Fixed mindset or growth mindset: Which is your classroom?

Children are observed and "graded" from the time they’re born: She learned her alphabet at age 2; he has math aptitude. Or the opposite: She has trouble with numbers; he struggles with reading. Here’s the question: If you are one of those students, do you learn to believe those ...

Future of the Classroom report: Thinking, connecting, innovating

To research the current state of K-12 education, to do it globally, and to create a thoughtful and fact-based prediction of what the future holds would take a lot of resources. But if there’s one thing Google has plenty of, it’s resources. And they put some of ...

Mindfulness in the classroom: Does it work?

The teacher writes numbers on the white board in front of the class, preparing a lesson on fractions and decimals. Two girls are passing notes. A couple of kids in the back row are laughing about a secret joke. Several students have lost focus entirely, distracted by the windows, the ...

Why and How to Create a Makerspace in Your School

Think about the elementary school library of your childhood: shelves, books, table, and a librarian who focused a lot of her time keeping kids quiet! Now, imagine if a corner of that library had been set up for the best of exploration, tinkering and discovery by you and your classmates. ...

First-year teacher? 7 tips from the veterans

(Photo credit: Monkey Business Images, via iStock)
  Articles aimed at new teachers can sometimes seem ominous: Those are all real titles of articles aimed at teachers who will be walking into their own classroom for the first time this fall. Daunting, aren’t they? “Overwhelming is the ...

When Standardized Tests Change the Classroom Climate

Photo credit: Siaath via iStockphoto Five years ago, researchers for the National Education Association (NEA) surveyed 1,500 teachers from pre-kindergarten to Grade 12 about standardized testing. The results were alarming: Nearly half (45 percent) of teachers said that they had considered quitting their jobs at one point because of standardized testing. The biggest ...

The Key Steps to Better Classroom Design

The Common Core State Standards and the focus on 21st century skills require classroom spaces that promote collaboration and innovation. Yet, most of our elementary schools were built in the 1950s and are filled with desks, bookcases, storage and basic materials. They can be dark, depressing and dank spaces. How ...

Core Strategies for Teaching ELL Students

Teaching English Language Learner (ELL) students is not an easy task in the realm of the regular classroom. Incorporating the needs of English learners while trying to keep the classroom pace going and classroom management in control requires skill and patience. English ...

Step Inside the Circle of Knowledge

When the Circle of Knowledge was published in 1847, one of its objectives was to bring within the scope of a school book those neglected, but useful and familiar things, which are generally overlooked in the ordinary instruction of children. This intention was expressed in the following paragraph of ...

Front Lines: Fighting Back Against Bullying

It was last December when 13-year-old Rosalie Avila took her own life in San Diego following years of bullying by her middle school classmates. The school was aware of Rosalie's bullying and she had been in counseling, her aunt told local media. Rosalie had detailed in a journal how she ...