Learning Links for November 2017
/Here are this month’s best articles, analyses, and stories in education from across the web! This month you’ll learn about the power of trauma-informed teaching, how cities across the country are rethinking classrooms for the 21st century, and explore the 3 styles of classroom writing. We’ll also examine the inequitable distribution of teachers and what we can do about it! Enjoy!
Undoing Racism, One Conversation at a Time with Verta Maloney (Thriving Schools)
What you’ll learn: “In this piece, you’ll hear exactly how Verta guides a school team through courageous conversations while respecting the unique experiences that everyone brings to the table. Verta’s process includes an honest assessment of school culture, sharing personal stories on race, and respecting all decisions that are agreed upon as a team.”
The Transformative Power of Trauma-Informed Teaching (Ed Week)
What you’ll learn: “Wasn’t my job to help counsel and support students to make better choices so that they didn’t become repeat offenders? I didn’t want to just dole out punishment.”
Reinventing America’s Schools: 9 Inspiring Case Studies of Cities and Educators Rethinking Classrooms for the 21st Century (The 74 Million)
What you’ll learn: “Over the past year, The 74 has been visiting these cities (Denver, Indianapolis, New Orleans, and Washington DC) to meet the educators, school leaders, and elected officials steering reforms in their communities. Here are 9 of the most memorable case studies we found.”
3 Types of Writing in the Classroom (Teach Like a Champion)
What you’ll learn: “Typically I will enter a classroom and watch students writing industriously, answering prompts about the texts they are reading. As I observe I will note that they are producing diligent but often non-sensical writing – a hodge-podge of phrases and words strung together in largely inchoate ways.”
Personalized Learning at RePublic (RePublic Charter Schools)
What you’ll learn: “To bridge the gap between the classroom experience and the real world, RePublic has designed, created, and launched a personalized learning platform and curriculum that is currently reimagining the high school experience for its scholars.”
5 Principles of Outstanding Classroom Management (Edutopia)
What you’ll learn: “To get a deeper understanding of experienced teachers’ go-to classroom management strategies, we took an informal poll on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Here are the most often cited and creative approaches.”
12 New Rules: Accelerated Learning for an Exponential World (Getting Smart)
What you’ll learn: “How to respond to the rise of the automation economy? Is there a more nuanced answer than ‘all kids college ready?’ For state and local education policymakers, we see 12 new rules about accelerated learning.”
Your Teachers Are Not Equitably Distributed. How Do You Know? What Can You Do? (National Institute for Excellence in Teaching)
What you’ll learn: “NIET has learned that it is nearly impossible to help teachers to improve their practice if there is no common language, no agreement on what strong teaching looks like and what the key elements are to strong practice in any particular skill or indicator. This clarity is provided by a clear description or ‘rubric’ of teaching practice, along with training for teachers and those that evaluate, coach, and support teacher learning.”