In the News

6 Amazing Ways Teachers Are Using Social Media During the Pandemic

If teachers weren’t comfortable with video chat before the pandemic, they are now. These days, nearly everyone, from preschoolers through grandparents, is familiar with the Brady Bunch-look of a Zoom meeting in gallery view. But some teachers have gone beyond holding class on video chat or recording and sharing videos of their lessons. These teachers are using videos in creative, exciting ways: They’ve duplicated the spirit and warmth of a kindergarten classroom in their living room, demonstrated science experiments in under 30 seconds, and taken lessons about fractions to the kitchen.

Take a look at how these six educators are harnessing video platforms such as YouTube and TikTok to keep kids engaged in learning. Click here for more information.

A TALE OF TWO TEACHERS (TED TALK – MELISSA CRUM)

Dr. Melissa Crum is an artist, education consultant and diversity practitioner who works with many educators in urban schools. She noticed that many teachers had challenges teaching and relating to students who did not share their same cultural background. So, she worked with a museum educator to create an arts-based professional development series that helps educators think about how they are thinking about their diverse students. Her personal story and professional practice work together to tell a creative, inspiring, and eye-opening message that everyone must hear. (TED TALK)

How to become the best teacher (STUDENT ADVICE)

Nobody’s perfect…

And when you are a teacher, it becomes even more difficult to become perfect for ALL your students. It’s clear, that we all are different, so your students are, and each of them has his own learning style. When your teaching style suits a learning style of your student, you will definitely become his best teacher ever. This is like to be on the same wave with someone. But it’s obvious, that all your 30 students (or 20, or even 10, it doesn’t matter actually) will never have the same opinion about your teaching methods, so, misunderstandings are impossible to avoid.

However, you always can become a better teacher for your students, the main thing is to listen to them carefully. Here we have 10 advice from students to teachers, that will help you understand their principles better. You teach them of course, but you can always let them teach you a bit as well, can’t you?

So, if you want to become the best teacher for your students, you’d better not ignore what they say. Read more…

How to cope during COVID 19 – PDK International

What schools and districts offer is only as good as its response to student needs…
As our new reality sinks in, we wanted to take a moment to share with you how PDK International is addressing the Coronavirus crisis. One of our great strengths is the PDK Poll. Teachers, administrators, vendors, and partners are rising to the occasion and pushing out resources to educators, students, and families. We feel it’s important to also ask students, teachers, and administrators what they need.

We surveyed our nearly 200,000 members in PDK, Pi Lambda Theta, Educators Rising Collegiate, and Educators Rising High School to see how they are faring in the crisis, what’s working, and what social-emotional supports they need. We believe that the social-emotional needs of students and adults need to be attended to before academics, so our first survey focused on that.

As our CEO, Josh Starr, said, “Kids are always learning; what they’re learning now is how adults respond to a crisis.”

2019 Teacher of the Year – Rodney Robinson

Cultural Jambalaya’s new distribution partnership with ProjectExplorer brings the world into the classroom with free multimedia content and lesson plans that improve students’ global awareness and cross-cultural understanding. The new collaboration rebrands Cultural Jambalaya’s current video series as Seen By Me, designed for students 7-13 years old, a critical age when young people are forming a broader understanding of the world.

ProjectExplorer has created a new online channel on its website to showcase the new series, which will reach millions of students without charge. The new series also includes curricula at three academic levels that adhere to National Curriculum Standards or Common Core Standards.

Seen By Me also serves as a creative interactive strategy for students to share their own photos and stories as they learn about the world beyond their borders. Social media will be a key source of distribution by using the hashtag #SeenByMe.

The Seen By Me series will feature fascinating global cultures, history, religions, traditions and rituals from the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Asia. Dozens of newly produced episodes are in the works. Completed episodes in the Seen By Me series include the 4-part mini–series on World Heritage Sites.

Culturally Responsive Teaching Matters!

Becoming culturally responsive means that teachers as well as students have to negotiate new standards and norms that acknowledge the differences and the similarities among and between individuals and groups. Teachers play a critical role in mediating the social and academic curriculum. Read more…

How well do Minnesota’s education programs prepare students to be teachers?
It’s almost impossible to tell

In 2013, the education programs at Minnesota State University-Moorhead boasted a 100 percent employment rate for its graduates. A big, round number indeed — and only an incremental uptick from 2012 and 2011, when rates were 99 percent and 98 percent, respectively.

That’s a higher rate than the one posted by Harvard Law. It’s higher than the number of Ph.D.s from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that go straight into the workforce and the number of newly minted Carlson School MBAs with job offers.

Enviable or unbelievable? Read more…

I’m An Educator. What are you?

Several years ago, I found myself a new teacher on a faculty of a middle sized Catholic school in the northern section of the state of Pennsylvania. After a successful school beginning, I carefully planned my presentation to parents at back-to-school night.

After my talk, one of the parents came up to me, extended his hand, and said with a grin from ear to ear, “Hi, I am Seamus O’Hare! What are you?” In response, I asked, “Pardon?” I had NO idea what to do with his question.

He repeated with as much energy as before, “What are you?” Read more…

21 Reasons to Quit Your Job and Become a Teacher

The Need for School Counselors

What Does a School Counselor Do?
Parents, administrators, teachers and students considering a career in school counseling often wonder just what it is school counselors do on a daily basis. Why do we need school counselors anyway? On a daily basis, school counselors are involved in character education, violence prevention, career planning and much more. Read more…

So You Want to Become a Psychologist?

This is a brief guide to help you understand what it takes and what you’re getting into if you’d like to become a psychologist. Read more…

How can teachers create more inclusive, welcoming classrooms? It starts by saying students’ names correctly.

During a morning playtime session in Sara Birkeland’s pre-K classroom at Maxfield Elementary School in St. Paul, students drifted between playing house and building puzzles to water coloring and drawing on mini whiteboards.

While roaming the room to affirm positive behaviors and redirect budding disputes, a student came up calling “teacher” to get Birkeland’s attention.

This prompted a mini interpersonal skills lesson. Read more…