Podcast Series: Innovations in Education

Explore the full series of eSchool News podcasts hosted by Kevin Hogan—created to keep you on the cutting edge of innovations in education.

5 essential SEL reads

Key points:

  • SEL skills are vital for students’ success now, and in the future
  • Here are tips on how to create a thoughtful and impactful SEL program
  • See related article: Why SEL isn’t a dirty word

Social and emotional learning (SEL) is critical for our students as they move through school and as they enter the workforce. Learning to work with others who have different backgrounds and viewpoints, having emotional regulation skills, and being able to navigate social situations are must-have skills that employers prioritize as they seek high-quality employees.

Educators are doing all they can to instill these important SEL skills in students—an even more important goal considering the increasing number of students who are experiencing mental health struggles.…Read More

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Career and technical education needs a mental health revolution

Key points:

  • Students often struggle to transition to the workforce, and mental health can be a big factor in that struggle
  • One educator launched a new approach to student mental health to complement an existing emphasis on pre-vocational skill development
  • See related article: How our district engages students in a CTE program

This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters.

As a longtime public school occupational therapist, I know what students look and sound like when they’re ready to transition from the work lab to the workforce.…Read More

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Gale In Context: Literature Launches to Promote Critical Thinking Skills and Better Learning Outcomes in ELA for High School Students

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. – Gale, part of Cengage Group, has added a new resource to its award-winning Gale In Context family of products. The company has launched Gale In Context: Literature, a new resource for literature instruction and learning that helps high schoolers engage and thrive in English language arts (ELA). Read our blog about why English teachers will love Gale In Context: Literature.

Designed with high school students in mind, Gale In Context: Literature provides learners with the context they need to engage and form personal connections with a wide variety of literature from traditional texts to diverse new voices. Educators can easily connect students to standards-based resources that provide the literary context necessary to ensure student understanding of the texts they’re reading in ELA lessons. This sparks greater interest in literature, enabling teachers to facilitate meaningful interactions that inspire more compelling classroom discussions that increase critical thinking skills, delivering better learning outcomes.

Download/view screenshots of Gale In Context: Literature.…Read More

How to reimagine teacher leadership

Key points:

  • Teacher-leaders are an integral–but under-utilized–part of a school
  • School leaders can secure teacher buy-in around new initiatives through teacher-leaders

The typical leadership structure in a school is quite rigid, with administrators and teachers filling their roles separately. In this model, teacher skills are only utilized inside of the classroom, leaving teacher leadership potential on the table.

Because this is true in almost any school building, it is time for administrators to reimagine teacher leader roles and leverage teacher leadership, specifically at the grade level or in content teams. Many schools have positions such as “Lead Teacher” or “Content Team Leader,” which is a great starting point. The next step is transforming these established positions, or creating similar models, and implementing them across your school. This should lead to actionable steps taken by these teacher-leaders, and the loosening of the reins by administrators.…Read More

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Kidwind Celebrates Top Renewable Energy Innovations From Students At The 2023 National Kidwind Challenge

Boulder, Colo. – Being one of the best was the goal of each of the 80 teams while competing at the 2023 National KidWind Challenge in Boulder. Over the course of the three-day event, these highly skilled students were tested on their knowledge of renewable energy, their design and problem-solving skills, and their wind turbines’ energy output by a team of renewable energy educators and industry professionals. The top-performing teams are:

High School Division (Grades 9-12)

  • THS Wind Breakers from Tabb High School in Yorktown, Va.
  • Mauston Gummy Bears from Mauston High School in Mauston, Wis.
  • The Quilt Blockers from Darlington High School in Darlington, Wis.

Middle School Division (Grades 6-8)…Read More

4 ideas to consider when designing a STEM lab

Key points:

  • STEM labs are engaging environments that encourage exploration
  • With the right tools and supports, students develop and grow 21st-century skills

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education is focused on developing students’ skills and connecting these subject areas, preparing them for future careers and the real world. It’s a key area of teaching worldwide and thousands of schools are now investing in learning spaces specifically designed to support STEM–called STEM labs.

What is a STEM Lab?…Read More

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4 ways to enhance critical thinking skills

Critical thinking is plainly in decline.  Everywhere we look, people are uncritically consuming and spreading information that is distorted, misleading, and sometimes intentionally deceptive. Conspiracy thinking is rampant–QAnon, Alex Jones and the Sandy Hook shooting, Pizzagate, and unfounded claims of widespread voter fraud are just a few of the most notorious examples. The very foundations of our democracy are arguably at risk when millions are willing to believe irrational and unfounded claims.

Nobel prize-winning economist Daniel Kahneman (Thinking Fast and Slow) demonstrated that we’re generally inclined to draw conclusions based on gut instincts, thereby avoiding the hard work of closely examining evidence.  Psychologists and neuroscientists have shown that we are subject to “confirmation bias,” the tendency to believe whatever reinforces our prior views and to disbelieve what challenges them. We are especially prone to this bias if changing our views would be costly–financially, to our reputation, or to our identity. These natural tendencies, exacerbated by the pervasiveness of social media and the limitless access to information on the internet, leave us vulnerable to being duped by disinformation.

But we are not defenseless.  There are some simple exercises we can use to combat both our natural instincts and the rising tide of digital misinformation.  …Read More

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5 essential STEM education reads

STEM education is a critical part of a comprehensive K-12 education–it helps students build and improve critical thinking skills, problem solving skills, and it teaches students to be persistent when presented with a challenge.

And while STEM education is essential, it’s not always accessible–underrepresented groups, including female students and minority students–often lose interest in STEM subjects as the subjects grow more challenging and as they move through school.

Representation is another obstacle to more ubiquitous STEM participation. When students don’t see STEM professionals who look like them represented in advertising, on TV and in movies, or in classroom resources, they have a harder time envisioning themselves in STEM careers.…Read More

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How to support reluctant readers with literacy strategies

Literacy is the foundation upon which all learning is built. Without strong reading skills, students will struggle as they progress through their education. This need is non-negotiable and becomes even more urgent in light of the nation’s latest–and first post-pandemic–reading scores, which have seen their biggest drop since 1990.

Nearly two-thirds of students from grades four through 12 aren’t considered proficient readers for their grade level, and these numbers are trending in the wrong direction. As troubling as this news is, more alarming is the fact that a certain group of students is consistently left out of efforts to support targeted literacy instruction.

Students who have an Individualized Educational Plan (IEP), as well as those from Title I schools, typically receive special attention and services. However, many students from schools that aren’t designated for Title I support and who haven’t been diagnosed with a learning disability struggle with reading as well.…Read More

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