While some English learners and students of color may be striving to attain minimal academic competency, others are likely to be high-ability or gifted/talented students who are not receiving appropriate support for their needs, and therefore are less engaged and have lower levels of participation in programs suitable for them.
Assistive technology teachers working at schools in the Fairfax County, VA school district, one of the largest in the United States, are finding that the use of audiobooks is improving access to grade-level content while also developing the love of reading that motivates many students to continue improving.
In May, when edWeb.net surveyed principals, personalized professional development for teachers was the number one topic of interest. With all the responsibilities and tasks on principals’ plates, relevant, engaging professional development focused on best practices can be extremely challenging. In a recent edWebinar, Dr. L Robert Furman, Principal of South Park Elementary Center in Pennsylvania, asked the question, “Why is it that when we think of professional development, it becomes a comedy or a depression and teachers automatically assume that it is going to be a colossal waste of time?” Personalized professional development can alleviate these feelings about professional development as it provides teachers with opportunities to be better teachers, which translates into improved student learning. Furman and the administrators in his school have completely revamped teacher professional development by utilizing the well-curated webinars and accessible and relevant resources available on edWeb.
Social media is an essential marketing tool for educational publishers. But the changing algorithms, rise and fall of new platforms, and overall nature of social media make some developers hesitant. In their presentation, “Social Media Marketing 2.0: Educators Love Social Media,” several education marketing insiders offered their perspectives on how to take advantage of this unique marketing tool.
Individuals with special needs struggle to graduate from high school and earn a diploma, much less pursue higher education or gain meaningful employment. Sometimes, there is a skills gap between the desired career and the student’s training. Many times, though, the problem is also a communication gap. During the edWebinar “Digital Badge Credentials: Preparing Students with Special Needs for Employment,” the presenters discussed how and why digital badges can help students validate their training and verify their credentials with prospective employers.
October 5th is World Teachers' Day. Every day we should take time to thank teachers for their dedication to providing students around the world with the best education possible, often under difficult circumstances. This year, the theme of World Teachers' Day is...
The management concept, the Peter Principle, where people become ineffective when promoted to a level where they no longer have the skills to be successful, is also applicable to teachers. According to Ginger Welch, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Professional Practice at Oklahoma State University, in a recent edWebinar, whether highly successful teachers choose a career path that takes them out of the classroom or they choose to stay in the classroom, job-related burnout issues are a high possibility. It is essential to reduce these issues by keeping the passion for teaching alive and manage careers by addressing the stress and anxiety associated with burnout and learn how to control our cognitive thinking.
A variety of online tools embedded in popular Microsoft programs and apps are now helping English Learners with reading, writing, and classroom conversations. And, these same tools are also enabling parent-teacher conferences to become bilingual or even multilingual.
Leadership skills are nebulous, hard-to-define, and critical for students’ futures. Yet, many schools and districts still have minimal programs—typically a student council—and tend to concentrate on the oldest grades. In her edWebinar, “How to Fill the World with Leaders: Creating School Cultures Where Student Leadership Thrives,” Mariam G. MacGregor, M.S., Leadership Consultant, not only explained how to integrate leadership lessons in preschool, but she also advocated for administrators to make a conscious effort to develop citizen leaders.
There are many questions that new teachers ask before walking into their classroom on the first day of school. In a recent edWebinar, Dr. Monte Tatom, Director of Institutional and Church Research at Heritage Christian University, Taylor Warren, a first grade teacher, and Ashley McCrory, a kindergarten teacher, provided new teachers with tips for the ten most common questions.