Laughter and Lightbulb Moments: Why I Love OER Project Resources for History

The sound of student engagement is music to every teacher’s ears.

Starting With “Why”: How I Choose Digital Tools to Support My Students

I’ve always loved using education technology to support my students, so now that my school community is learning online, choosing digital tools to inspire my kids feels like such an exciting opportunity for me. But when I lead a PD session for fellow teachers on virtual teaching, I often hear questions like, “There are so many digital teaching tools! How are we supposed to know what to use when?”

6 Ways to Make Virtual Formative Assessment Meaningful

by Ben Cogswell | 11.30.20

I teach kindergarten in Salinas – sometimes called the “Salad Bowl of the World” because of our rich agricultural industry. Just about everyone in our school community is a language learner. Some of us know a lot of English and a little Spanish, and some of us know a lot of Spanish and a little English. In kindergarten, one of our top priorities is building students’ language skills.

Bringing Trauma-Informed Strategies into the (Online) Classroom

by Jorge Valenzuela | 7.10.20

As educators, every day of teaching is an invitation to learn more about ourselves and our practice. And then summers hit, offering us a chance to step back and go even deeper – renew our energies, reflect on our goals and dig into compelling and necessary new learning.

Essential Elements for an Effective Distance Classroom

by Robert Barnett and Kareem Farah | 4.15.20

You’re a teacher who has just been asked to move your class online. This may be a completely new experience for you, and you may not have been given much guidance for how to teach virtually.

3 Creative Ways to Build Empathy in the Classroom

by Wendy Turner | 4.4.19

I am known as a warrior of social-emotional learning. I always say my teaching puts SEL first – and empathy is a critical component. People ask me all the time how I build empathy in the classroom. The answer is one day at a time, one experience at a time, with great intention, focus and practice.