Emojis, which originated in Japan, have become an omnipresent aspect of digital communication across the globe. As more students rely on technology as a primary form of learning and communicating, it only makes sense to incorporate these small digital images into the classroom.  While some educators see emojis as distracting or ...

Writing is a crucial skill. Being able to write clearly and concisely isn’t just important for success at school. In order to succeed professionally in today’s digital world, students must learn how to communicate effectively through the written word. If you teach writing, you know how important it is that ...

Have you ever wondered what makes Google such an innovative company? Much of their creativity and inspiration can be attributed to a practice called “genius hour.” In this practice, 20 percent of an employee’s time is dedicated towards something they find interesting and exciting (other than their current work project). ...

Building effective lesson plans is an essential aspect of being a teacher. Yet with so many standards and criteria to meet, it can be hard to create lesson plans that satisfy state requirements and also keep students involved in what they’re learning and why. Using learning intentions and success criteria ...

Teaching a foreign language is an exciting opportunity to guide students through the communication methods of other countries. But as all language teachers know, some of the most important language class lessons extend far beyond grammar. In fact, one of the most important elements of foreign language lesson plans is ...

Today’s students have more control over their learning than previous generations. With the internet, school-aged children can easily research and find answers to questions about any topic that piques their interest.  As a result, more teachers are embracing student-directed learning, an instructional strategy where students decide not only what they’ll learn, ...

Social media is an inextricable aspect of today’s student experience. Whether they’re sharing photos on Instagram or Snapchat, social media is a constant element that’s here to stay. For teachers, this can sometimes be disruptive — especially if students aren’t focusing like they should.  However, creating social media lesson plans is ...

History is an interesting and exciting subject to teach. It can be somewhat overwhelming too. After all, there are many hundreds of years worth of content to cover in addition to fascinating people, places and events. Having a solid base of lesson plan options can make teaching history more manageable. It ...

Technology tools have transformed the way students learn and demonstrate knowledge. Whether writing an essay or researching a history project, devices can make ordinary assignments more interesting and efficient. However, there’s no doubt that digital tools can be distracting for students of all ages. Laptops, smartphones and tablets all have a ...