contains the following resources:

The Professional Learning Presentation is divided into three sections: The What: Defining Educator SEL, The Why: Supporting Evidence, and The How: High-Leverage Practice. It is designed to provide both content and opportunities for engagement and practice.

The Companion Guide presents additional details about the interactive components outlined in the presentation, as well as suggestions for pacing, facilitation, application, and further learning.

The Snapshot summarizes the Five High-Leverage Practices and their corresponding strategies in a simple and accessible handout.

The Reference List provides a comprehensive list of the resources consulted during the development of this tool for those who would like to dig deeper into the research on this topic.

Mini Modules

We will be releasing six mini modules to introduce our SEL for Educators Toolkit. This toolkit is extensive, therefore each module aims to synthesize the material and walk you through it using the following breakdown:

Module 1 - An Overview: The What, The Why, & The How

Module 2 - Examine Identity

Module 3 - Explore Emotions

Module 4 - Cultivate Compassionate Curiosity

Module 5 - Orient Towards Optimism

Module 6 - Establish Balance & Boundaries

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What is SEL for Educators? Social-emotional learning (SEL) shares some similarities with terms such as emotional intelligence, resilience, well-being and self-care. However, the specific components of SEL for adults in school settings are unique.

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Social Emotional Learning Action Plan Step One: Take Stock, Take Care and Take Notice. Step Two: Establish positive and predictable classroom environments. Step Three: Encourage positive teacher-student interactions and student-student interactions. Step Four: Consider the needs, backgro…

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Hand Signals to Engage Students in Group Conversations (Large and Small)

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Hand Signals to Engage Students in Group Conversations (Large and Small)

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9/14/2020

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Welcome to the "Write. Right. Rite.," a "GRAB THE MIC: Tell Your Story" video series! The "Write. Right. Rite." is meant to be an entertaining and inventive way to engage with the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, Jason Reynolds.

According to Reynolds, the "Write. Right. Rite." is all about learning the ritual of "authentic"-not to be confused with "correct" or "exact"-expression. Throughout the series, Reynolds shares his passion for storytelling while discussing topics like creativity, connection, and imagination. At the end of each video, Reynolds shares a prompt that encourages young people to work toward a specific idea. The activities are fun-filled and some are more challenging than others, but Reynolds always makes sure to include brainstorming "get-you-going" questions.

So, what do you say? Are you ready to dive into, try on, and work through all the "Write. Right. Rite." episodes?

Go for it!

Watch the Entire "Write. Right. Rite." Series:

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Research Guides: Jason Reynolds, National Ambassador for Young People's Literature: "Write. Right. Rite." Series

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On January 13, 2020, Jason Reynolds was announced as the seventh National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. Learn more about Jason and his activities as National Ambassador through this guide.

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The first child-facing emotional wellness platform that captures how kids feel and helps parents and educators respond.

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By combining early & crisis intervention, real-time support, and a safe, digital space for emotional discovery, Closegap makes it easy for K-12 schools to support the emotional health of their students.

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8 Strategies to Improve Participation in Your Virtual Classroom

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8 Strategies to Improve Participation in Your Virtual Classroom

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In every classroom, there are students who always have their hand raised to participate, and those who are hesitant to engage. Whether they're introverted, tend to think awhile before they contribute, or are just having a bad day, it can be hard to bring kids into discussions who are reluctant to add their voices.

The challenges of getting students to participate have intensified during remote learning, we've heard from many teachers. Digital platforms can create added communication barriers by making it hard to know when to talk, for example, or how to read subtle but important elements of discourse like a person's body language and facial expressions. Additionally, online discussions are often hindered by variability in students' access to technology and by privacy concerns, and consequently many teachers have had to rely on students' submitting work over isolated channels like email, which can leave back-and-forth between peers (and between students and the teacher) by the wayside.

Getting kids to contribute in virtual classrooms takes some work, it turns out. "We keep calling this generation digital natives as if they are simply whizzes at everything computerized. They aren't," wrote Tim O'Brien on Facebook. "They need personal support, scaffolding, and reassurance that technology does not provide. It is simply a tool, not a teacher."

To find out how to improve student discussions and participation in online learning, we culled through hundreds of comments on social media and followed up with more than 20 educators to see how they tackled the challenge last spring. Teachers offered a range of smart strategies, both synchronous and asynchronous, to integrate the values and the voices of all kids-even the quietest or those with disrupted schedules-into their classes this fall.

Synchronous Strategies

For synchronous learning, some teachers said they translated traditional discussion strategies from the classroom to live video chats, while others found that digital tools helped boost classroom participation.

1. Spider web discussion: During remote learning this spring, students in Shai Klima's high school class led their own discussions over Google Meet. Before the live class, students answered questions independently, and then shared their responses at the start of the meeting as a jumping-off point for a broader class discussion.

While students conversed on video, Klima listened and drew lines on a sheet of paper tracking the flow of the conversation, resulting in a spider web. At the end of the discussion, Klima shared the drawing over video, and then asked students to reflect on the experience and what they learned about who talked, who listened, and who built on the ideas of others.

"It has been successful as a means to get kids to credit their peers with helping them come up with new ideas, which helps build rapport," said Klima, who let students struggling with bandwidth call in to the meetings.

2. Using chat to check for understanding: After giving lessons last spring, Paul France had his third-grade students use the Google Chat feature to ask and answer questions or type in emojis, like a thumbs-up or thumbs-down, to show whether they understood a concept. To create structure around the responses, he guided his students in creating norms around using the chat feature-they decided as a group to use only one emoji at a time, for example. France said the practice helped him check for student understanding and pushed students to engage more with the content.

Kindergarten teacher Ruth Calkins, meanwhile, used Zoom chat when holding live lessons with her kindergarten students. She said they enjoyed typing "T" or "F" for true and false questions while answering math problems in the chat box, and some even attempted to write sentences in response to her questions. Typing responses also provided a lot of keyboard practice for her young students.

3. Flip your classroom to stimulate deeper discussion: Forrest Hinton, a high school math teacher, says he found that a blend of asynchronous and synchronous instruction worked well to stimulate student discussion during remote learning.

First, he taught new content asynchronously through recorded videos and online activities. At the start of his live class, students briefly summarized the concepts they had learned together and then divided into breakout rooms to solve related problems in small groups. Flipping his classroom allowed Hinton to spend less class time in direct instruction-and listening to students at the start of class and in small groups helped him identify, and then address, where his students were struggling. "This has allowed me to clarify concepts in a more targeted way and better assist students," said Hinton.

4. Adapting think-pair-share to Zoom: Ryan Tahmaseb, director of library services, says he found that giving more project-based learning activities to his elementary and middle school students-and allowing them more autonomy over assignments-naturally encouraged richer discussions in virtual learning. "If we give students as much freedom as possible to experiment, research, and pursue interests within our content area, then they inevitably have a lot more to say," said Tahmaseb.

When it came to class discussions, Tahmaseb adapted think-pair-share to Zoom. Students were given a prompt, broken into groups, and then placed into breakout rooms to discuss and record their answers on a shared Google doc, which allowed students to share their thinking in writing or read aloud. Since Tahmaseb wasn't in each breakout room to listen to the conversations, the Google doc kept students accountable. Once they returned to the whole class, volunteers from each group shared their answers with everyone.

5. A new twist on show-and-tell: To get students comfortable with online participation, Brittany Collins, the teaching and learning coordinator at Write the World, a global online writing community for middle and high school students, converted the familiar show-and-tell activity into "think, write, share."

In one activity, Collins asked middle and high school students to find a photo, painting, or drawing that represented intergenerational connection and independently respond by writing to the following questions from the Making Thinking Visible Framework before discussing them over video as a class: What are we looking at? What makes you say that? What do you notice (see, feel, know)? What more can we uncover? What do you wonder? "It helps to break the ice in a virtual learning setting where unplanned participation can prove challenging for some students," said Collins.

Asynchronous Strategies

Although some teachers-and students-said that synchronous discussions were more engaging because they resembled a traditional classroom, many educators found that asynchronous discussions were more equitable because they opened up participation to students with low bandwidth, who had schedule limitations, or who were uncomfortable engaging with the full class.

6. Online forums create back-and-forth dialogue: Angelina Murphy, a high school English teacher, said she used Google Classroom's question feature to get her class to respond to readings and discussion prompts during remote learning this past spring. When each student commented, Murphy replied with clarifying questions to create a back-and-forth dialogue and also asked every student to respond to at least two of their peers' comments to create a broader base of discussion.

Fifth-grade teacher Raquel Linares said she used Nearpod Collaborate (Apple, Android), a virtual collaboration board, to get students to share images or write a response to show what they had learned about an article they read. To inspire connection and reflection among classmates, Linares also used Flipgrid (Apple, Android), so that students could hear their peers' voices even though they were remote.

7. Seeing and critiquing peer work through virtual gallery walks: Virtual "gallery walks" give students an opportunity to view their classmates' projects while learning from each other, according to Joe Marangell, a high school social studies teacher. After his students presented their own projects through five-minute screencasts, they were then required to give feedback to at least two other students on theirs.

Using Google Sheets, students provided feedback to their peers by answering the following prompts: What's something new I learned about this topic?; What's something that surprised me about this topic?; What's something I liked about this presentation? The online format gave every student the opportunity to see their peers' work and their assessment on theirs for deeper reflection, Marangell said.

8. Moving station brainstorming online: When carousel or station brainstorming activities are conducted in traditional classroom environments, small groups of students rotate around the room to different stations to answer prompts-and view and add to each groups' responses.

To translate this online, Marangell divided his students into groups online and created shared Google docs-or a series of Google slides-for the prompts/questions. Each group left their thoughts under the questions by the assigned date and then followed up by commenting on the other groups' responses the next day. "The strategy still allows them to maintain a sense of classroom community [in a virtual setting]," said Marangell.

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8 Strategies to Improve Participation in Your Virtual Classroom

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Educators share their best synchronous and asynchronous strategies to boost student participation during online learning.

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We've gathered resources for helping you implement a program of compassionate, creative and inclusive alternatives for responding to school discipline issues.

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Friendship Skills- 5 Step Apology Visual and more

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Friendship Skills- 5 Step Apology Visual and more

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CommonLit definitely keeps me organized. It's easy for me to grade and it's easy for me to see students' reading growth increase throughout the year.

"

The CommonLit assessment questions are aligned to our ELA standards, which is extremely helpful when prepping for the state exam.

Teachers trust CommonLit to foster students' reading comprehension

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CommonLit | Free Online Reading Passages and Literacy Resources

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CommonLit is a comprehensive literacy program with thousands of reading lessons, full-year ELA curriculum, benchmark assessments, and standards-based data for teachers.

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Finding the Courage to Support Queer Youth

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Finding the Courage to Support Queer Youth

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Finding the courage to support queer youth - Center for Teaching Quality #CTQCollab

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For all the positive change that has occurred in society, many schools are still reticent to support queer youth in tangible ways.

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Online Games to Get Your Class Engaged and Connected

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Online Games to Get Your Class Engaged and Connected

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Introduction

Beginning a new school session with engaging games can help you and your students get to know each other, cooperate, and build empathy and connection.

Below are eight fun games that students can play together using Zoom or similar platforms:

Beginners
Gesture Relay
Cooperative Counting

Intermediate
Connect Me
Move Together
Unfortunately/Fortunately

Advanced
Yes And
What Are You Really Saying?
Assertive Message Game Show

These activities were created and adapted by two Morningside staff developers who are both accomplished actors and educators. Find out more about Laurine Towler and Jason Jacobs.

Beginner Games

GESTURE RELAY

(online version of the "Group Juggle")

Objective: Builds group focus and cooperation, encourages active participation and demonstrates the importance of each individual in the group pattern.

1. Make sure everyone in the group can see each other. (Everyone should have camera ON, Microphone ON, and "Gallery View").

2. Explain that you will establish a pattern by sending a CLAP to someone on your screen, and saying their name. They will then send the CLAP to someone else and say their name. Everyone should receive the CLAP one time only. The last person to receive the CLAP passes it back to the facilitator. If necessary, help participants identify who has not yet received the CLAP.

3. Tell participants to remember WHO they received and sent the CLAP to. Explain that our first goal is to establish a pattern that can be repeated.

4. Send the CLAP through the group again, SAYING THE NAME of the recipient, while following the same pattern.

5. When the group has successfully sent the CLAP through the same pattern twice, pause when you receive it. Tell the group you are now going to send through the same pattern, WITHOUT saying the name of the person you are sending it to.

6. Optional intermediate step: When/if the group masters sending the CLAP without saying the names for 2-3 rounds, announce that after sending the CLAP, you will start sending a second movement in the same order. (This can be a SNAP or something else you choose). Our goal is to keep both gestures moving through the established pattern.

7. Optional advanced step: When/if the group masters sending two gestures around consistently, announce that you will add a third gesture. (This can be a WAVE or something else). Try to keep all three gestures moving through the pattern consistently. This will probably take some practice and playing the game a few times.

Reflection
Invite students to share:

What did we have to do, individually and as a group, to keep the gestures moving around?

What is challenging about this game?

What skills are we building with this game?

It's best to make sure each gesture is different from the others, so they are clear to see.

You can invite students to suggest the three gestures.

Once participants know the game, you can call on a student to be the leader and start sending each of the gestures.

Conversation during the game can confuse things, so point out that if we're talking, we may lose track of the gesture.

Strategy tip: Always keep your focus on the person you are receiving gestures from. (Better to let participants discover this themselves)

Keep track to ensure that both gestures continue to move around the group in the pattern. When a gesture gets dropped, you can say "We lost our CLAP movement, I'm going to start it again."

Objective: This activity builds group cooperation, focus, and concentration.

Steps

1. This game can be played with cameras off/on, or a mix of both.

2. The goal is to count to 20 as a group. Someone will start with "1," then someone else will say "2" and so on. (NO assigned order)

3. Anyone can say a number. However, if two people speak at the same time, you go back to 1 and start again from the beginning.

4. If the group gets to 20 and wants to continue, the group can see how high they can count, or go backwards from 20 to 1.

5. Optional: Depending on the size of the group, you can require that every person contributes at least one of the numbers.

Invite students to share:

What was challenging about this?

What did we have to do as a group to work together?

How could our group take it to the next level the next time we play?

If the group finds this challenging, ask, "What could we do as a group to do better?" Encourage suggestions that build teamwork such as listen closely, everyone only say one number, remember who has gone before, etc.

Discourage short-cuts such as establishing a pattern or using nonverbal signals.

Intermediate Games

CONNECT ME

Objective: This is a fun writing activity that can promote empathy and connection.

1. This game should ideally be played with all cameras ON, although adjustments can be made if necessary.

2. In the chat box, the facilitator will type in a word or a phrase, one at a time. Examples: strawberry, New York, sky, ball ,one year.

3. Participants have 1-2 minutes to write something about themselves associated with the word or phrase - or something they associate with the word or phrase.

4. Facilitator types a speaking order in the chat box and sets a timer for 2 minutes.

5. Sentences are shared.

6. The facilitator enters the next word or phrase in the chat box.

7. After one round or more, there can be a brief reflection before going on to the next word.

Invite students to share:

What was this activity like for you?

Did you discover anything?

How did this activity make you feel?

What did you learn about other people today?

Depending upon the groups' level of maturity, a participant could suggest a word and send it to the facilitator via the chat box.

Depending on the group's median age, words (like justice, hope, safety, etc.) can be more evocative and challenging, and touch off deeper conversation.

MOVE TOGETHER

Objective: This embodied, team-building activity builds visual focus and concentration, and invites non-verbal connection.

1. This is a physical game that requires participants be on camera.

2. Explain that you will start a movement, and everyone should try to follow you and move together.

3. Keep the initial moment simple and slow, and encourage participants to work together nonverbally. Focus on the movement we all see on the screen, and remind the group your goal is for everyone to move together.

4. As the group gets more practice with moving on screen together, ask another participant to take over as the "Leader." You can rotate the "Leader" role so everyone has a chance to lead the group through movement.

Invite students to share:

How is moving together on-screen different than moving in real space?

How is moving on-screen different than talking on-screen?

What skills are we building as a team when we move together nonverbally?

On Zoom video settings, there is a box called "Mirror My Video." For this game, it's recommended that everyone turn this feature off, so that everyone works with the same screen orientation.

Advanced challenge: If the group likes movement and finds this to be easy, challenge everyone to move together without any single leader.

UNFORTUNATELY/FORTUNATELY

Objective: This activity promotes active listening and encourages group focus and creative team-building.

1. The facilitator explains that the group is going to create a story together with each person contributing one sentence.

2. The speaking order is assigned via the chat box. (If there are an odd number of participants the facilitator will start the story.)

3. The first speaker begins with a sentence beginning with the word "Unfortunately," as in "Unfortunately, there was some turbulence on my flight."

4. The next participant adds one sentence that begins with the word "Fortunately,..."

This pattern continues.
For example:

"Unfortunately, my flight hit some turbulence."

"Fortunately, it didn't last too long."

"Unfortunately, the turbulence caused an engine to fail."

"Fortunately, there were parachutes on board."

Invite students to share:

What is challenging about this activity?

What skills are we building with this activity?

What does it require as a group to create a story together?

You may want to propose a theme or character before beginning the story

When you set the speaking order, you can ask participants to consider whether they are contributing to the BEGINNING, MIDDLE, or END of the story.

YES/AND....

Objective: This activity is based on a classic improvisation game that teaches the idea of accepting others' ideas and cooperation.
Steps

1. Set up a speaking order and list it in the chat box.

2. Explain that this is a game where every sentence starts "YES, AND...". You will make a first statement (i.e. "It's warm today") and the next person replies with "Yes, and... (i.e. "Yes and I really want some ice cream). As each person speaks, they build on the previous statement with a "Yes, and." The story can be as creative as you want, as long as everyone uses "Yes, and" to start each sentence.

3. Optional intermediate step: Invite two volunteers to improvise a scene with all "YES, AND" statements. Encourage the pair to see how long they can continue their scene.

Reflection
Invite students to share:

How does it feel to have your ideas accepted?

How does it feel when you have an idea and others don't like it or put it down?

What's the value in accepting each other's ideas and building on them?

WHAT ARE YOU REALLY SAYING?

Objective: This activity helps us understand how our intention and our tone of voice are felt and perceived by others, when we speak. It builds sensitivity and empathy.

1. A pair volunteers. One will be A and the other B.

2. A is given a neutral phrase to say to B like: "Is that your lunch?" (Other suggestions below).

3. Using the chat box, the facilitator provides two active verbs to Participant A: one is positive (e.g., to encourage, to praise, to charm, to cheer, to calm, to please, to soothe, etc.). The other is negative (e.g. to scold, to mock, to attack, to belittle, to frighten,etc.).

4. Participant A says their line (exactly as written) to B, with the intention of fulfilling one of the action verbs through the way they say the phrase. (That is, they say "Is that your lunch?" in either a positive way or in a negative way, e.g., in a scolding way.)

5. The rest of the group tries to guess the action verb and explain what they hear that makes them say that. The facilitator moderates the feedback.

6. Participant A reveals the action verb they used.

7. Then, A says the same line again with their other action verb.

8. The group tries to guess that action verb as well. Again, what did they hear in the voice or tone that made them make that guess? The facilitator moderates the feedback.

9. Participant A reveals their second action verb.

10. Participant B then shares how they felt hearing that line with two different intentions.

11. Now, Participant B is the actor and the activity is repeated with a new neutral line and two new action verbs - one positive and one negative. And the process is repeated.

Invite students to share:

What can we learn from this game about how we speak to others?

How does it feel when someone puts us down with their tone of speech?

How does it feel when someone lifts us up with their tone of speech?

Is it possible for our voice to suggest an intention that we don't actually have (such as an intention to put the other person down)? Why?

This activity can repeat with another pair and another neutral line and different action verbs in the chat box. Other neutral line suggestions:

You seem nice.

I think you're a really interesting person.

You're wearing that?

I'm sitting here.

Once participants understand the game, invite them to suggest a list of active verbs to use for the game.

ASSERTIVE MESSAGE GAME SHOW

Objective: This activity helps participants practice assertive messaging and reflect as a group on effective statements.

1. Using a game-show format, the "Host" explains that they are going to describe a scenario that calls for a natural assertive message. They will define assertive as " putting yourself forward or standing up for yourself in a way that respects the needs and boundaries of the other person." They will define a natural assertive message as "a simple, straightforward statement of what you'd like the other person to do."
Then the facilitator gives the following example: " If my daughter has a snack and leaves her dishes in the living room, a natural assertive message would be, 'Cynthia, please clean up the mess from your snack.'"

2. Type the definitions of the word assertive and a natural assertive message into the chat box for reference.

3. The Host delivers a scenario from the list below and participants raise their hands on camera to volunteer. When called upon by the Host, they deliver a natural assertive message they would give to the person in the scenario.

4. Accept 2-3 suggestions per each scenario.

5. Then move on to the next scenario.

6. Advanced Step: Depending on the group dynamic, you can add the opportunity for the group to vote on their favorite answer. Participants can vote by writing their favorite response into the chat box or by sending it to the host privately. The host tallies the responses and announces the winner of that round. The group then discusses why they found that response effective.

Possible Scenarios:

Scenario one: You're at the movies and the people in back of you are talking and interfering with your enjoyment of the movie. Deliver a natural assertive message.

Scenario two: You're in class/at a school meeting and when you begin to speak, someone interrupts you. This is the second time in the meeting that the same person has interrupted you. Think of a natural assertive message.

Scenario three: You are old friends. You've been waiting for 45 minutes when your friend finally shows up. This is the third time in recent months that you've had to wait 45 minutes or more for your friend to arrive. You've let it slide the first two times. But this time you decide to confront your friend. Think of a natural assertive message.

Scenario four: You're at the supermarket check out. Someone cuts in front of you. Think of a natural assertive message.

Invite students to share:

What was this activity like for you?

How did it make you feel?

What skill are we building with this activity? Why is this important?

What is challenging about making naturally assertive messages in the moment we need them?

Feel free to choose among the scenarios, bearing in mind that the more practice people get speaking assertively, the stronger they get at it. You may also adapt them for the age and context of your group.

The facilitator should hear from several different people with their hands raised for each scenario and try to pick different people for the next scenario.

For the last couple of rounds, the facilitator might want to select participants who do not have their hands up to give them the opportunity to practice this skill.

Depending on the group, participants could provide some scenarios, perhaps from their own lived experiences of times when they didn't know quite what to say.

To make it more fun, the host should feel free to ham it up by imitating television game show hosts.

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Online Games to Get Your Class Engaged & Connected

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Beginning a new school session with engaging games can help you and your students get to know each other, cooperate, and build empathy and connection. Below are eight fun games that students can play together using Zoom or similar platforms: Beginners Gesture Relay Cooperative Counting Intermediate Connect Me Move Together Unfortunately/Fortunately Advanced Yes And What Are You Really Saying?

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SEL and Restorative Practices Classroom Activities

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Sel and rp | Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility

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Classroom activities that encourage students' social and emotional learning and promote restorative practices

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Empower teachers to integrate SEL into their core literacy instruction with content that is relevant to what students are experiencing—wherever they’re learning.

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SEL support and resources for K-12 curriculum | Newsela

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Empower teachers to incorporate SEL topics and strategies into their core instruction.

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information about the use of the 5-point scale and other systems to teach social and emotional concepts

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Check-in routines help students self-reflect upon their emotional state.

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Happy New Year! Now is that time of the school year when teachers start to rethink their classroom behavior management systems. We wonder, "How effective is our current classroom management system and does it address the needs of all of our students?" We might also ask ourselves, "Have I provided visual supports within my behavior system?" These questions are helpful to consider before assessing or implementing your need for visual supports within your class.

What are visual supports? Visual supports are an effective behavioral strategy that includes providing concrete items, pictures, symbols, printed words, or a combination of these. These types of supports may assist children with maintaining attention, understanding spoken language, and sequencing and organizing their environment (Hodgdon, 1995). In the classroom, visual supports help students understand directions, schedules, rules, and instructional materials (Jaime & Knowlton, 2007). The effectiveness of providing visual supports for students with autism within the classroom has strong research support; however, visual supports can help all students and assist teachers with defining their classroom behavioral expectations.

How can you incorporate visual supports into your current behavior management system, or how can you create an effective classroom behavior management system using visual supports? One tool to help you assess your classroom use of visual supports is a visual supports checklist. A visual supports checklist prompts you to ask yourself some of the following questions:

Do my students understand where to find things and where they belong?

Do they understand when things will happen (e.g., class schedules or agendas)?

Do they understand the curriculum, classroom, and community expectations (i.e., rules)?

Do they have the social skills necessary to interact successfully in their school environment and communities?

Do they know how to effectively communicate with their peers and teachers?

Using a checklist will help you determine where to begin creating an environment that effectively uses visual supports, or how to update your current classroom visual supports. Visit the website supported by the University of Maine to view a Visual Supports Checklist by Bennett-Armistead, Blagojevic, Neal, and Taylor (2016).

The Incredible 5-Point Scale (see Figure 1), designed by Buron and Curtis (2003), is an example of a versatile visual support that can be used in classrooms to teach a variety of behaviors.

Figure 1. The Incredible 5-Point Scale.

(Adapted from Buron & Curtis, 2003. Used with permission.)

The scale is based on three strategies: Simon Baron-Cohen's educational theory of hyper-systemizing (according to which some individuals learn better within systems such as charts, graphs, numbers, and scales), cognitive behavioral therapy (teaching self-awareness and social awareness rather than external management of behavior), and visual supports (K. Buron, personal communication, January 5, 2018).

This simple and practical scale breaks down any challenging situation or behavior, and helps organize the student's thinking process on how to manage it. The scale consists of five rows and one or more columns. The first column lists numerals 1-5 each coded in a different color to demonstrate levels of intensity of a given behavior. Other columns can be designed based on the needs of a student and the planned use for the scale. Adding what a behavior looks like or feels like as the second column helps students identify the particular behavior. Finally, including a column "what to do" can help students find and record strategies to de-escalate and self-manage the target behavior/issue. Self-monitoring strategies have been shown to be effective positive behavioral interventions for both general and special education students (Sheffield & Waller, 2010).
Developing the Incredible 5-Point Scale
The first step in using The Incredible 5-point Scale is to identify a challenging behavior together with the student. For example, does the student struggle with staying on task or get anxious or upset? It is important to develop the scale with the student, using the student's own words as much as possible.

The next step is to break down the behavior into five parts, clearly illustrating the degrees of the situation and organizing the information into a visual scale (Buron & Curtis, 2003). Teachers should avoid using arbitrary judgments (i.e., avoid words such as "appropriate," "inappropriate," "good," or "bad" (K. Buron, personal communication, January 5, 2018). Instead, descriptions should be used to define what each step looks or feels like. An example of a breakdown of on-task behavior appears in Figure 2.

Figure 2. 5-Point Scale for On-Task Behavior.

Next, together with the student, identify some behaviors to reduce the current level of the behavior/situation. What can a student do during that state to get to a level 1 or 2 on the scale? Suggestions should include only the behaviors that have student buy-in. An example might look similar to the one below in Figure 3 (based on student input).

Figure 3. 5-Point Scale for Behaving On-Task Using Strategies.

The scale can include other columns based on student needs such as "How This Is Impacting Others" or "Outcome of Engaging in This Level."
Implementing the 5-Point Scale
For any visual support, it is critical to first teach the appropriate use of the tool, practice it with feedback, and recognize the students for using it successfully. Combining the visual support of a 5-point scale with the self-monitoring intervention can improve behavior management in the classroom and preserve instructional time.

Once the scale has been developed, initially use it in a direct instructional setting by prompting the student to identify where on the scale he or she is during specific situations and what to do to move to a lower level on the scale. You can teach this through developing and role-playing scenarios that frequently result in the challenging behavior and then prompting the student to identify what to do in those instances. Then move toward applying the scale to real situations that the student experiences. The scale can be used (a) for pre-teaching before a challenge arises, (b) during the challenge to provide visual supports and directions on how to manage the situation, or (c) as a tool for reflection after an event has occurred. As students use the scale over time, remember to fade the prompts and build independent use. Periodically check in with the students to ensure that they are using the scale accurately.

The Incredible 5-Point Scale can also be used as a support for managing stress and anxiety or for identifying and dealing with other emotions. Kari Buron, the developer of The Incredible 5-Point scale, provides many downloadable examples of what the scale may look like for a variety of behaviors. Visit The Incredible 5-Point Scale website to find more examples.

Figure 4 illustrates one of Buron's examples for self-management.

Figure 4. 5-Point Scale for Self-Management.

(Kari Dunn Buron, 2010, https://www.5pointscale.com/more_sweet_scale.htm/. Used with permission.)

In addition to use with individual students, the scale can also be implemented with a whole class for situations such as managing the noise level during small groups (see Figure 5). Using a visual support to redirect students to a more appropriate noise level is faster and more efficient than repeated verbal reminders. Throughout, it is important to remember that the scale is designed to be a teaching tool, not a consequence system. That is, the focus is on teaching how to manage challenging situations, not punishing students for making mistakes. Posting the number for the desired noise level in each setting or during each activity can be helpful for both students and teachers.

Figure 5. 5-Point Scale for Volume Control.

Visual supports play an important role in almost every aspect of our adult lives. We rely on them for cues to tell us what to do, where to go, when to move, and how to behave. They are of equal importance in the classroom and can assist students as they acquire and master academic and behavioral skills. The Incredible 5-Point scale is an example of a visual support that can be adapted in numerous ways to help students build self-regulation skills and gain independence. It is just one visual support tool that can help you as you continue to foster student success within your classroom.
References
Buron, K. D., & Curtis, M. (2003). The incredible 5-point scale: Assisting students with autism spectrum disorders in understanding social interactions and controlling their emotions responses. Shawnee Mission, KS: Autism Asperger Publishing Company.

Hodgdon, L. (1995). Visual strategies for improving communication practical supports for school and home. Troy, MI: QuirkRoberts Publishing.

Jaime, K., & Knowlton, E. (2007). Visual supports for students with behavior and cognitive challenges. Intervention in School and Clinic, 42(5), 259-270.

Sheffield, K., & Waller, R. J. (2010). A review of single-case studies utilizing self-monitoring interventions to reduce problem classroom behaviors. Beyond Behavior, 19(2), 7-13.

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Do You Provide Visual Supports in Your Classroom? - WMTTAC Link Lines

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Print PDFBy LaShauna Britt, M.Ed., Daria Lorio-Barsten, M.Ed, BCBA, and Kara McCulloch, M.S. Happy New Year! Now is that time of the school year when teachers start to rethink their classroom behavior management systems. We wonder, "How effective is our current classroom management system and does it address the needs of all of our students?"

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Meaningful relationships are at the heart of student-and teacher-success. This is especially true of students who learn and think differently. I make time every day to strengthen those relationships, build empathy, and develop rapport with my students.

One way I do this is by incorporating a thought-provoking question into my class's daily warm-up. This activity can be used at any grade level. In the beginning of the school year, I start by asking my high-schoolers some easy, getting-to-know-you questions, like what their favorite activities or foods are.

Later, I move to more imaginative and personal questions to learn about students' aspirations, like "Where would you go on a dream vacation?" or "What's your ideal job?"

As relationships develop with my students and as trust grows, I ask for their thoughts on learning struggles, mental health issues, or current events. For instance, I might ask, "What do you consider to be cyberbullying, and what should be the consequences for it?" or "Tell us what's most difficult for you when you're learning something new." I adapt these questions to the age and maturity of my students.

Once or twice a week, I set aside extra time to allow the questions to develop into a bigger discussion among the group. These conversations are often when I learn the most about my students (and they help me better reach my struggling learners). I don't consider this lost instructional time-instead I see it as an investment in my relationships with students.

When my students share their feelings and experiences with each other, they begin to see the world through their classmates' eyes. Seeing another's point of view is often challenging for kids who learn and think differently, and I find that this exercise is very helpful for them. Day by day and story by story, all the kids in my class develop empathy. It's a skill that benefits all my students-and also me as a teacher.

Here are some tips to integrate this empathy-building activity into your daily routine:

1. Assess your own level of empathy. Before you start talking about empathy with students, think about your own ability to be empathetic and understanding. The Toronto Empathy Questionnaire (TEQ) is a quick self-assessment that allows you to reflect upon your skills.

2. Set clear expectations. Establish the expectation that everyone shares a response to the question, including you. Create your other classroom expectations to ensure the environment is safe for all students to be honest and vulnerable.

3. Provide multiple modes of participation. If students aren't comfortable sharing out loud, they can write down their answer and you can share it. Some students, such as those who struggle with processing speed or working memory, may need to know the question the night before so they can think it over. Think, too, of how else students can provide responses in ways that don't require verbal or written communication, so all students feel included and empowered to participate.

4. Participate. When you (and other adults in the room) share your response, you are developing a reciprocal relationship and showing vulnerability. Students often perceive teachers as "separate." There's more than one goal of this activity. One goal is to listen intently to what your students are saying, but, for me, it's also important to find a way to show them respect and walk beside them.

5. Embrace teachable moments. Teachable moments will come up as students share their responses, so use those moments. For example, I recently asked my class, "What kinds of things do you do when you feel upset or anxious?" The question led one student to share that she has a lot of anxiety and can have a hard time calming down. Once she shared, other students opened up, too. Many of them said either they or a close friend experience anxiety, and they don't always know what to do to help. I used this as an opportunity to explain the physical fight-or-flight response that adrenaline triggers in our bodies, as well as to model breathing techniques they can use to calm down.

6. Reflect. Jot down any useful information you gather from students' responses. Periodically, ask students their thoughts on the questions to gauge the effectiveness of this activity.

This warm-up is a success on many levels. My students tell me they enjoy getting to know other kids in the class on a personal level. They say these discussions make them more ready to learn, instead of feeling like it's a distraction from their lessons.

They've also said that getting to know more about me and the aide in the class make them feel more comfortable and able to relate to us. Perhaps most important, my students have also said it makes them more willing to seek help from me-even for problems outside of class.

Any opinions, views, information and other content contained in blogs on Understood.org are the sole responsibility of the writer of the blog, and do not necessarily reflect the views, values, opinions or beliefs of, and are not endorsed by, Understood.

About the Author

About the Author

Kate Garcia, MEd is a 2018-2019 Understood Teacher Fellow and a high school science special education teacher at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania.

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Teacher to Teacher: Use a Daily Warm-Up to Build Empathy

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Meaningful relationships are at the heart of student-and teacher-success. This is especially true of students who learn and think differently. I make time every day to strengthen those relationships, build empathy, and develop rapport with my students. One way I do this is by incorporating a thought-provoking question into my class's daily warm-up.

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Welcome to Our Curriculum

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We offer a variety of easily accessible, free, open educational resources (OER) and curricula. Pure Power Curriculum is available to any non-profit entity that strives to improve the lives of educators and learners by teaching strategies to achieve success through focus.

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Strengths-Based Gratitude Curriculum for Tweens and Teens

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Strengths-Based Gratitude Curriculum for Tweens and Teens

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The project was created in 2010 with a simple goal in mind; one book to connect the world. From its humble beginnings, the GRA has grown to make a truly global connection with milllions of students having participated.

What is it?

The premise is simple; we pick a book to read aloud to our students during a set 6-week period and during that time we try to make as many global connections as possible. Each teacher decides how much time they would like to dedicate and how involved they would like to be. Some people choose to connect with just one class, while others go for as many as possible. The scope and depth of the project is up to you. While there are commonly used such as Skype, Twitter, Padlet, or Flipgrid, you choose the tools that will make the most sense for you. Teachers get a community of other educators to do a global project with, hopefully inspiring them to continue these connections through the year.

When is it?

Once a year, starting in early October and running through mid-November. Due to the time commitment, this is only a once a year project, however, two fantastic spin-off projects run at other times; the New Zealand Read Aloud and the French version of GRA, Ecouter Lire le Monde.

I have questions as a Participant

Please see " For Participants" to have all of your questions answered.

I have questions as an Author

Please see "For Authors" to have all of your questions answered.

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To see the blog with the latest news and ideas, go here. To join our Facebook Community, go here - this is how you sign up The project was created in 2010 with a simple goal in mind; one book to connect the world. From its humble beginnings, the GRA has grown to make a...

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Uplifting Books About Black and Brown Kids

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Uplifting Books About Black and Brown Kids

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Jerry Craft’s Picks: Uplifting Books About Black and Brown Kids

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Common Sense Media editors help you choose Jerry Craft’s Picks: Uplifting Books About Black and Brown Kids. “New Kid” author picks his favorite books about happy kids of color.

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Go from a Safe Classroom to a Brave Classroom

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Go from a Safe Classroom to a Brave Classroom

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In fostering inclusive, equitable and safe schools, we encourage educators to develop group guidelines for respect and safety in the classroom. These classroom guidelines can be created in a variety of ways and the list typically includes recommendations such as: share air time, actively listen, show empathy, respect confidentiality, participate fully, assume good will, be sensitive to feelings, and others. However, there is often a need to go further and frame guidelines around the concept of bravery instead of safety.

Why brave vs. safe?

There are a few reasons for this. While these group agreements work for some, they don't always help everyone feel safe, respected or included. For example, people of color and/or those who are members of marginalized groups may want to share real and sometimes harsh testimony about their experiences, something they might need to do in order to feel included and be able to participate. They may want to caucus with others in their same identity group in order to feel safe. Or, they may feel that being able to challenge others' bias is what is necessary to build empathy. Therefore, what they require to feel safe may not subscribe to the typical list of guidelines. In addition, sometimes when those who feel marginalized express strong feelings and ideas, the people in majority and/or power groups sometimes say they feel "unsafe."

In diverse groups and especially when the goal is equity and safety for all, it is important to be aware that the word "safety" is open to interpretation and how it is understood depends on the person. This means people have different ideas about what it means to "feel safe," "assume good will," "participate fully," etc. These different perspectives may be attributed to whether one is part of a marginalized or majority group in school or society.

One example that illustrates this is the concept of "assuming good will." This may seem like a guideline everyone can agree to. However, if you belong to a marginalized group that has been harmed in the past by these conversations-by other students'/participants intent or impact-you may not be able to assume good will. In fact, it may be safer to assume the opposite or at least be neutral about trusting that there is positive intent on the part of others.

Brave is defined as: "To have or show physical, emotional or moral strength in the face of difficulty, danger or fear." When you're brave, you do something that is hard for you. In a classroom or group, bravery goes both ways-giving and receiving. This means taking a risk to say something that is difficult or scary. It is also brave to listen fully and hear hard things that people may tell you. A brave space is one in which we accept that we will feel uncomfortable and maybe even defensive when exploring issues of bias, injustice and oppression. A brave space is one in which we take risks, doing so with care and compassion.

Strategy for setting up brave guidelines in your classroom

Ask students to define brave. You can use the definition above ("to have or show physical, emotional or moral strength in the face of difficulty, danger or fear") or come up with one that works for you and your students.

Have students close their eyes and think of a time they felt brave; then ask them to share some of the images, thoughts, feelings and behaviors that came to mind. Alternatively (especially for younger students), you can have them draw something that reflects a time they felt brave.

Have students talk with a partner (or share in concentric circles, if time permits) asking students to respond to the following prompts:

What does bravery mean to you?

When was the last time you felt brave in school?

What do you need to feel brave in this classroom?

Have students share their thoughts aloud or on post-it notes that you can hang somewhere in the classroom for all to see. From these conversations and shared thoughts, have students come up with a list of guidelines for being brave in the classroom.

Make sure everyone agrees with the guidelines; you can get verbal agreement or have everyone sign a pledge or a classroom poster that lists the guidelines.

Possible guidelines for brave classrooms
(Keep in mind that it's ideal that the list is generated by the group.)

1. Be open to different and multiple viewpoints and perspectives, especially those that differ from yours.

2. If people share experiences and feelings that are different or unfamiliar to you, show respect by taking it seriously and understand the impact of your response.

3. Explore, recognize and acknowledge your privilege.

4. Even if you are uncomfortable or unsure, contribute and take risks.

5. Make space by sharing speaking time; try to speak after others who have not spoken.

6. Listen actively, even and especially when people say things that are difficult to hear.

7. View the candor of others as a gift.

8. Find ways to challenge others with respect and care and be open to challenging your own points of view.

9. Work hard not to be defensive if people challenge what you say or the impact of your words.

10. Commit to confidentiality and not disclosing what people say; at the same time, take responsibility for sharing important messages and themes outside the group/class. One way to think about this is: "stories stay, lessons leave."

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Moving from Safe Classrooms to Brave Classrooms

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In fostering inclusive, equitable and safe schools, we encourage educators to develop group guidelines for respect and safety in the classroom. These classroom guidelines can be created in a variety of ways and the list typically includes recommendations such as: share air time, actively listen, show empathy, respect confidentiality, participate fully, assume good will, be sensitive to feelings, and others.

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Lesson Plan for Establishing Ground Rules

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Lesson Plan for Establishing Ground Rules

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Can We Talk? Tips for Respectful Conversations in Schools, Workplaces and Communities

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Can We Talk? Tips for Respectful Conversations in Schools, Workplaces and Communities

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Can We Talk? Tips for Respectful Conversations in Schools, Workplaces and Communities

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The ability to engage in respectful and civil conversations is the bedrock of any relationship-whether those connections take place at home, school, work or in communities.

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blended and online learning solutions for educators and students promotes critical thinking and learning around historical and current events topics through the lens of diversity, bias and social justice.

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Our K-12 curricula provide an understanding of diverse perspectives, strengthen critical thinking skills, challenge the development of emerging biases and build skills and motivation to take action against injustice.

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What Do Safe, Respectful and Inclusive Virtual Classrooms Look Like? 

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What Do Safe, Respectful and Inclusive Virtual Classrooms Look Like? 

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What Do Safe, Respectful and Inclusive Virtual Classrooms Look Like?

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As teachers head back to school-whether that is in person, online or a hybrid model-fostering a safe, respectful and inclusive classroom is as important as ever.

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Tips for teachers when facing difficult situations.

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Check Rosalind's Classroom Conversations regularly for the latest installment.

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During the pandemic, there have been many uses of the term well-being. When teachers ask students only "How are you feeling?" as a way to gauge well-being, opportunities are missed to teach students that well-being is a multidimensional concept that encompasses more than just happiness. Research shows that if youth explicitly learn about well-being, their concept of subjective well-being can increase because they become mindfully aware of its components.

Present Dimensions of Well-Being

Help students understand two definitions for well-being: In the hedonistic tradition, students evaluate how satisfied they are with their lives, how pleasurable their lives are, and how happy they feel. In the eudaimonic tradition, they assess their personal strengths, areas of growth, and how they contribute to the greater good. This more expansive understanding of well-being can guide students to learn from challenging events and circumstances.

Introduce students to the following dimensions of well-being:

Belonging and connection to others. Ask students, "Where do you feel like you most belong? Are you participating in a specific activity when you feel belonging? What do the people around you do to make you feel like you belong?" Also inquire about times they do not feel like they belong. What do they do to feel connected?

Growth and flourishing. Ask students to describe a personal skill that they have grown in over the last two years. Describing how they have thrived can reinforce the understanding that well-being can involve challenges.

Purpose. We often focus too much on what career path students may want to take, leaving youth feeling a lack of purpose when they don't know those answers. Encourage students to identify short-term purposes, such as, "Today I am going to help my father cook dinner," in addition to long-term goals.

Engagement. Identifying engagement can be as simple as asking students, "What do you enjoy doing?" Students can explore ways they are engaged within their family, school, or community.

Voice. Let youth know that there are many different ways to share their voice. Maybe they express themselves best through less traditional forms, such as writing equations, being in nature, participating in performing arts, or playing musical instruments.

Basic supports for health and life. Remind students of their basic needs. Ask about what they do if their needs are not being met, and encourage them to name trusted adults they can turn to for help.

Engage with the Dimensions

Establish a space where well-being education will be welcomed by inquiring about student needs. Ask, "How would you like your peers to show that they support you when you are feeling down? How would you like me to support you?" Record the answers and discuss ideas until the group is in agreement. Model the process by sharing something that was difficult for you and asking for community support.

Offer ways the dimensions might show up in daily life. For example, "One dimension I feel is going well is belonging because my family is supporting one another right now."

Sentence frames can help students make connections while using critical thinking to apply new terminology to lived experience, such as the following:

____________(insert dimension) means ____________ to me. It looks like and feels like ____________. In my daily life, an example of a positive ____________ (insert dimension) is ____________.

For example, a fifth grader used the dimension "basic supports for health and life" to write, "Basic support for health and life means that everybody can get to a doctor. It looks and feels like band-aids. In my daily life, an example of a positive basic support is that my grandma can get her medicine."

An eighth grader used the dimension "voice" to write, "Voice means expressing my unique identity to me. It looks and feels like talking with my friends. In my daily life, an example of a positive voice is when my parents actually listen to me."

Use the responses to gain new information about students and insight on ways they might need support.

Use Weekly Check-ins

Once a class has an understanding of the dimensions, they can be used to facilitate weekly check-ins. Check-ins can be incorporated into circle time, in advisory time, or via journals between the teacher and each child. Ask "What dimension of well-being has been challenging for you this week?" or "What dimension has been a strength for you this week?" Place paper with the dimensions on the floor, and have students walk to the dimension that has been a strength. Invite them to turn to their peers and discuss why they selected this dimension, using examples. Students report that this provides them with new examples of positive experiences that they can then consider in their own lives.

Avoid asking youth to elaborate upon challenges, as probing questions can lead to retraumatization. Instead, accept what students share and how they share. Validate their responses by listening intently, asking, "What support do you need from me?" When they identify needs, follow through in your support for them. Supporting student ideas, versus immediately working to project your ideas for solutions onto them, promotes youth agency.

Remind students that just because we are struggling in one dimension does not mean we are alone or that we have zero well-being. Counter the misconception that well-being is a "you've got it or you don't" feeling.

When a student expresses something that has got them feeling down, discuss it. Then, when the time is right, ask, "I know that dimension ______ has been tough this week. Is there a dimension that has gone well?" When youth begin to see that one dimension could be positive while another dimension is negative, it reinforces the idea that well-being is multidimensional and not a fixed state.

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During the pandemic, there have been many uses of the term well-being. When teachers ask students only "How are you feeling?" as a way to gauge well-being, opportunities are missed to teach students that well-being is a multidimensional concept that encompasses more than just happiness.

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Making Connections with Greetings at the Door

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Making Connections with Greetings at the Door

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Making Connections With Greetings at the Door

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Research shows that greeting students as they come into class bolsters a feeling of belonging and readiness to learn.

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Essential Considerations and a Library of Resources

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Featured books come with discussion guides for teachers and parents.

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ADL's online bibliography of recommended children's and young adult books about bias, bullying, diversity and social justice.

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Lessons, posters, webinars, and more!

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Visit Shubert at Home and School!

Practical, Hands-On Examples of Conscious Discipline Structures

Shubert's Home and School in Bug Valley offers practical, room-by-room examples of Conscious Discipline implementation. Discover tips, tools, videos and more that model how families, educators, administrators and helpers can put the principles and practices into action and bring safety, connection and problem solving to life.

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Access over 300 free and premium digital resources including video, audio, printables, song lyrics, assessment rubrics and much more.

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Loads of resources, lessons and guides.

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Curated for Educators and Families

Support Social-Emotional Well-Being

When children practice social-emotional skills throughout their day, they learn to understand emotions and cope with everyday challenges. Use and share these research-based social-emotional learning (SEL) resources to empower children to thrive at school, at home, and everywhere in between.

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SEL Activities and Resources | Second Step

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Use and share these research-based SEL activities and resources to empower children to thrive at school, at home, and everywhere in between.

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Elementary Remote Learning Class Meeting Guide

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Elementary Remote Learning Class Meeting Guide

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(Free Library)

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SEL Video Lessons | Lessons For SEL | What is SEL | SEL Videos | School | Teach

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Welcome to Lessons For SEL. We provide educators with Social Emotional Learning resources, tools, lessons, and strategies to boost core social-emotional learning (SEL) skills. Our SEL resources help teachers, counselors, social workers, school psychologists, & more! #SEL #socialemotionallearning

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Online K12 Social Emotional Learning Program | EVERFI

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Our free social emotional learning program equips educators with online SEL curriculum and activities to nurture social skills in your classroom.

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These robust, ready-to-use classroom lessons offer breadth and depth, spanning essential social justice topics and reinforcing critical social emotional learning skills.

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For young white students, explorations of fair and unfair, just and unjust, can go a long way in advancing anti-racist white identity. Purposeful use of literature and basic study of white anti-racists are among the key ways educators can advance such aims.Teaching Tolerance presents four short biographies for early grades classrooms, with activity ideas.

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These robust, ready-to-use classroom lessons offer breadth and depth, spanning essential social justice topics and reinforcing critical social emotional learning skills.

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Searchable library of short texts offers a diverse mix of stories and perspectives.

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Our searchable library of short texts offers a diverse mix of stories and perspectives. This multigenre, multimedia collection aligns with the Common Core's recommendations for text complexity and the Learning for Justice Social Justice Standards. Choose from informational and literary nonfiction texts, literature, photographs, political cartoons, interviews, infographics and more.

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Build literacy and social emotional skills while exploring meaningful texts. Unlike conventional or scripted lesson plans, these strategies allow you to select and combine vocabulary, reading, and speaking and listening activities, customizing a pathway that supports your instructional goals. Each strategy is Common Core-aligned and includes a special note about English language learners and connections to anti-bias education.

"Many of my colleagues believe our fourth-graders are too young to hold discussions around issues of race, place, class and gender equity. Asking open-ended, higher-order, standards-based questions around these topics is much easier thanks to your work!"

Grades K-2

Foster a love of reading in early-grades students with strategies that build familiarity and confidence with texts. Each Common Core-aligned strategy includes explicit connections to anti-bias education and adaptations for English language learners.

Grades 3-12

Meet the demands of the Common Core State Standards with strategies that foster vocabulary, close reading, and speaking and listening skills. Each strategy includes explicit connections to anti-bias education and adaptations for English language learners.

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Build literacy and social emotional skills while exploring meaningful texts. Unlike conventional or scripted lesson plans, these strategies allow you to select and combine vocabulary, reading, and speaking and listening activities, customizing a pathway that supports your instructional goals. Each strategy is Common Core-aligned and includes a special note about English language learners and connections to anti-bias education.

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Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

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4 Ways to Foster Positive Student Relationships

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4 Ways to Foster Positive Student Relationships

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Social & Emotional Learning (SEL)

Middle school can be a socially awkward time for students, but these activities can help them feel more at ease with their peers.

James Steinberg / The iSpot

Middle school can be a tough experience, socially. As many of us can recall, it's a time when students are figuring out how to express themselves individually even as they're trying hard to fit in with others. While it's important for teachers to build a rapport with their students, it can be just as valuable for students to become comfortable with one another-when students feel at ease with one another, it can lead to increased classroom engagement and academic success.

These are strategies I use to help students become more familiar and comfortable with each other.

1. Two-Minute Talks

Hand out a few slips of paper to each student and ask them to write down questions they'd like to discuss as a group. These can be prompts like "Which restaurant serves the best pizza in town?" or "Would you rather _____ or _____?"

Once you have the questions, you can set aside two minutes at the beginning or end of class-depending on your other classroom routines-for student-led discussions twice a week. Arrange a schedule that allows for each kid to have a chance to lead the talk. Put the schedule on the whiteboard and encourage the class to take ownership of this activity by having the students design a set of discussion norms.

On the designated days, all you need to do is hand a prompt to the facilitator. After that, stand to the side and listen to the conversations, but don't participate-this is a chance for students to chat about a non-academic topic of interest.

Introverts may be anxious about leading a discussion; you can ease this worry by allowing students to co-lead with a peer. To encourage self-advocacy, you can ask them to arrange this you before their turn to lead comes.

2. Class Playlist

Have students get out of their seats and write their favorite music artists or song titles on the whiteboard, using the recommendations to make a playlist for their class period. The brainstorming session often starts conversations between kids as they share their tastes and suggest more music for others to listen to. Alternately, you could do the brainstorming activity as an exit ticket and have students discuss their music choices the next day in small groups before coming together as a class.

It's also a fun bonding activity for the group to create and name the playlist together-it can be assembled using apps like Spotify Premium, Amazon Music, or YouTube. Throughout the year, the students can continue to add songs to their collection.

When you play the music-during a writing period, for example-you may want to keep the volume low and have noise-canceling headphones available or designate a corner away from the speaker for students who prefer to work quietly.

3. Mix and Mingle

Once a week, tell your students to stand up and find a person to get to know better. To help them find a partner, you can give them prompts like, "Find someone wearing the same style of shoe as you." After everyone has a partner, give them multiple conversation starters like "What did you do this weekend?" or "What do you like to do in your free time?"

Having multiple prompts should alleviate awkward silences. You can write the prompts on the board or make cards that kids can carry around with them. Set an alarm or a timer, have them talk with their partner for a minute or two, and then throw out another find-a-partner prompt and repeat the process. This activity can give two kids who might never talk to one another an opportunity to find out they have a lot in common.

Have students split into two groups, grabbing their chairs and making two long lines that face each other. Then throw out a question to the room. It can be academic or conversational, like "What's the last show you binged?" or "What song do you have on repeat these days?" Have the students talk with the person directly in front of them for 30 seconds to a minute, and encourage them to contribute to the discussion equally. When the time is up, have them shake hands, high-five, fist-bump, or give each other a thumbs-up.

Then have everyone in one of the lines scoot down one seat, with the person at the end of the line moving to the other end. Now that each student is face-to-face with a different peer, toss out another question and repeat the process.

The short time span of this activity will hopefully ease any concerns introverts might have about chatting with their peers-the interactions move quickly, and they don't have to come up with topics for conversation.

There's a lot of pressure to teach bell-to-bell, but it's important to take some time to let students get to know each other and talk about stuff that isn't academic. You may even be providing opportunities for kids to form friendships that make their middle school years a time to remember fondly.

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4 Ways to Foster Positive Student Relationships

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Middle school can be a socially awkward time for students, but these activities can help them feel more at ease with their peers.

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Home Visits: Reaching Beyond the Classroom

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Get to know your students and strengthen the home-school partnership with these seven tips for reaching out to parents and meeting families.

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An Unconventional Approach to Culturally Responsive Pedagogy

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An Unconventional Approach to Culturally Responsive Pedagogy

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An Unconventional Approach to Culturally Responsive Pedagogy

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Culturally Responsive Teaching A teacher who dances with his students says the dancing is not what's important-giving students a sense of ownership in the room is. A still from one of the Dubsmash videos Trevor Boffone has recorded with his students.

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Seven Strategies for Building Relationships that Work

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Seven Strategies for Building Relationships that Work

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One of the most popular terms in contemporary education is academic rigor. School leaders from across the United States use the phrase to signal that they're holding all teachers and students accountable to unwavering standards or expectations around academic achievement. The chief goal of an academically rigorous curriculum is to challenge students to reach expectations outside their comfort zones.

Rigor also becomes the way schools justify very rigid and hyper-structured approaches to teaching and learning. If a particular approach helps a significant number of students in one school or district meet an academically rigorous standard, we often assume that it can help all students across a wide array of schools. School leaders may fail to see that the results we get from students in some schools are often more reflective of the relationships those students have with their schools and teachers than of the effectiveness of a particular approach to teaching.

Good relationships between teachers and students are more likely to arise in schools in which teachers and students share a similar culture. The teaching approach that results simply reflects what works for both parties. In schools in which teachers and students don't share similar cultures, those relationships may arise less frequently because the teaching approach is often culturally incongruous with students' core identities. Take, for example, schools in which teachers are predominantly white and students are racially and ethnically diverse. Schools with this type of demographics are widespread in urban districts. For teachers who may be unfamiliar with the everyday realities of youth who don't look, talk, dress, or act like the teacher, a natural relationship to students is hampered by the teachers' unfamiliarity with their culture. In schools like these, students may often be only superficially engaged in the content or may get good grades, but they may not function on an academic level that maximizes their potential. Most times, they are underperforming, and the school cannot target the reason why. I argue that the absence of a relationship that is rooted in shared culture impedes many students from reaching higher levels of academic rigor.

Whatever the environment, school leaders play an important role in developing the kinds of relationships that foster academic rigor. One model that I developed- reality pedagogy -supports this work. It recognizes that academically rigorous teaching and learning are deeply personal; it begins with the understanding that a school's approach to teaching is unlikely to meet student needs unless students' cultures, backgrounds, and experiences are reflected in the curriculum. When students see themselves in the curriculum, they develop stronger relationships with both their teachers and peers-and with the content as well.

So how can we build strong relationships with students who have diverse learning skills, styles, and backgrounds? Seven strategies, which I call the seven Cs, can help.

Co-generative dialogues-or cogens -are structured exchanges in which students and their teacher co-develop strategies for instruction that focus on the students' socioemotional and academic needs. The dialogues enable open communication concerning both the teacher's and students' perspectives on schooling.

Ideally, cogens should take place outside of traditional classroom lessons, such as before school or during lunch. The teacher invites four students who are otherwise not connected to one another to join the group; they may be from different racial or ethnic groups, or they may perform at different academic levels. The point is, they will have different relationships both to the content being taught and to the teacher.

In the classic example of a cogen, a teacher asks four students to meet after school-a student who has high exam grades, another who has failed a few exams, a student who is highly verbal in class, and another who rarely says anything. The teacher thanks the students for coming and tells them that they are part of an advisory group to help the teacher be more effective. The teacher assures the students that their perspectives are valuable and sets down three simple rules: no voice is more important than another, everyone will have equal turns to talk, and all students will create a plan of action together for improving their next class.

Initially, students respond with apprehension about working with unfamiliar students. However, as the teacher encourages them to participate, these students start making suggestions. Before long, they develop strategies for improving the class on the basis of their unique needs and experiences. For example, they may co-create a plan for the teacher to move around the class more often and to spend more time talking with all students rather than a select few.

These discussions foster positive relationships among students and between students and their teacher. Strong relationships foster positive emotions, which create a more powerful connection to the content. Students will likely take more pleasure in working with the content because they're emotionally connected to it. They will also connect more strongly to the person teaching the content, and to the space where it's taught. By consistently having these discussions, teachers connect with their students in ways that allow for more powerful teaching to happen in the classroom. Further, teachers learn to mold instruction to the needs of all their students.

The role of the administrator is to introduce cogens to teachers, and then model this practice. For instance, a principal can invite teachers to a cogen to discuss how to improve the school's leadership. It is imperative that administrators support teachers as they enact cogens, such as by providing a snack or meal for the teacher and students and by commending students for their participation. By doing so, school administrators create a context that fosters powerful relationships and sets the stage for students to engage with content in an academically rigorous way.

To develop positive relationships around academic achievement, students have to believe that the school and its representatives see value in what they bring to classrooms. This includes not only recognizing the talents, skills, or cultural practices that students possess, but also positioning these gifts as valuable enough to teach, learn, and practice in the classroom. Co-teaching allows students to demonstrate their gifts, such as those of an athlete, beatboxer, or dancer. It requires the teacher to be creative enough to make connections between those gifts and the content. For instance, a teacher make incorporate the physics of basketball, the biology of the beatbox, and the history of dance into lessons. When students can teach what they love and see it valued academically, we create new connections to academically rigorous content.

School administrators who want to foster academic rigor must create an environment that consistently celebrates students' gifts. They must ensure that the school features events that honor nonacademic, as well as academic, learning. For example, I have witnessed schoolwide rap competitions about rigorous science content, art exhibitions that feature student work, and even student-led video game nights. Once youth are celebrated for being themselves, we set the context for classroom co-teaching.

By co-teaching, I mean that students are charged with preparing lesson plans, designing assignments, and teaching a class in a way that reflects who they are. Students may choose to hold a class during which their fellow students don't take many notes or one that has music playing in the background. The teacher observes each student's teaching, noting any effective strategies the student is using in view of enacting them later on. The goal here is for the teacher to recognize how youth share information and to incorporate elements of the students' teaching into the teacher's strategies.

In successful relationships outside the classroom, the people in the relationship typically see equal value in one another. In traditional classrooms, however, teachers have most of the power because of their role as teacher. This power imbalance silences certain students. By distributing some of their power to students by allowing them to teach, teachers can build strong and respectful relationships with students. This increases student engagement with content and builds a path toward academic rigor.

Allowing students to feel as though they're not just guests in the school but active participants in how these spaces operate is a powerful step in connecting them to academic content. As students take on certain operational aspects of the school and classroom, they develop relationships with one another around making the school or classroom work.

In what I call a cosmopolitan school, all stakeholders-including students and parents-design strategies and take on roles to help the school operate properly. Students adopt these roles while concurrently learning content. For example, in a science class, students might organize a laboratory, design an experiment, assist with grading, prepare study notes for the class, or send e-mail reminders of assignments to peers. Students receive academic class credit for their work. Taking on such roles directly affects how deeply students engage with the content.

Educators need to embed themselves to some extent in the communities their students live in and then incorporate elements of that community into the classroom. This goes well beyond talking with students about where they're from; it moves toward a cultural immersion in the community. It also pushes back against traditional approaches to school-community relations that focus on inviting the community to the school without going to the community. That approach sends a message to the community (and to the students who are part of that community) that the school holds all the value and power in the relationship.

In the pedagogy I envision, the school and its representatives are responsible for connecting to the community. Educators are called on to study and learn from the community context, just as students are called on to learn content. In this process, the school leader organizes staff visits to places in the community that students value. Educators may determine which places to visit by polling students about the best restaurants, clothing stores, and supermarkets.

This study is informal and occurs simply by being present in the community over the course of the academic year. For example, a teacher might discover how important a local basketball tournament is by hearing about it from community members. The teacher doesn't explicitly tell students that their community and culture have value. Instead, the teacher conveys that message by attending the tournament and referencing it in class. This practice draws students to the content and builds strong teacher-student relationships.

A focus on content means that teachers use every opportunity to model for students what it looks like to grapple with a subject-not as an expert, but as a learner along with their students. Students who struggle at solving problems with their teachers connect more strongly with those teachers; they also work harder at understanding the content.

Rather than deliver the content as experts, teachers purposefully express vulnerability. Rather than give answers, they ask questions and encourage students to do the same. For example, if a teacher presents a mathematics equation; instead of having students solve it or solving it perfectly for them, the teacher can suggest that he or she is having some trouble with the equation and suggest that the class solve it together.

This process makes learning less passive and more active. Students who may not easily grasp content come to understand that the classroom values effort and being inquisitive-not just correct answers. As students and teacher struggle and pose questions together, they form bonds and open the way to academically rigorous exchanges.

Some of the most powerful moments in both learning content and building relationships happen when students compete with one another. Competition can build positive emotions, foster intense collaboration, and make content relevant.

The current education climate privileges a brand of competition that emphasizes individual success. Competition in the kind of pedagogy I'm suggesting involves classroom activities in which students work in groups to express their knowledge of a topic through such nontraditional means as art, speeches, dance, or music. Groups can compete against one another as they showcase what they've created. For example, science classes can compete to see which class produces the best project, but teachers should declare the winner on the basis of creativity, art integration, or mathematics integration. This process enables students to express different skills and talents, and the content becomes the theme of the class, not the driving force. Students who aren't successful in traditional subjects like reading or writing become important to their respective groups for the gifts they possess-ones that typically aren't honored in the classroom.

This process supports academic rigor-particularly if high standards for content remain the same for all types of competition. As the school competes in music, art, dance, and plays, competition becomes a tool for sharpening academic skills rather than for making some students feel unsuccessful.

Curating means collecting, annotating, and preserving information. Teachers can engage in each of these actions by watching videos of themselves teaching. They study the videos to identify practices that might negatively affect their connections with students. In my work, this practice has shown that teachers favor certain students, raise their voices too often, or spend too much time facing the board and not the students.

For school administrators, bringing curation into the school involves creating spaces in which teachers and students feel comfortable recording and studying their interactions. For teachers, it requires creating classroom norms that allow a student to videotape the classroom at an agreed upon time. Co-generative dialogues complement the process, as students and teachers discuss what they see and suggest improvements.

Teachers and students learn more about one another as they watch the videos-and students learn more about the content. Students who don't engage in school typically study the video more intently than their peers do, and this reinforces the content. When teachers and students observe how they behave in the classroom and work on bettering their relationships, the space opens up for powerful academic exchanges.

We cannot test-prep our way to academic rigor. But we can get there by focusing on relationships. The approach I'm suggesting connects content with the positive emotions that come from strong relationships based on acceptance and belonging. This is the true path to academically rigorous classrooms.

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Building strong relationships with students can pave the way to academic rigor. These seven strategies from Reality Pedagogy can help.

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Jason Reynolds

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On April 14, Jason Reynolds will debut his new biweekly video series "Write. Right. Rite." and a monthly newsletter for parents and educators.

In his new role as National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, Jason Reynolds will connect directly with young people online during the coronavirus pandemic, in collaboration with the Library of Congress, the Children's Book Council and Every Child a Reader.

On April 14, Reynolds will debut his first initiative in support of his platform GRAB THE MIC: Tell Your Story-including a monthly newsletter for parents and educators focused on relevant topics of the day and a biweekly video series intended to inspire creativity in young people, titled "Write. Right. Rite." Both will be hosted on Reynolds' GRAB THE MIC Resource Guide at: guides.loc.gov/jason-reynolds/grab-the-mic.

In each "Write. Right. Rite." video episode, Reynolds will address young people directly and provide helpful ways to express creativity through various prompts and activities. Videos will be posted twice a week (Tuesday and Thursdays at 10:30 a.m. ET) through April and May 2020, with more videos to be posted throughout the summer. Viewers are encouraged to share their projects on social media using the hashtags (#WriteRightRite and #tellyourstorywithjason).

"Due to the current changes in our way of life, my approach as Ambassador has had to change, too," Reynolds said. "My role and goal is to get young people to express themselves and see value in their own narratives, and since I can't, at the moment, physically come to them, I've created the 'Write. Right. Rite.' video series-short clips that offer fun and engaging prompts to help spark young people's imaginations, which in turn will spark their expression."

Starting April 14, GRAB THE MIC: Tell Your Story newsletters and videos can be found here:

While the Library is currently closed to the public to reduce the risk of transmitting coronavirus, the Library is developing and hosting new online programs to engage families and lifelong learners who are staying at home during this time. A variety of online programs can be found at loc.gov/engage.

The Library is also featuring author conversations from past National Book Festivals, informal learning activities connected with Library collections and more.
About Jason Reynolds
Reynolds is the author of more than a dozen books for young people, including "Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks," a National Book Award finalist that was named a Best Book of 2019 by NPR, The New York Times, The Washington Post and TIME. A native of Washington, D.C., Reynolds began writing poetry at age 9 and is the recipient of a Newbery Honor, a Printz Honor, an NAACP Image Award and multiple Coretta Scott King Award honors. His most recent book (with Ibram X. Kendi), "Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You," was a No. 1 New York Times bestseller.

During his two-year term as National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, Reynolds plans to visit small towns across America to have meaningful discussions with young people. Through his platform, "GRAB THE MIC: Tell Your Story," Reynolds, who regularly talks about his journey from reluctant reader to award-winning author, will redirect his focus as ambassador by listening and empowering students to embrace and share their own personal stories.
About the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature
The National Ambassador for Young People's Literature is an initiative of the Library of Congress, in partnership with Every Child a Reader and the Children's Book Council, with generous support from Dollar General Literacy Foundation.
About the Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the world's largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States - and extensive materials from around the world - both on-site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. Explore collections, reference services and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov, access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov and register creative works of authorship at copyright.gov.
About Every Child a Reader
Every Child a Reader is a 501(c)(3) literacy charity whose popular national programs include Children's Book Week, the longest-running literacy initiative in the country, celebrating 101 years in 2020; the Children's and Teen Choice Book Awards, the only national book awards chosen solely by children and teens; Get Caught Reading, a classroom poster project; and the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature program, in partnership with the Library of Congress.
About the Children's Book Council
The Children's Book Council is the nonprofit trade association of children's book publishers in North America, dedicated to supporting the industry and promoting children's books and reading. The CBC offers children's publishers the opportunity to work together on issues of importance to the industry at large, including educational programming, diversity advocacy, and partnerships with national organizations.

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Jason Reynolds Connects with Young People at Home through New Video Series and Newsletter

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In his new role as National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, Jason Reynolds will connect directly with young people online during the coronavirus pandemic, in collaboration with the Library of Congress, the Children's Book Council and Every Child a Reader.On April 14, Reynolds will debut his first initiative in support of his platform GRAB THE MIC: Tell Your Story-including a monthly newsletter for parents and educators focused on relevant topics of the day and a biweekly video series intended to inspire creativity in young people, titled "Write.

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Build relationships and get to know your students.

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Consider the needs, backgrounds, and experiences of all students.

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Establish positive and predictable classroom environments.

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Take Stock & Take Care & Take Notice

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elementary school education effective teaching classroom management community academic engagement social emotional learning morning meeting

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Watch teachers using our research- and evidence-based, time-tested strategies with students in their own classrooms. Look for demonstrations of energizers and author interviews here, too!

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Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

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Restorative Circle in 4th Grade Classroom

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Restorative Circle in 4th Grade Classroom

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Restorative Circle 4th grade Conflict Resolution

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Incredible library of amazing resources for Social Emotional Learning and so much more!

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Find resources for balance and well-being. Build inner strength, navigate difficult feelings, and get support with this collection of videos, games, books, and more.

Spotlight

Take on the Day

Start the day by harnessing energy and focus with this energizing breathing video!

Breathing Break

Without trying to change it, pay attention to your breathing as you sit still. Do it for 10 breaths the first time, and then try 15!

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Breathing Break

Without trying to change it, pay attention to your breathing as you sit still. Do it for 10 breaths the first time, and then try 15!

Rose, Bud, Thorn

Describe your day to a family member with one thing that fits each category: Include something positive (rose), something hopeful (bud), and something challenging (thorn). Take turns sharing.

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Emotional Well-Being activities for Grades 3-5

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Find resources for balance and well-being. Build inner strength, navigate difficult feelings, and get support with this collection of videos, games, books, and more. Spotlight Take on the Day Start the day by harnessing energy and focus with this energizing breathing video! Breathing Break Without trying to change it, pay attention to your breathing as you sit still.

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Teaching in Support of Black Lives: Education at a Crossroads

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Teaching in Support of Black Lives: Education at a Crossroads

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Teaching in Support of Black Lives: Education at a Crossroads

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Student Digital Learning Agreement - Grades 6-12 - English and Spanish

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Student Digital Learning Pledge - Grades K-5 - English and Spanish

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What is TikTok? How safe is TikTok? How does TikTok work? Is TikTok appropriate for kids? What age is TikTok recommended for? Can kids under 13 use TikTok? How can you make your TikTok account private? How can I use TikTok with my kids? How do you do a duet on TikTok?

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5 Ways to Make Classrooms More Inclusive

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5 Ways to Make Classrooms More Inclusive

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5 Ways To Make Classrooms More Inclusive

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LGBTQ students are more likely to be bullied, which can lead to missed classes and a higher risk of suicide. For them, a teacher who knows how to “queer” the classroom can make a big difference.

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I recently taught Bryan Stevenson's for the first time to my ninth-grade Introduction to World Literature class. The memoir tells the story of Stevenson's quest to exonerate Walter McMillian, a Black man from Alabama who was sentenced to death after being wrongly convicted of murdering a White woman in 1986.

In order to have a clear understanding of the beauty of Stevenson's work, students must first see the irony of the genre and setting. McMillian's case plays out in Monroeville, Alabama, the hometown of famed author Harper Lee. Her novelTo Kill a Mockingbird was set in the fictional town of Maycomb, which was modeled after Monroeville.

The two books were written in different time periods more than 65 years apart, but Stevenson's nonfiction work draws a perfect parallel to Lee's novel, which tells the story of Atticus Finch's defense of a Black man falsely accused of raping a White woman. Stevenson's argument is clear: America has yet to learn from the ills of our past. Students understood Stevenson's parallel well, but there was one part that gave my students considerable pause: Atticus' comment during his closing argument that "we are not all created equally."

This moment was when my students' learning became personal, and they realized that inequity extends beyond race: It's academic ability; it's athletic stamina; it's even financial security. After seeing my students begin to understand what it means to be treated differently, I am even more steadfast in how I choose to establish a classroom environment that is a safe space for all. Knowing we are not all created equally, my mission as an educator is to create a space where students know that we are all different, but they will all be challenged equally to achieve their personal best. In my class, students compete on a playing field that is as smooth as I can possibly make it. In order to create a space of equality, I build every school year on the following foundation.

Learning Environment

Students have a right to grow in a space where they feel protected and encouraged. Learning happens through thoughtful inquiry, so in order to do this well, I must create a space where students know how to properly question and feel comfortable doing so. I model and explain clear classroom expectations: how we treat one another and the space in which we work; how we work effectively in groups; how we respond to someone when we disagree.

Without these first steps, it is difficult to have purposeful discussions during small group activities, Socratic seminars, or philosophical chairs. By the first quarter, students are responsible for our space and their learning, realizing that their voice matters and we must learn from one another and not simply the teacher.

Instruction

Students have a right to know what they will learn and why what they learn matters. Although our class is rooted in dialectical discussion, I start every class clearly stating what students will learn and how they will learn the material. To encourage thoughtful connections, every unit begins with open-ended essential questions so that students will consider why what we are doing matters.

Although my instruction is rooted in standards, skills, and classical education, it is my duty to make learning relevant. Students understand why rhetoric is important to them and how they can use it to enhance their future and ultimately reach their goals. It is my duty to meet them where they are and take them to a level that makes reading and writing mean something to them. Students leave my class knowing why literature and writing matters, while being equipped with knowledge to defend and share their ideas appropriately.

Reflection and Action

Students and teachers have a right to practice reflection and action in order to equip ourselves with tools to learn from our history and our literature. Each year, my first action is to deliberately assess curriculum and lesson plans, making sure to include a variety of voices, while keeping administrators informed on any edits to the curriculum. As I integrate new material with careful consideration for student needs, I work to defy what writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie calls the " danger of a single story." Our curriculum is the starting space where we discuss, seek to understand, and consider ways to eliminate systematic issues that inhibit individual growth in order for action.

This does not happen intrinsically; lesson plans must be crafted with this clear goal in mind. I strive to create lessons with a clear outcome or thesis, and I use material or evidence to assist students in seeing these clear connections. While creating lessons, I scrutinize the material, anticipating areas where there will be contention or discomfort for my students, determining the best method to continue our work as a class. All potential pitfalls, regardless of how seemingly insignificant, are considered, and I project what my students will need as they process such heavy topics and realizations about the world in which we live.

Education is a right, not a privilege. Every student has the right to a rigorous curriculum that will challenge them to achieve their personal best. The learning environment must be a place in which it is safe for them to falter and even fail without embarrassment and where they are encouraged to try again. My classroom is not an easy space. Students will be challenged; I will be challenged. There will be amazing days; there will be some not so amazing days. But together we end the course with a shared understanding of why the struggle mattered, why they are worth more and should expect more from their education and in turn their world.

As a result, without fail, I find myself understanding why this profession is what I am called to do. My goal as an educator is not only to shed light on the inequalities in our world but also to empower my students to see how successful we all can be when we attempt to alleviate these inequalities. We may not all be born with the same abilities, but it is everyone's job to move toward justice. By experiencing just mercy in the classroom, students realize that equity is possible and worth the work.

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I recently taught Bryan Stevenson's for the first time to my ninth-grade Introduction to World Literature class. The memoir tells the story of Stevenson's quest to exonerate Walter McMillian, a Black man from Alabama who was sentenced to death after being wrongly convicted of murdering a White woman in 1986.

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Scaffolding Discussion Skills With a Socratic Circle

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Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: The danger of a single story | TED

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Philosophical Chairs is an exercise that fosters careful listening and encourages every student to contribute their thoughts.

An exercise called Philosophical Chairs is a versatile way to get students speaking and listening to one another. It's a student-centered strategy that can be used in any content area around a multitude of topics. It's set up like a debate-and one explicit objective is for students to be open to changing their minds.

The other objectives-which can be tied to standards-are for students to practice respectful dialogue, provide evidence for claims using prior knowledge, organize their thinking and logical reasoning, and avoid disputable statements. The exercise also provides a venue to challenge students' assumptions.

Getting Set Up

The teacher or a student presents a statement for the class to consider;

All students spend three minutes writing their ideas about the statement;

They decide which position they'll take on the statement (yes, no, undecided);

They discuss their ideas and positions for about 10 to 15 minutes; and

They write a reflection that includes the comment that most challenged their thinking; whether they changed their mind or not; and how open-minded they were at the start of the conversation.

The basic outline of Philosophical Chairs is this:

One person speaks at a time;

Look at the speaker and use body language that shows you're listening;

Restate what the person before you said;

Let three people on your side speak after you before you speak again; and

Gently and quietly remind others if they're not following the norms.

Before starting any speaking and listening activity, it's important to have discussion norms. In my class, the norms generally include:

I provide students with a sheet of sentence stems for politely disagreeing, adding on to someone else's comments, and redirecting the conversation back to the topic. We use these for the first few discussions, but after that students generally don't need them.

An In-Depth Look

A more detailed explanation of Philosophical Chairs goes something like this. A statement about a topic is presented to the class by the facilitator-it can be either teacher- or student-generated.

It's a statement that doesn't have a right or wrong answer, but is relevant to the content. For example, in a health class, Philosophical Chairs could begin with this: "Tobacco products should be allowed for ages 12 and up if monitored by an adult." In math class: "Using a car-sharing service makes more financial sense than owning a car."

I like to give students at least five statements to ensure that we have some with sufficient disagreement to generate a good discussion, and they spend a few minutes writing their responses to each one-yes, no, or undecided-and providing a rationale. I quickly poll the class before we begin to ensure there's a fair division of opinion-if there is not enough for a robust discussion, I'll drop a statement, or participate with the side that has less advocates, but otherwise I'm an observer.

After students write their initial responses and thoughts, they move to sit or stand in a yes row and a no row facing each other. Undecided students stand at the end of the two rows, facing them.

A student facilitator moderates the discussion. They read the statement, call on students to speak, and gently remind students to stay focused on the topic. I coach facilitators ahead of time, teaching them how to ask clarifying questions, and asking them to call on those who seem like they have something to say but are not raising their hand.

The two sides alternate speaking at first. But as the year goes on, and the class gets better at listening and respecting each other, it's normal for students to relax about the order-everyone still contributes.

I give the facilitator a roster so they can mark off who they've called on, in an effort to broaden the number of students who talk at least once. Students are not required to speak. I ask for everyone to show that they're listening respectfully, but it's important to let kids not talk. Eventually they will-I've never had a student who never speaks, because their classmates eventually prompt them, and they do share their thoughts.

As the discussion begins, the first person to speak gives a clear rationale for their belief. The next student must then summarize what that person said before they share their own thoughts.

Students are allowed to switch sides at any time. They don't give an explanation-they just move. They frequently speak up soon after moving to share what point changed their mind, and then add their thoughts.

Students who are undecided never have to pick a side, but they do have to share what they see as the strongest points from either side and say why they thought those points were the most compelling, even it they were not ultimately convinced. The facilitator shares their opinion at the end of the discussion.

Occasionally, when I sense that both sides are not being open-minded about a statement, I'll have them do something I call a Lincoln Debate-everyone has to switch sides and argue for the opposing position. This challenges students' thinking and pushes them to see other perspectives.

I think it's important to praise students for open-mindedness, and not for their excellent points. They get a lot of positive feedback on zingers, but how often do we acknowledge open-mindedness as a skill we want to cultivate?

It's illuminating for me to listen to the insightful commentary my students share. But the best part is reading their reflections, and seeing the growth on the page: "I changed my mind because...," or "I didn't change my mind because..., but I learned that...." I can see their growth in their own words.

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Philosophical Chairs is an exercise that fosters careful listening and encourages every student to contribute their thoughts. An exercise called Philosophical Chairs is a versatile way to get students speaking and listening to one another. It's a student-centered strategy that can be used in any content area around a multitude of topics.

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This Teenage Life Podcast Episodes & Resources

Pandemic Isolation & Depression (A Personal Story) -

In addition to being a medical issue, the pandemic has also led to a mental health crisis. In this episode, one member of This Teenage Life shares her personal story of isolation and depression during quarantine.

No one at This Teenage Life is a mental health professional, but here are some resources in case you or someone you know is experiencing depression: Overview of Depression and depression specifically in teens from the Child Mind Institute, Depression Treatment. In case you or someone you know is having thoughts of self-harm: here is a Help-Line in India and a Help-Line in the United States.

Snapchat, Instagram, & TikTok Filters and How They Make Us Feel -

They might make us look "better," but they don't always make us feel better about who we are and what we look like. In this episode of This Teenage Life, we're hearing people's perspectives and experiences with photo filters - like the ones we use (or choose not to use) on Instagram, Snapchat and Tik Tok.
Thanks to Raya, Sophia, Jayden, and Tori for inspiring this episode.

Processing Divorce - In this episode, inspired and hosted by listener-turned-contributer Lydia, we process feelings around parents' divorces. Check out Lydia's independent work at wildflowerszine.com

Getting Vaccinated - Access to COVID-19 vaccines around the world is still unequal and that needs to change. But in the US, despite the spread of some misinformation, vaccination has continued. Excitingly, sometime this week, 12-15 year-olds are set to be approved to receive COVID-19 vaccines.

In this episode, we explore our feelings about differences in vaccination status between already-vaccinated older teens vs. younger ones and we interview biologist, Dr. Lillian Cohn to answer some questions we have about COVID-19 and the vaccine.

Here are some RESOURCES if you want to learn more about COVID-19 and the COVID-19 vaccines.

Body Insecurities - Clear skin, slim thick bodies...we're often taught to associate our self worth with how we line up with societal expectations about beauty. In this episode, we speak openly and honestly about our body insecurities, where they come from, and how we are working on them. Below are awesome resources that help to cultivate more self-love. Here's:

A video and article about what body positivity is.

An incredible video by Dove that shows how the beauty industry sets completely unrealistic expectations about bodies.

A This Teenage Life blog post about acne and an article about acne positivity.

Allyship - Structural oppression is just that: structural. So without structural change, can our actions make a difference? In this episode, we discuss individual approaches to allyship and how these practices connect with our desires for a more just society.

Here is our conversation and activity guide inspired by this episode and here are the civic self portraits we made inspired by this conversation.

Pets - Not all of us have a fur baby to cuddle up next to, but for those who do or have had one, I think we can say with certainty that they cause immense joy. During these times where we are spending more time at home, we get to be with them for a lot longer. Sometimes they love that, but some of them might get annoyed. In this episode we take a dive into our relationships with our pets from the past and present and how they are like a family member, vital to our changing realities.

Here is our conversation and activity guide inspired by this episode. Use it to have your own meaningful conversations about pets and the animals you know and love.

Personal Story: Mother and Daughter During a Pandemic - During these times, many teenagers are stuck at home with their parents, for better or for worse. In today's episode, Olivia has a conversation with her mom about their relationship, motherhood, and what it means to be a mom during this pandemic.

Teaser - Get a feel for Season One of This Teenage Life - who we are, some topics we discuss, and what's to come.

Death - is hard to wrap your head around. When we're kids, we tended to obsess about it. Now we're thinking about it less, but it's still there, obviously. In this episode, we talk about our existential feelings about mortality.

This episode was made a long time ago before we had an official podcast but here is the link to it on vimeo.

Missing Childhood - the lack of responsibility, the ignorant bliss. In this episode, we talk about when things weren't so serious. We talk about what we miss about childhood.

This episode was made a long time ago before we had an official podcast but here is the link to it on vimeo.

Here is our conversation and activity guide inspired by this episode. Use it to have your own meaningful conversations about childhood and what we miss about it as we're growing up.

Superstitions - is an episode about weird habits that we do but don't usually admit to doing, even to ourselves.

This episode was made a long time ago before we had an official podcast but here is the link to it on vimeo.

Educational Resources: Conversation, Activity Guides, PD Offerings

Here are our tips for centering youth voice and choice and using This Teenage Life in your school!

#2: Episodes and guides to use when you're comfortable with each other and have developed a #3: Episodes and guides to use when you've been having challenging conversations for a long time, have
Start as a club: Consent is one of our core values and research shows that if young people actively choose to be a part of an activity, they'll be more engaged and committed. If you want to go deep and develop a long-term conversation community, start by forming a small, opt-in club with ~6 young people.

In the classroom...small groups and youth choice: Start by making small groups (~6-8 young people in each group). Each group should choos their topic for each session. These groups should be consistent so that they develop a rhythm and sense of trust over time. In-person or using Zoom breakout rooms we recommend that groups are made beforehand (put folks who are friendly together).

A day or two before the conversation, young people should choose the episode they're going to explore. At home, before the conversation, they can listen to the episode and use the journaling prompts in the guide. After the conversation they can do the activities together or at home individually.

We recommend that for awhile groups choose episodes and topics from the first two sections below. We had been working together for almost two years when we had most of the conversations in the third section.

Pre-listen: We recommend, especially in the beginning, that you listen to the podcast before having a discussion. It models active listening, authentic sharing, and storytelling around the topic at hand. That said, if some folks don't have the chance to listen, no worries! We've made the guides accessible no matter what!

No grades, no forced participation: This Teenage Life is meant to help develop trust and relationships based on personal storytelling and identity-based conversations. Thus, these conversations and the affiliated work shouldn't be graded. In addition, cold-calling or cajoled participation shouldn't happen either. People will talk when they feel comfortable and when they have something to say.

Conversation & Activity Guides - Suggestions on when to use them!

Each conversation and activity guide goes with an episode of the podcast, This Teenage Life, which can be heard in the #1: Episodes and guides to use in "episodes" section of this website, and on podcast apps including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

If you're an educator using these guides with your students, below are some of our recommendations.

the beginning as the group is just getting to know each other

Lies Parents Told Us - Here is our conversation and activity guide inspired by this episode featuring stories about stuff parents make up especially when we're little ( e.g. Santa Clause, myths about where babies come from, etc.) and our own misconceptions of things our parents said when we were younger.

Pets - Here is our conversation and activity guide inspired by our episode about our relationship to the animals in our lives during quarantine in March, 2020.

Dreams - Here is our conversation and activity guide inspired by this episode about the strange, surreal worlds our minds create when we're asleep.

Your experience of quarantine - Here is our conversation and activity guide inspired by this episode which was our first conversation in quarantine. It's about grappling with staying at home without as much social interaction with friends.

Beautiful Boredom - Here is our conversation and activity guide inspired by our episode about boredom and how we can use it to do creative activities. It took place in March, 2020 when we were all in quarantine, feeling isolated, and figuring out how to make our time as enriching as possible.

Fears about Adhulthood - Here is our conversation and activity guide inspired by this episode about the idea of adulthood and the logistical and more existential concerns we have about growing up.

Feelings of Power - Here is our conversation and activity guide inspired by this episode about times when we feel powerful, and times when we feel like we've lost our power. It's primarily about small moments experienced by a group of teenage women and how those moments lead to a sense of empowerment, or just the opposite.

safe space with trust. At this point folks should be respecting norms, asking each other authentic questions, not interrupting each other, never talking about the conversation outside of it, and leaving conversations feeling good, seen, and heard.

Middle School - Here is our conversation and activity guide inspired by our episode called Middle school Middle school can be rough. You're trying to figure out who you are, while constantly paying attention to the opinions of those around you. In this episode, we share experiences from middle school that are still influencing us today.

Love in High School - Here is our conversation and activity guide inspired by our episode about teenage love and thoughts about whether or not we believe in love and how we feel about having a romantic relationship in high school.

Self-Doubt - Here is our conversation and activity guide inspired by this episode about things we tell ourselves, our ideas about how others perceive us, and how these thoughts get in the way of saying or doing something that might actually be worth it.

real friendships and authentic connections, and are attuned to power dynamics, skilled at active listening, and deeply respectful of each other and group norms.

Inner Monologues - Here is our conversation and activity guide inspired by our episode about Inner Monologues, which we recorded during quarantine (March, 2020). It's about the voices in our own heads and how we take care of ourselves and our mental health. But most people have some kind of inner monologue. Sometimes our inner monologue can go in circles or be negative, especially when we're alone. In this episode, we share what our inner monologues sound like, and what we do when we want to shift from being negative to having a more positive outlook on the world.

Parents are people too- Here is our conversation and activity guide inspired by this episode. Use it to have your own meaningful conversations when we began to see our parents/guardians as human beings who have their own needs, emotions, styles, fragilities, crushes, etc.

Queerness - Here is our conversation and activity guide inspired by this episode featuring our conversations about our explorations related to gender identity, sexual orientation, and coming out.

Media Coverage + School Partnerships + Getting in Touch

This Teenage Life Articles (in other publications) and Features

TTL on the podcast High Tech High's Unboxed Podcast on remote learning -

Here is TTL's remote learning episode featured on High Tech High's Graduate School of Education's Unboxed Podcast.

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This Teenage Life Podcast Episodes & Resources Pandemic Isolation & Depression (A Personal Story) - In addition to being a medical issue, the pandemic has also led to a mental health crisis. In this episode, one member of This Teenage Life shares her personal story of isolation and depression during quarantine.

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Conversation groups allow students to explore vulnerability about their experiences and build trust in one another.

This school year, many educators face the challenge of building relationships with new students virtually. How can they foster a sense of community without the camaraderie and spontaneity of in-person, classroom interactions? One approach is to make more time for personally meaningful, nonacademic, youth-driven conversations.

In my teaching practice, this has taken the form of This Teenage Life, a dialogue and podcasting program cocreated with young people where students talk about issues relevant to their lives, record them, and create a podcast. These conversations can serve as catalysts for storytelling projects and can be used to build trust and a sense of community. Facilitate successful conversation groups by building trust, allowing discussions to grow organically, encouraging participation, and practicing reflection.

Build Trust at the Outset

With your group, develop norms about how the group talks and listens to each other. For example, a group may decide that people should only share what they feel comfortable sharing and should not share other students' stories. My students and I devised a variation on the Hippocratic Oath: "Do no harm, and never pressure an individual or a particular group to talk about something they don't want to share." After discussions, reflect on the norms in postdialogue reflections. Did the group abide by them? How could they have done better? If there are individuals consistently violating norms and undermining trust, have a one-on-one conversation about how their actions are affecting the group dynamics.

At the start of the conversational practice, begin with topics that feel light, funny, and easy. Consider focal points that will support the sharing of anecdotes. For example, conversations around what teens miss about childhood; silly superstitions; or surreal, reoccurring dreams can allow students to share stories without feeling vulnerable.

These topics are less closely connected to young people's core values and identities, and conversations around them can lay a foundation of trust. As trust builds, the group can delve into heavier topics that are more connected to who they are, what they care about, and who they want to be. Follow students' lead, and wait until they propose heavier subjects. For example, my students' conversations about queerness and the importance of Black Lives Matter happened once students felt safe in their processing of the issues, and they suggested the topics for discussion.

Follow the Energy

In traditional discussion groups, students receive prompts and are told to stick to a specific subject given by a teacher. To have more fluid, decentralized, student-led conversations about meaningful, nonacademic topics, the group can start by generating a list of topics. Provide some prompts as examples and then let them riff. Keep track of their ideas in a written document.

Encourage topics that help students get to know each other as they might do informally at a dinner table with friends or a bonfire. For example, students could discuss times they've gotten in trouble, things they believed as a child but no longer believe, stories of people they look up to and why, or times they've been scared.

Successful topics will create a conversation with momentum where young people are enthusiastically sharing and listening. Be aware that sometimes strange topics end up working well. For example, one student pitched "snacks and breakfast" as a topic in our group. While at the outset it seemed like an odd topic, the students had so much to say about what they liked to eat, foods they liked to cook, when and why they ate different snacks. Even though it was not a deep conversation, they laughed and learned about each other.

Authentic tangents that emerge from follow-up questions or forays into more specific subtopics can lead to deeper dialogue. For instance, during a conversation about parenting and climate change, one teen casually asked, "Have you ever realized that your parents are people too?" The tangent led to thoughtful dialogue and an episode titled "Parents Are People Too." Allow ample time for tangents to occur, as they may lead the conversation in an unexpected direction. If a topic elicits silence for minutes, look at your topic list and offer something else, or ask the group if there's anything anyone wants to discuss. If a random tangent is too off-topic from a thoughtful, fun conversation, ask a follow-up question that returns the conversation to the agreed-upon topic.

Celebrate All Forms of Participation

Unlike in classrooms, where young people are often graded on participation, dialogue sessions function best when they are not graded, so that students have a safe space where youth voice is elevated.

In these student-led conversations, it's important for adults to recognize that they are not the primary drivers, so that they don't dominate the conversation. By choosing to listen, adults can give more space for young people to surface their own ideas and share their stories. In a remote learning setting, breakout rooms can allow adults to move between groups, giving young people a space for their own self-directed dialogue.

In these dialogues, active listening and follow-up questions are crucial to furthering a good conversation. Students can also participate in other nonverbal ways. For example, students may-during or after a conversation-create art or media related to the topic, as illustrated by the web-art and student-created activities in our conversation and activity guides.

Reflect on Dialogue

Students may raise sensitive issues they are grappling with as conversation topics.
After such a discussion, share resources that might be useful. For example, after a conversation about anxiety, I shared a self-care tool kit with the group.

In the last few minutes of every conversation, reflect on what worked, what didn't work, how the group could improve, and how people felt during the conversation. Keep track of the feedback, and resurface it at the beginning of the next gathering.

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Conversation groups allow students to explore vulnerability about their experiences and build trust in one another. This school year, many educators face the challenge of building relationships with new students virtually. How can they foster a sense of community without the camaraderie and spontaneity of in-person, classroom interactions?

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Mindset Kit - Do's and don'ts of praise, Praise the Process, Not the Person

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See examples of how to turn person praise into process praise.

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FREE access to this incredible website and app.

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Improving the health and happiness of the world, one educator at a time.

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Self-Assessing Social and Emotional Instruction and Competencies- A Tool for Teachers

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Self-Assessing Social and Emotional Instruction and Competencies- A Tool for Teachers

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Self-Assessing Social and Emotional Instruction and Competencies- A Tool for Teachers

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Sample Teaching Activities to Support Core Competencies of SEL

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Sample Teaching Activities to Support Core Competencies of SEL