Test Prep Reimagined: Brain-Based Strategies That Improve Student Performance

Author: Traci Hedetniemi | Posted:
Categories: Classroom Application, Research | Tags: , , ,
Leave a comment

Sometimes, the challenge of taking a high-stakes test is less about the content itself and more about a student’s ability to access the content and manage the cognitive demands while doing so. Today, we will explore three research-supported strategies that help students strengthen and organize their long-term memory during test preparation and focus their limited … read more »

What a Viral EdTech Argument Teaches Us About Media Literacy and Influence

Author: Ruth Okoye | Posted:
Categories: Ed Tech Temperature Check | Tags: , ,
Leave a comment

This is my second post examining the argument Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath has been making about educational technology. In my first post—Let’s Talk About What the Research on K12 EdTech Actually Shows—I looked closely at the evidence behind his claims and what the peer-reviewed research actually says. This post asks a different question, and one … read more »

Teacher Appreciation Week: Reclaiming Time for What Matters Most

Author: Sharon Hall | Posted:
Categories: Classroom Application | Tags: ,
Leave a comment

Teacher Appreciation Week is a chance to recognize the work you do every day. You plan, adjust, support, and respond—often with limited time and increasing demands. We know that true appreciation is more than a card in a mailbox; it’s about having the resources and the mental space to do what you love most: teaching. … read more »

Autism Acceptance Month and Beyond: 5 Classroom Shifts That Build Belonging

Author: Sharon Hall | Posted:
Categories: Classroom Application | Tags: , , ,
Leave a comment

As Autism Acceptance Month comes to a close, it’s a meaningful time to reflect—not just on awareness, but on what acceptance looks like in everyday classroom life. Awareness opens the door, but belonging is built through daily choices: the routines we establish, the language we use, and how we design learning environments to support neurodivergent … read more »

Let’s Talk About What the Research on K12 EdTech Actually Shows

Author: Ruth Okoye | Posted:
Categories: Let's Talk About | Tags: , , , 1 Comment

Something shifted in K12 educator conversations this past school year. You may have felt it — a low-level hum of anxiety that wasn’t there before. A colleague forwarded a video with a note that said: “Have you seen this?” A school board meeting that took an unexpected turn. A teacher in a professional learning session … read more »

Great Poetry Reading Day: Helping Students Discover the Power of Poetry

Author: Erin Mulvany-Mankowski | Posted:
Categories: Classroom Application | Tags: ,
Leave a comment

April marks National Poetry Month, established in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets to celebrate poetry’s significance in our lives. Poetry, one of humanity’s oldest art forms, preserves our stories and evolves alongside us. As a poetry enthusiast, I often hear from people who claim to “hate” poetry—and I always suggest they simply haven’t … read more »

Who Owns This Work? Exploring Intellectual Property with Students

Author: Sharon Hall | Posted:
Categories: Classroom Application | Tags: , , ,
Leave a comment

Students create and share content constantly. They post videos, remix music, design graphics, and reuse images they find online. In many cases, they never stop to ask an important question: Who owns this work? World Intellectual Property Day on April 26 provides a natural opportunity to explore that question together. The day highlights how creative … read more »

Turning the Page Together: How National Library Week Strengthens School Communities

Author: Darshell Silva | Posted:
Categories: Classroom Application | Tags: , ,
Leave a comment

National Library Week is more than a date on the calendar—it’s an open invitation to build a culture of reading, curiosity, and community that lasts well beyond seven days. Sponsored annually by the American Library Association (ALA) and typically held during the second week of April, National Library Week overlaps with School Library Month. Each … read more »

Literacy as a Shared Responsibility: Supporting Reading Across Content Areas

Author: Erin Mulvany-Mankowski | Posted:
Categories: Classroom Application | Tags: ,
Leave a comment

“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” —Frederick Douglass Educators will agree that literacy (the ability to read and write) is the cornerstone of learning. Literacy opens the world and allows one to be a lifelong learner. The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) summarizes it well: “Literacy empowers and … read more »

Teaching Healthy Tech Habits That Stick in the Classroom

Author: Sharon Hall | Posted:
Categories: Digital Citizenship | Tags: , ,
Leave a comment

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” —Will Durant, summarizing Aristotle If you’ve ever looked out at your classroom and felt like you were competing with a dozen glowing rectangles for your students’ attention, you are in good company. We’ve all been there: a student nodding along … read more »