Columbia Spotlight

Edutopia  is such a great resource and I'm always looking through its resources to find out what their research-based reforms are revealing about education today. Check out their most recent work on student stress, dysgraphia, peer feedback, digital tools in science classes, and student choice.  As Teen Stress Increases, Teachers Look for Answers Seventy percent of teens say stress is a major problem. Research backs that up—and teachers are beginning to offer solutions. Credit: Cultura Creative (RF) / Alamy Stock Photo What Teachers Should Know About Dysgraphia Students with dysgraphia have an unexpected difficulty with spelling and writing skills. Here are the red flags to look for, and ways to support these students. Credit: Bob Daemmrich / Alamy Stock Photo Teaching Students to Give Peer Feedback Giving their classmates feedback on writing is a complex skill for students to master, but it can be taught with scaffolded modeling. Credit: Juice Images / Alamy Stock Photo The V...

We know that CommonLit is a great, FREE online platform replete with "high-quality  reading passages for grades 3-12, complemented by aligned interim assessments, growth-oriented data, and expert-led teacher development."    What you may not know is that CommonLit offers  new social and emotional learning (SEL) lessons that CommonLit offers through a partnership with The Jed Foundation (JED)! Check out their description below:  These lessons are based on JED's  Set to Go  resource, which helps students learn about and build important SEL and life skills. JED's national programs include  JED Campus ,  Half of Us ,  Seize the Awkward , and  Love is Louder . Since the launch of their partnership with JED, these lessons have been used by over 88,000 students! To reach even more students, you can now access these lessons in  Spanish . When assigning one of JED's Set to Go texts, consider asking your students to complete a brief po...

This past week I had the pleasure of meeting with students from the MAPSO Youth Coalition who have formed this organization following the murder of George Floyd.  We discussed several issues including their desire to have more say in our curriculum development as we update our programming to meet the new New Jersey Learning Standards that were unveiled this past June.  As we begin our planning for the school year, let's make sure to continue leveraging resources that promote equity, empathy, and tolerance. We should also implement materials that promote anti-racism as well.  Please share with me the resources you find valuable. Here are some that I felt worthy of sharing, including materials from great organizations like  Common Sense Media, JSTOR, Human Rights USA, Teaching Tolerance, and Facing History.  Help us keep our resources free for schools Social Justice- and Equity-Focused Education Resources Use  Common Sense Media  to navigate diffic...