Learning Through Teaching: Building Critical Consciousness in My Classroom
Looking back on my time teaching English, I know I didn’t include enough books by Black and Brown authors, or books by women. In film class, I predominantly showed white men telling stories about white men because those were the movies I knew and had watched and studied. I was limited by own life experiences… Read More ›
Resource Round-Up: Honoring Student Voice with Authentic Products
Engagement can be an ongoing struggle in remote and traditional classroom settings, but there are technologies and strategies available that can open the door to many authentic student projects. Blogs, podcasts, digital storytelling, and a variety of non-traditional genres of writing can feel closer to the kind of communication students do out of school. Below… Read More ›
Resource Round-Up: Teaching the Civil Rights Movement
Suffering decades of lynching after the Civil War, a movement had long been in the works. However, it wasn’t until the 1950s after the murder of Emmet Till that the movement became organized. In schools, we often learn to associate the civil right movement primarily with the actions of Martin Luther King, Jr. but of… Read More ›
Resource Round-Up: Teaching Jim Crow South and the Lynching Era
Many educators are trying to advance social justice in the United States, which involves a large learning curve for many White Americans who want to be allies. During COVID-19, it’s hard to travel places and resources to do so may be limited. So, we’ve compiled resources that can help anyone, anywhere, be able to visit and learn from an immersive experience on Jim Crow South. While… Read More ›
Sustaining Student-Centered Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Principal Arria Coburn and classroom teacher, Ellen Foley, sat down with us to reflect and discuss what it has been like to ensure schools and classrooms are student-centered, engaging and full of learning. Arria Coburn is a principal of the Springfield Renaissance School, a 6-12 EL Education School in Springfield, Massachusetts. She’s serving her sixth… Read More ›
Promising Practices and Recommendations for Designing Dual Enrollment for Students from Special Populations
In Dual Enrollment for Students from Special Populations: Improving College Transitions for English Learners, Students with Disabilities, Foster Youth and Young People Experiencing Homelessness, JFF explores promising practices and recommendations for designing dual enrollment with the assets and needs of these students at the center. Interest in dual enrollment opportunities in California is at an all-time high, enough… Read More ›
Report on Promising Practices to Accelerate Learning for Students with Disabilities
What are proven, effective models and considerations for student populations who have been historically marginalized, especially students with disabilities? A new report from the National Center for Learning Disabilities looks at just that, with emphasis on how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected opportunity gaps for those students. The student-centered approaches they found to work include:… Read More ›
Culturally Responsive Education Hub
Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) focuses on providing quality education to all students, with curriculum and content reflective of their identities and school environments that are safe and supportive. The Culturally Responsive Education (CRE) Hub provides history, tools and resources to learn about and build the movement for culturally responsive education and ethnic studies. The site… Read More ›
Student and Teacher Agency in Action: the Self-Direction Toolkit Development Process
Researchers tell us and employers confirm that individuals who demonstrate the 21st-century skills of self-direction, communication, creativity and collaboration excel in post-secondary and career experiences. So the more schools can support the development of those crucial skills, the more we’ll be ensuring our graduates are successful in both the workplace and college. Figuring out how… Read More ›
How Our School Shared Student-Centered Learning With Families
Over the past four years, the Winship School’s instructional focus has been to create student-centered learning environments for all students, all the time. This focus has been a major driver of our school’s success. As a result of this intentional focus and our aligned efforts, we were able to enhance our capacity to meet students’ academic,… Read More ›
One School’s Commitment to Equity Using Student-Centered Learning
We know that within the past year lower-income families have been relegated to remote learning with inconsistent or nonexistent internet service, improper removal from special education services, lack of suitable WIFI-enabled devices, insufficient or nonexistent childcare, food insecurity and innumerable other challenges. Comparatively, wealthier families have in-person classes, higher diversion rates to private schools, availability… Read More ›
10 Drivers of Engagement You Can Use Right Now
Whether learning occurs in brick-and-mortar schools or in virtual environments, student engagement drives an impressive array of student outcomes. Eric Toshalis, Senior Director of Impact at KnowledgeWorks, uses research to present and explain ways educators can drive student engagement in their classrooms regardless of whether they are teaching virtually or in-person. Below is a list of resources… Read More ›