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Solving the opioid crisis by empowering students
Brian Stack EducationIn 2016, New Hampshire had one of the highest national opioid death due to overdose rates, a whopping 39 per 100,000 people. For a state with roughly 1.3 million residents and fewer than 100 high schools, this means that virtually every school community has, in some way, been impacted by this epidemic. As a principal in a small suburban New Hampshire community, I am starting to lose count of the number of funeral services that I have attended for students and former students from my high school community.
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The importance of gestures in ESL teaching
Douglas Magrath EducationESL teachers need to see the importance of gestures in the overall communication process, as gestures and speech coexist in time, meaning and function to such a degree that they can be reasonably regarded as different sides of a single underlying mental process. Instructors should be aware of common gestures and be able to incorporate them into teaching, particularly at the basic levels. Gestures and body language are also a part of culture. Sociolinguistic competence has been added to communicative competence as a key element in successful language learning.
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Students with disabilities suffer the most from K-12 funding cuts
Bambi Majumdar EducationRecent years have been tumultuous for K-12 schools as proposed federal budget cuts targeted Education Department funding to the tune of $9.2 billion in fiscal 2018 and $3.6 billion in fiscal 2019. As a result, teachers, administrators, districts, and parents are not only fighting possible cuts but pushing for increased public money. Significant cuts to Medicaid not only affect public schools and poorer students, but special-needs students as well. Budget cuts could take away about $4 billion in Medicaid reimbursements per year for those with special needs.
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Using instructionally-relevant questions to develop evaluations and IEPs
Howard Margolis EducationMany schools have traditionally limited their special education evaluations to brief observations, informal measures, rating forms, and norm-referenced tests. These are tests that compare the student to large groups of students but offer incomplete and superficial glimpses of what the student knows and can successfully do. For students with mild-to-moderate difficulties, such as struggling learners with learning disabilities, they often dismiss or quickly wink at instructionally-relevant questions that influence academics, communication, and social, emotional and physical functioning.
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Assessment in the music room
Aileen Miracle EducationAssessment in the music classroom can be tricky. Many music teachers only see their students once a week — sometimes even less — so fitting in quality curriculum, engaging songs and dances, games, books and more needs to be balanced with assessing students' musical growth. Here are several things to consider when assessing in the music classroom.
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Make math class awesome for all students
Savanna Flakes EducationIf we make math relevant (connected to everyday concepts and the real world), differentiate rigorous instruction (inquiry, project, problem-based vs. route memorization and process checklist) and engage learners with various learning modalities (using manipulatives and interactive games), we can make math fun for all students.
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The daily teacher struggle when faced with declining wages
Brian Stack EducationIt is starting to become the norm for teachers to seek out other forms of income to make up lost ground from low teacher salaries that plague many schools from coast to coast.
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The art of the real deal
Debra Josephson Abrams EducationMaking recommendations is the topic of Module 2 of the conversation course I teach now to EFL students in Korea. Students learn how to politely express their opinions, analyze advantages and disadvantages, offer alternatives and negotiate.
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New study reveals Android apps violate children’s privacy
Michelle R. Matisons EducationIf you are a parent or teacher who spends time with children, you are aware that device use and screen time are issues. Any number of problems are linked to screen time, including eye problems, bad posture, carpal tunnel syndrome, social disconnection, depression and insomnia.
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Ambient color may not affect learning ability
Michael J. Berens Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesA commonly held tenet of education design is that ambient color affects students' ability to learn. Evidence from research conducted over many years indicates that some colors enhance cognitive performance or creativity while others interfere with these processes.
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