Category Archives: blogs

6 Tips for Curating Resources for Students

Finding videos, podcasts, and more that will engage all students can be a challenge, but there are ways to make the process easier.

Curation might not be a word in your everyday vocabulary, but it’s something we do every day. We find content we like and tell other people about it—a link to a blog post that a friend or family member might enjoy, or a link to a YouTube video that a colleague might want to share with their students.

When taking on the role of a curator for your students, there are a few things you can do to handpick resources that support every student in your class.

The following list of tips for curating resources includes some of my favorite spots to find content for students.

1. THINK OF CONTENT IN CATEGORIES

2. CHOOSE CONTENT BASED ON LEARNING GOALS

3. SELECT RELEVANT AND AUTHENTIC CONTENT

4. EXTEND A LESSON AND CONNECT TO INTERESTS

5. DECIDE HOW TO ORGANIZE AND DISTRIBUTE CONTENT

6. CURATE WITH COLLEAGUES AND STUDENTS

References: https://www.edutopia.org/article/6-tips-curating-resources-students?fbclid=IwAR2nyIIDiNg_lAjnExIP7B6PfbhBnywuh9WFSQeyHsXlvEXulTZcydDZkZE

How to Make Reading Instruction Much, Much More Efficient

 

  • Intensive, sustained, systematic phonics. We could substantially accelerate students’ mastery of the phonetic code in K-1—and still have time for kids to read and listen to far more fiction and nonfiction texts.
  • Reading/general knowledge. If most students have mastered decoding in the 1st grade, they could spend record amounts of time in 2nd and 3rd grade reading literature, history, and science texts to build their knowledge base and vocabulary, which are critical to effective comprehension.
  • Vocabulary instruction. Most of a rich vocabulary is acquired through abundant reading. But research also shows that we can reliably supplement this with targeted, embedded vocabulary instruction.
  • Discussion. To become confident, articulate speakers, students must engage in frequent, purposeful discussions about what they read. We could multiply the length and frequency of such discussions, which animate an appreciation of reading and are excellent preparation for writing.
  • Writing and writing instruction. Writing has an unsurpassed capacity to help us think logically, express ourselves clearly, and understand, analyze, and retain content. It often promotes dramatic, measurable improvements across the curriculum and is crucial to success in innumerable careers.

Reference: https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/opinion-how-to-make-reading-instruction-much-much-more-efficient/2019/11?fbclid=IwAR3ofm_AIUyphUKQBQTvOJwKUWYMZBvol4vzzLcNqWP4puVAQxvY7rkFT20

Know your worth and ask for it

Your customers probably aren’t paying you what you’re worth — instead, they’re paying you what they think you’re worth. Take the time to learn how to shape their thinking. Pricing consultant Casey Brown shares helpful stories and learnings that can help you better communicate your value and get paid for your excellence.

Teacher girls bravery, not perfection

We’re raising our girls to be perfect, and we’re raising our boys to be brave, says Reshma Saujani, the founder of Girls Who Code. Saujani has taken up the charge to socialize young girls to take risks and learn to program — two skills they need to move society forward. To truly innovate, we cannot leave behind half of our population, she says. “I need each of you to tell every young woman you know to be comfortable with imperfection.”

·  An HP report found that men will apply for a job if they meet only 60 percent of the qualifications, but women, women will apply only if they meet 100 percent of the qualifications. 100 percent. 

·  When the guys are struggling with an assignment, they’ll come in and they’ll say, “Professor, there’s something wrong with my code.” The girls will come in and say, “Professor, there’s something wrong with me.” 

·  We have to socialize our girls to be comfortable with imperfection, and we’ve got to do it now. We cannot wait for them to learn how to be brave like I did when I was 33 years old. We have to teach them to be brave in schools and early in their careers, when it has the most potential to impact their lives and the lives of others, and we have to show them that they will be loved and accepted not for being perfect but for being courageous.