(I’m republishing posts on my My All-Time Favorite Posts list. This one appeared in 2014. You can see them all here)   © 2009 US Department of Education, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio An article in District Administration Magazine raises issues about the effectiveness of Booktrack (UPDATE: Booktrack is long defunct now), a website and app that provides a “soundtrack” of music, street sounds, etc. to a book (students can also create their own sounds). Some question research (funded by Booktrack) that suggests it improves comprehension. I’ve previously posted about Booktrack, and think highl ..read more

  Each week, I publish a post or two containing three or four particularly useful resources on classroom instruction, and you can see them all here. You might also be interested in THE BEST RESOURCES ON INSTRUCTION IN 2022 – PART ONE. Here are this week’s picks: 6 Ways to Capture Students’ Attention is from Edutopia. A Reading Comprehension Glossary: Learn About the Key Components for Success is from Ed Week. I’m adding it to . Teen Tiny Memoirs: The Winners of Our 2nd Annual 100-Word Narrative Contest is from The NY Times Learning Network. I’m adding it to . What Can Teachers Subtract F ..read more

Atlantios / Pixabay   May 22nd has been named The International Day for Biological Diversity by the United Nations. Started in 2006 by the U.S. Congress, Endangered Species Day is the third Friday of May. You might be interested in The Best Resources For World Biodiversity Day (& Endangered Species Day ..read more

(I’m republishing posts on my My All-Time Favorite Posts list. This one appeared in 2013. You can see them all here)   Anyone who has regularly read this blog or my books know that I’m a big believer in “positive,” not “punitive,” classroom management strategies (see The Best Posts On Classroom Management). At the same time, however, there are some occasions that negative consequences are called for — for “serious” offenses and for those times (and for those students) when all the positive classroom management tools in one’s toolbox aren’t working. A key issue, though, is how — in those ..read more

PublicDomainPictures / Pixabay   May 12th is Mother’s Day! You might be interested in The Best Sites For Learning About Mother’s Day.   ..read more

  I’m fairly active on Pinterest and, in fact, have curated 25,000 resources there that I haven’t shared on this blog. I thought readers might find it useful if I began sharing a handful of my most recent “pins” each week (I’m not sure if you can see them through an RSS Reader – you might have to click through to the original post). Here they are ..read more

Josch13 / Pixabay   This viral video has been featured on CNN and on other media. Check it out ..read more

(I’m republishing posts on my My All-Time Favorite Posts list. This one appeared in 2013. You can see them all here) Photo Credit: Tambako The Jaguar via Compfight An old community organizing adage goes like this: “Sometimes the only thing worse than losing a fight is winning one.” In organizing, that can mean your group gave so much to an issue campaign that you’re left with burnt-out leaders and a hollowed-out organization, or perhaps you burned too many bridges with potential allies along the way (it could mean many other things, too). I was reminded of this saying when I overheard a teach ..read more

geralt / Pixabay   At least, for now, I’m going to make this a weekly feature which will highlight additions to THE BEST NEW – & FREE – ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TOOLS THAT COULD BE USED IN THE CLASSROOM. Here are the latest: Leveled Texts and Resources with Diffit is from FLT Magazine. I’m adding it to: The Best Places To Get The “Same” Text Written For Different “Levels” NOT NECESSARILY THE “BEST,” BUT A LIST OF AI TEACHER PREP SITES THE BEST POSTS ABOUT USING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE WITH ELLS   TALC AI lets you test AI by comparing its questions to the answers found in Wikiped ..read more

  Here are some recent useful posts and articles on educational policy issues (You might also be interested in seeing all my “Best” lists related to education policy here): NEW: As 15 states sue to block new Title IX rules that offer expanded protections to LGBTQ students from taking effect, kids are caught in the middle. “It’s hard to describe how much anger and pain there is,” one Louisiana high schooler told @meltzere https://t.co/vO7dk0VL6p — Kalyn Belsha (@kalynbelsha) May 1, 2024 I understand these pouches can work. But I still think what our school does- all tchrs commit 2 enfo ..read more