State standards set the expectations for what teachers teach in the classroom, but we should continue to examine who is represented in those standards… and who is erased? We read a study of state civics standards to analyze where Indigenous nations are represented. We learned from these examples to see how to explicitly include Indigenous… Read More »

Starting another school year with pandemic concerns rising again, it’s important to address student mental wellness as a classroom goal. We read a national survey that asked students how they feel about school, both at the moment and as they remember it. The results give us concrete opportunities to support student wellness this fall. Later,… Read More »

This month we reflect on our year of reading scholarship and growing as humans. First we’ll return to the segments we felt had the greatest impact on our practice and our thinking from the research we read. See the 2020-2021 Noteworthy Paper announcements here. Later, we’ll reflect specifically on our praxis. We share some of… Read More »

This month we are talking about race, and read a series of papers looking at the experience of Black students in US education. First, we read an article that examined the story of “The Space Traders” as a starting point for imagining what it looks like to create Black Education Spaces for students to express… Read More »

Student social, emotional, and behavior development will be a critical consideration for teachers returning to physical classrooms in the fall. We read a national study examining the various methods schools use to screen students for social, emotional, and behavioral needs. Universal screening is still rare in the US, but its impacts are considerable. Later, we… Read More »

This month we are thinking… about thinking. We read a review of the applied research on retrieval practice, which recognizes the difference between “learning” something and “knowing” something. We reflect on the ways this has played out in our classrooms, and what we can learn from recent studies for how to improve our use of… Read More »

Standardized testing is happening again this year. Researchers are talking about how to use the data more responsibly. We read an advising memo that describes some of the common problems with comparing testing data from this year to past years, so we can properly recognize the progress students have made this year. Later, we discuss… Read More »

Images and animations offer tools to visualize our content, but must strike a balance between ease-of-use and ability to prompt thinking. We read a study that tested the impact of prior knowledge and multimedia format on learning outcomes. Later, we read a case study about an administrator navigating a toxic district culture. Guest Jenn Binis… Read More »

Gamification offers a fresh take on teaching design that offers increased engagement and improved learning. However, research to-date has been unclear about what components of gamification work. We read a meta-analysis that searches for which pieces of gamification can benefit your students. Later, we turned to a study of how research is interpreted by teachers…. Read More »

Teacher preparation and professional development can pursue anti-racist, decolonial practices by deconstructing our assumptions about effective practice. We read a study from pre-service teachers engaged in disrupting oppressive paradigms of teaching in a collaborative pursuit of more just practice. Later, we turned to an examination of the neuroscience underlying motivation. These authors claim a popular… Read More »