A limited proficiency in English still remains a major barrier to educational success for millions in public schools, and many schools are under-resourced and teachers are under-prepared to support English language learners (ELL). A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recommends that schools need to devote more resources to help English learners. Most importantly, the report dispels the idea that English learners need to discard their native language to learn English. So what aren’t teachers doing now, and what will be able to help these students overcome the language barrier? We look at a few…
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5 Things You Can Do to Support English Language Learners
The Student Life Cycle: What K-12 Can Learn from Higher Ed
On the college campus, educators frequently toss around the buzz phrase “student life cycle.” What exactly is it? This approach helps academic leaders analyze, anticipate, and seek ways to improve a freshman student’s success in their first year of college. The life cycle model suggests looking at a student’s first year in a well-rounded way, taking into consideration a variety of factors that could either positively or negatively contribute to a student’s persistence and achievement through the rest of their college years: the state of the student-teacher relationship, physical environment, student participation, vocational interest or direction, personal development, and academic…
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7 Ways to Think Like a Designer and Enhance Online Learning
Online learning is booming. U.S. students in traditional K-12 schools have enrolled in 750,000 online courses within a school year, and the numbers are growing. In community colleges, the number of online students has risen to more than 5 million. Some states have expanded policy to encourage more online courses. For instance, 9th graders were required to complete at least one online course before they graduate in Alabama, Florida, Indiana, Michigan, and New Mexico. How well do you know how a student uses or enjoys an online course? If you want to create the most effective online modules or courses,…
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Technology and the At-Risk Student: 3 Ways to Change Their Learning Outcomes
Students who are labeled “at risk” face a unique set of learning challenges than their peers. They run a wide variety: ones who belong to ethnic minorities, those who are academically disadvantaged, those who are disabled, those with a probationary status, and those from low-income or poverty-stricken households. For example, for the 16 million students who live below the poverty line in the U.S., many do not own computers or have Internet access. In high-poverty schools, only 3 percent of teachers agreed that students had the digital tools they needed to complete assignments at home. For students coming from a single-parent…
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A Student’s View: Why We Need to Change the Way We Teach
You’re all familiar with the typical high school students… We sit in class, usually half asleep, listening to our teacher ramble on about applied trigonometry. Though we’re in the classroom, we never seem to retain much of what’s taught. Why? Because the teacher, in most cases, is simply following the curriculum, and the curriculum doesn’t cater to student needs. Not All Students Learn in the Same Way According to KidSpot, “It is estimated that around 80% of all students learn visually”, making them suited to traditional teaching methods, but what about the other 20%? The 20% that won’t be able…
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4 Simple Strategies to Avoid the Summer Learning Loss
Among the excitement of summer’s long awaited arrival, parents and educators are bracing themselves to face a familiar challenge. According to the National Summer Learning Association, “parents consistently cite summer as the most difficult time to ensure that their children have productive things to do.” With years of research proving the typical school-free summer months to have a detrimental impact on student learning, the summer learning loss is a real concern. Advancements in EdTech are helping to tackle the issue, providing resources specifically aimed at keeping students actively learning, developing essential skills, and engaging with educational content, independent of school…
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Teacher’s Toolkit: 5 Ways to Finish the School Year Like a Pro!
For many teachers, the last few weeks of school is a strange time. Students are restlessly awaiting that final bell to mark the beginning of summer, and you know there’s little point overloading with new curriculum. For some, it’s a waiting game. For others, it’s a scramble to the finish line. Either way, the homestretch should always be a time to wind down, take in the school year, get to know your students, and bring some fun and laughter to the table. 1. Stop Talking! Regardless of what you’re familiar with, the last few weeks of school is no time…
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Reflections on the School Year: What Should We Do Differently?
As we reach the homestretch, principals and education leaders everywhere are beginning to reflect on the school year, asking critical questions like: ‘Was it successful?’ ‘Are my students satisfied?’ ‘Are my teachers satisfied?’ These are important not only for professional development and school progress, but for the health and well-being of staff and students alike. With an emphasis on self-assessment, this final stretch marks the ideal time for school leaders to come together and answer one simple question: What should we do differently? #1. Did we build a positive school culture? Creating a positive school culture is always a top…
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5 Things You See in a Student-Centered Classroom
It’s no big revelation that classrooms are evolving. They’ve been changing for a long time, with some faster than others to embrace reform. Much of this change is edging us ever closer to what many consider the ideal: Student-centered education. Student-centered learning essentially means challenging the traditional ‘teacher-centric’ approach to give students more control over their learning, to help them become active classroom participants, and to maintain a focus on the 21st century skills needed for the outside world. With many technology-enabled trends playing a key role, what you see in a typical student-centered classroom is less what we’re used…
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Do Today’s Graduates Have the Workplace Skills to Succeed?
“Are we adequately preparing our students for the 21st century workforce?” Recognizing the need for education reform to better align with a rapidly changing job market, this is a question that continues to be asked. In a recent survey, 126 CEOs were quizzed about STEM and other workplace skills in which 98% said the skills gap is posing a problem for their companies. With the knowledge that 60% of job openings require basic STEM literacy, and considering the impact the skills shortage is having on businesses and graduates alike, the need to re-evaluate our approach is clear. Skills-Centered Learning Highlighting…
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