#TeachDifferent – Reading Roundup

A collection of articles and posts from my virtual PLN, inspiring innovation in education.

Five hand-picked articles for educators.  This week’s articles emphasize the importance of student emotions, reflection, and effective parent engagement.  They also challenge commonly used literacy strategies, and our ideas about “average.”

Ending the Year with Student Reflections

3 End-of-Year Reflection Strategies for Students–We know that reflection is an essential practice for teachers, this article illustrates the importance of engaging students in reflection. It also features three great ideas to help you wrap-up the school year! "When students reflect on what they have learned, ownership of that new knowledge increases. Check out these three strategies to use with secondary students." Edutopia

Five Literacy Strategies to Abandon

What Doesn’t Work: Literacy Practices We Should Abandon–Nell Duke points out 5 common literacy practices that are not well-supported by research.  I've seen many of these instructional practices in use over the years.  In addition to being a great read for literacy practices, the following excerpt is applicable to all educators: "I encourage you to scrutinize your use of instructional time minute by minute. If a practice is used because we've always done it that way or because parents expect it, it's especially worthy of a hard look. At the same time, if a practice consistently gets results in an efficient and engaging way, protect it at all costs. Together we can rid U.S. classrooms of what does not work." Edutopia

Because No One is Average

What the “End of Average” Means for K-12–This article came up in a discussion I had with our school's salutatorian last week.  Even students that benefit from being represented by a high GPA seem to agree that averages are not a strong representation of an individual's talents. "And averages can create a false reference point when we use them to define 'normal.' Because virtually no one resembles the average. Virtually no one is normal."   www.edsurge.com

The Importance of Emotions in the Learning Process

Why Emotions Are Integral to Learning–While the title seems to point to the obvious, the article led me to ask if we place enough importance on the role of emotions in learning. It takes a much deeper look at the importance of a topic that is essential to understanding how our students view the world. "Learning is dynamic, social, and context dependent because emotions are, and emotions form a critical piece of how, what, when, and why people think, remember, and learn." MindShift

How to Engage Parents in Secondary Schools

8 Ways to Encourage Family Engagement in Secondary Schools–8 great ideas for engaging (not just including) parents.  The article is focussed on the idea that parent engagement "must be about creating an environment where all families feel embraced by a school's culture, not just invited to attend its events." Edutopia