What Teachers Are Talking About This Week
September 29, 2016 | Sign up to receive The Teachers Edition.
This week, the Department released new non-regulatory guidance
for Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Title II, Part A, which encourages
states and districts to prepare, train and recruit high-quality teachers and
principals to increase student academic achievement. Mentor programs, teacher leadership opportunities, and
leveraging teacher expertise in professional learning are some of the many ways
the funds may be used. Secretary King held virtual
round tables with teachers across the nation and was interviewed
by OZY national politics reporter Nick Fouriezos to discuss the specifics of the guidance.
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VOICE FROM THE CLASSROOM
First year math teacher Megan Meyers finally has her own classroom. But without the help of her mentor at Woodward Middle School in the Bainbridge Island (Wash.) School
District she would lack some of the content knowledge and confidence she needs to be an effective novice teacher. See her reflection in her Homeroom blog.
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 Let Girls Learn Takes Center Stage
First Lady Michelle Obama held an event on Broadway last week to raise awareness for her "Let Girls Learn" initiative. Joined by emcee Stephen Colbert and other Broadway stars, in front of spouses of global heads of state who were in town for the U.N. General Assembly, she asked them to use their influence and power to ensure girls worldwide get an education. Keynote speakers were young women who had overcome obstacles in their countries to get an education (Terry, Hello Giggles).
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Celebrate World Teachers’ Day on Wednesday, October 5 and
follow along on Twitter using the #WorldTeachersDay. The theme this year is “Valuing
Teachers, Improving their Status” and is the first World Teachers’ Day to be
celebrated with the new Global Education 2030 Agenda. Learn more about what
UNESCO says about the important
role teachers play in providing a quality education and promoting a lifelong
love of learning and the global education goals in the 2030 agenda.
 Mining in the Classroom
Love Minecraft? Soon you’ll be able to use it even
more easily in your classroom. The
new Minecraft Education Edition will be released November 1 and includes feedback from upwards of 35,000 students and
educators to help improve the platform for classroom use. This popular game has
broad classroom applications -- from student-created historical and literary
scenarios to systems thinking and engineering (Etherington, TechCrunch).
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 International Literacy Award Goes to One of Our Own
This year's International Literacy Association's 30 Under 30 list not only includes 30 of the most innovative literacy promoters that can be found anywhere in the world, but also includes 2015-16 Teaching Ambassador Fellow and former Teachers Edition editor Matt Presser. Now enrolled in the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s educational leadership program, Presser has taught reading across all grade levels from elementary to high
school. Most recently, he was the only male reading specialist at any of the 32
city elementary and middle schools in New Haven. Read more about Matt and the other amazing 30 Under 30s.
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Nourishing and Sustaining Innovation
School leaders hoping to inspire change in their
buildings would do well to heed some advice: build a strong foundation of
support, be patient, and develop a plan. This guidance from Ron Williamson, professor at Eastern Michigan University, and Barbara Blackburn, educational author, provides
leaders with a thoughtful and thorough process for changing the culture of a
school, right from the beginning of the year (Williamson and Blackburn, MiddleWeb).
 Digital Music
Instruction
Digital music instruction music
teachers know the limitations of traditional instruction: equipment and
materials are expensive, differentiation is tricky and students
with disabilities often find playing instruments challenging. But Taylor Haun (Lake Travis STEM Academy, Austin, Texas) describes
a new way for students to make music: through
digital technology. The digital and online characteristics of special music applications like Soundtrap allow teachers to customize instruction and invite
students to collaborate and share their creations. Haun says “Students [get] great confidence boosts because of the music they create
and share” (Haun, EdSurge).
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 The Good Ones Make Everyone Better
The most effective teachers on a team can influence
their peers to improve their practice and benefit students, a recent study
found. University of Washington professor Min Sun said
that student learning is not based on just one teacher’s efforts, but “the combined effort of many teachers.” This positive
spillover effect not only influenced students’ test scores, but increased the
likelihood that they would go to college (Will,
EdWeek).
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 1. "Stressing professionalism is key in growing more teachers." -- Teacher, Kansas
2. "Great professional learning is compelling and convincing, and provides
concrete strategies for a teacher to act upon." -- Teacher, Wisconsin
3. "Professional learning that works must be facilitated
by great teachers and differentiated to connect the adult learner to the
learning." -- Teacher, Florida
4. "I provide professional development for teachers so they have an
opportunity to connect with colleagues about the challenges they face in their
classrooms and work together to develop strategies to address these challenges." -- Teacher, Washington
5. "Great professional learning means educators doing the work of
reflection, asking questions, and learning from and about their students,
classrooms, and profession." -- Teacher, Kentucky
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