Why Teachers Should Continue Virtual Field Trips Even After the Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic led to an influx of virtual field trips and online learning opportunities. Curators, docents, zookeepers and program directors did their best to provide virtual experiences for students who were learning from home. Now that schools have returned to in-person instruction, in-person field trips have also started back up. ...

Middle Schoolers and Sci-Fi: Teaching Science Through Science Fiction

Teaching science is governed by rules and facts. Students learn about the world around them as defined through the scientific method and proven laws of energy, mass and physics. However, there is an entirely overlooked aspect of science that is crucial to the formation of those laws: creativity. Creativity makes people ask ...

Post-Pandemic Snapshot: Which EdTech Tools Are Teachers Still Using?

Most teachers had no choice but to jump into various edtech tools and solutions at the start of the pandemic. They became masters of Zoom and Google Slides, in addition to other apps and software systems. It’s been almost three years since the initial school closings. Some educators returned to in-person ...

How to Add Physical Activity to Your Lesson Plans (and Why You Should)

Do you have a class full of antsy students? You need to cover important concepts but your students are fidgeting in their seats and seemingly distracted by everything. Movement doesn’t have to be your enemy. It can be a valuable resource to engage students in the material and help them ...

Essential Experiments for an Exciting Chemistry Classroom

Chemistry can be one of the most exciting subjects in the field of science. It’s fascinating how the elements engage with each other and change their state of matter — and even toxicity — as they connect. However, much of chemistry class isn’t spent in the lab. This subject requires a ...

How to Build Academic Self-Esteem in Your Students

What does low academic self-esteem look like in the classroom? It looks like students who don’t ask questions because they are afraid of sounding dumb. It looks like students who give up easily or don’t try at all because they don’t want to fail. More teachers are noticing low academic self-esteem ...

Labor History Lesson Plans: Introducing Students to Workers’ Rights

If you have Saturday and Sunday off as your weekend, you have the labor movement to thank.  If you are supposed to work 40 hours this week (though many teachers work much more), you have the labor movement to thank.  Many elements of the modern workplace weren’t common 100 years ago — ...

How Music and Performing Arts Improve Social-Emotional Skills

More schools than ever understand the value that social-emotional learning provides for students. However, the question remains: how do you teach it? Should educators build SEL into subjects like math and reading, or should it be taught on its own? Both options are viable, but it seems like some courses ...

How to Get Actual Value Out of Professional Development Sessions

Anyone can benefit from professional development sessions, whether you stepped into the classroom for the first time this year or are a tenured professional with decades of experience. However, not all types of professional development provide value in the same way. Your school might not cover topics you want to ...