Too often, an “inclusive education” for students with complex support needs means helping them take part in a single class activity before they go off to a different classroom, or focusing on a single learner while other similar students remain on the outside. Cheryl M. Jorgensen, Ph.D., an inclusive education consultant and co-founder of the National Center on Inclusive Education, offered participants in the recent edWebinar, “Inclusion is More Than “Just Being In,” a new way to define the term. She explained that inclusion should not be a practice but should be a transformational educational philosophy based on social justice principles, where the first tenet is that all students are presumed competent.
It is rare that things go as planned after selecting or purchasing new digital content, services, and tools. Building a culture of shared understanding and cross-departmental responsibility for how digital integration is approached is crucial to the success of any digital strategy. In a recent edWebinar, presenters from Vancouver Public Schools in Washington shared their processes for selecting and integrating digital content and resources to ensure effective implementations.
The dunce cap, a ruler on the knuckles, kneeling on rice: modern teachers wouldn’t think of using these methods to correct students’ behavior. But for all the progress that schools have made in understanding and implementing effective discipline, teachers can still fall into bad habits that sabotage their own efforts to stay in command. In his recent edWebinar “Classroom Management Mistakes That Undermine Your Authority,” Shannon Holden, Assistant Principal at Republic Middle School in Missouri, explained the importance of establishing the teacher’s control from the first day of school and the common mistakes educators make when trying to maintain a productive educational environment.
College and career readiness has grown to be a hot topic that is on the mind of every educational leader in the nation. But being college and career ready takes more than just career counseling or use of software in the classroom, it takes personalized, differentiated instruction that starts at an early age. Students must understand their unique strengths and interests, and teachers must see themselves as part of the global working world. Innovators in education shared their expertise on preparing students to be ready for the working world in a recent edWebinar.
edWeb.net is delighted to announce that it was selected by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) as one of the 2018 Best Websites for Teaching & Learning. The Best Websites for Teaching & Learning recognizes websites of exceptional value to inquiry-based teaching and learning as embodied in the AASL learning standards. Websites selected for this prestigious recognition are free, web-based sites that are user friendly and encourage a community of learners to explore and discover, and foster the qualities of innovation, creativity, active participation, and collaboration.
As a growing number of school districts are turning towards digital tools to support teaching, it’s important to ensure that these tools are adding value by transforming learning experiences. The SAMR model (Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, Redefinition) and TPACK model (Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge) can help schools as they transition to using more digital tools. In a recent edWebinar, Michelle Luhtala, Library Department Chair, New Canaan High School, CT, reviewed these models and discussed apps that can take teaching, learning, and reading to the next level.
Maker culture is thriving in schools and public libraries across the United States and beyond. From challenges to success stories, no two makerspaces are alike, and maker facilitators have valuable lessons to share. In their recent edWebinar, Michelle Luhtala, Library Department Chair at New Canaan High School, CT; Ethan Heise, Director of MackinMaker; and Heather Lister, Professional Learning Specialist, had a discussion on their experiences with makerspaces and shared advice for those starting their maker education journey.
When educators think about diversity in the classroom, culture may be one of the characteristics that crosses their mind. But as they select their curriculum and develop their lessons, most teachers are not accounting for how culture will impact a student’s ability to participate and learn, says Dr. Almitra Berry-Jones, nationally recognized speaker, author, and consultant on the topic of culturally and linguistically diverse learners at-risk. In her edWebinar, “Cultural Relevance and Academic Equity in the Age of ESSA,” Dr. Berry-Jones explained how understanding the impact of culture, adopting a student-first mindset, and creating multiple points of engagement with the same content will help teachers move towards academic equity in their classroom.
edWeb.net is excited to announce that it was named a 2018 SIIA CODiE Award winner for Best Collaborative Social Media Solution for Educators and Best Professional Learning Solution for Faculty & Administrative Staff, and also won the top award of Best Overall Education Solution. The Best Overall Education Solution represents the product with the highest scores of both rounds of judging out of all finalists.
Social-emotional learning. Character education. Bullying prevention. These programs all fall under the larger umbrella of emotional intelligence (EQ)—the ability to manage one’s feelings and interact positively with other people. While many schools may touch on it during the school year, Maurice J. Elias, Ph.D., and Steven E. Tobias, Psy.D., authors of Boost Emotional Intelligence in Students, advocate for more formal training in EQ. During their recent edWebinar “How to Boost Emotional Intelligence in Students,” they explained how data shows a high EQ is “more highly correlated with career success than academic skills.” More important, in order to help kids retain their EQ skills, they said schools need to adopt a systematic approach to improving emotional awareness.