eSchool News

JANUARY 30, 2023

Learning a new language is challenging, requiring a student to master four basic skills–listening, reading, speaking, and writing–from scratch. The reasons for the importance of writing skills for ESL learners are obvious: Mistakes make them look uneducated. Above-average writing skills are a must here to succeed.

Writing 286

Writing Skills Essay Language 286

eSchool News

JULY 22, 2024

I utilize features like drag-and-drop activities, voice notes, and audio responses to craft lessons. This practical activity allows me to visually assess their understanding of interview dress code and making this a practical skill for real life. Students respond by recording their answers as audio files within Classkick.

Special Education 286

Special Education Skills Education Feedback 286

Catlin Tucker

SEPTEMBER 13, 2021

.” I disagree, especially when it comes to assignments designed to provide students with opportunities to review concepts and practice specific skills. First, I do not think grades are an effective long-term strategy for motivating most students. What did they learn about their skills from assessing their work?

Teachers 544

Teachers Motivation Assignments Students 544

Catlin Tucker

MAY 3, 2021

UDL recognizes that every class comprises a wide range of learners with various needs, skills, experiences, knowledge, and interests. Every student, regardless of variability, deserves the best opportunity to develop their skills and knowledge regardless of the learning landscape. It was an exhausting and often frustrating experience.

Universal Design 545

Universal Design Blended Learning Learning Motivation 545

Catlin Tucker

JANUARY 1, 2020

Their school days tend to be a blur of information, assignments, and activities. However, if students do not appreciate their growth over time, it may be harder to understand the value of the work they are doing or stay motivated. The goal is to get students thinking about their skills and how they have changed or developed over time.

Students 546

Students Motivation Assignments Activities 546

k12 Digest

MAY 19, 2025

This is because brain-based strategies allow students to analyze, synthesize, and apply information actively during lessons, increasing the transfer of that knowledge to long-term memory. Active and Experiential Learning The brain-based learning framework consistently emphasizes the importance of active learning.

Science 130

Science Education Motivation Lecturing 130

Catlin Tucker

AUGUST 16, 2021

Choice boards fall within the umbrella of blended learning when we combine active, engaged learning online with active, engaged learning offline. Choice is a powerful motivator. Each column focuses on a specific standard or skill. The Benefits of Choice Boards. Thematic Choice Boards. Review and Practice Choice Boards.

Blended Learning 546

Blended Learning Feedback Activities Universal Design 546

Catlin Tucker

MAY 18, 2021

Blended learning is “active, engaged learning online combined with active, engaged learning offline to give students more control over time, place, pace, and/or path of their learning.” They are not passive consumers but rather active participants. If not, can you modify your design to create more balance?

Blended Learning 519

Blended Learning Feedback Learning Beliefs 519

Catlin Tucker

DECEMBER 12, 2023

1 Hard to Motivate After a Long Day at School After spending six to seven hours in a structured, often high-pressure academic environment, students face the additional burden of homework. As a result, writing assignments often fail to meet the psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness required for motivation.

Assignments 456

Assignments Writing Feedback Motivation 456

Catlin Tucker

MARCH 28, 2023

Designing for Deeper Learning The sign of deeper learning is the ability to transfer or apply knowledge and skills to new and novel contexts. Cognitive The cognitive domain refers to the content knowledge and skills students must acquire to engage in deeper learning. These internal skills are vital to cultivating expert learners.

Blended Learning 458

Blended Learning Universal Design Motivation Learning 458

Catlin Tucker

APRIL 5, 2023

By strategically positioning desks, chairs, and other pieces of furniture, we can create an environment that promotes collaboration, active engagement, and independent thinking. Sitting in rows can minimize distraction and allow students to concentrate on the learning activity without being tempted to socialize or interact with others.

Motivation 479

Motivation Learning Outcomes Communication Coaching 479

Ask a Tech Teacher

APRIL 23, 2024

The psychology of motivation: Strategies for engaging students Motivation plays a role not only in people’s choice to get involved in their goals but also in their behavior, persistence, and, ultimately, success. What does motivation entail? Experts in psychology have comprehensively analyzed motivation.

Motivation 174

Motivation Students Feedback Achievement 174

Catlin Tucker

JANUARY 10, 2022

These traditional workflows do not position the students to be active agents or help them to develop into expert learners, who are resourceful, strategic, motivated, and self-aware. Too many students spend their days in classrooms passively observing, instead of actively engaging.

Blended Learning 465

Blended Learning Metacognitive Skills Teachers Feedback 465

Catlin Tucker

JULY 23, 2019

A consistent theme in my work on blended learning is shifting students from passive consumers in the classroom to active, engaged members of a learning community. However, if the student has not played an active role in asking questions or investigating topics, they are unlikely to be interested in or motivated to remember the “answer.”

Motivation 388

Motivation Blended Learning Questions Activities 388

Catlin Tucker

OCTOBER 5, 2021

Blended learning is the thoughtful design and facilitation of learning experiences that strive to shift control from teacher to learner by weaving together active, engaged learning online and offline. Pain Point: Teachers are frustrated by a lack of student engagement and motivation. Blended learning is not a reaction to a moment.

Blended Learning 544

Blended Learning Metacognitive Skills Learning Motivation 544

Catlin Tucker

MARCH 25, 2024

A playlist is a sequence of learning activities designed to move students toward a desired result. Any of these learning activities or tasks above would benefit from students controlling the pace of their progress and could potentially benefit from the playlist model.

Teachers 479

Teachers Art Feedback Writing 479

eSchool News

APRIL 23, 2025

Among the new content and resources now available to users of Discovery Education Experience are: Ready-To-Teach Lessons Enhancing Curriculum Built around research-based instructional strategies, these new ready-to-teach lessons and activities target critical classroom needs and help teachers create unique learning opportunities for each student.

Laboratory 197

Laboratory Social Studies Education Middle School 197

Edsurge

MAY 9, 2023

Competing [in a game] doesn’t work as motivation for every student. The idea is to keep learners motivated in a class. Competing [in a game] doesn’t work as motivation for every student. Almost a decade into experiments with gamification, edtech companies are changing the way they approach motivation.

Gamification 199

Gamification Motivation Game-Based Learning Math 199

Catlin Tucker

DECEMBER 20, 2020

That way, teachers are inspired and motivated to work through the challenges associated with this shift in designing and facilitating learning. My adaptation of Staker and Horn’s (2012) often cited definition is rooted in constructivist principles emphasizing the student’s role as an active participant in the learning process.

Blended Learning 545

Blended Learning Learning Online Learning Activities 545

eSchool News

JANUARY 6, 2025

Reaching reluctant and disinterested readers can be challenging, frustrating, and discouraging for teachers, who fully grasp the importance of literacy skills. Theyre encouraged to embrace mistakes, stay motivated, and deepen their understanding of the material. This approach especially helps reluctant readers.

Failure 328

Failure Motivation Gamification Cognitive Development 328

eSchool News

DECEMBER 2, 2024

Incorporate hands-on activities and experiments Hands-on activities let students engage directly with STEM concepts, making learning tangible and memorable. Incorporate hands-on activities and experiments Hands-on activities let students engage directly with STEM concepts, making learning tangible and memorable.

Middle School 333

Middle School Middle School STEM Interdisciplinary 333

Catlin Tucker

APRIL 27, 2021

Choice is a powerful motivator. This approach to designing a choice board for peer feedback gives students agency and choice while providing the necessary scaffolding to make this activity accessible. Peer feedback is most effective when it is focused, and students have clear guidelines for giving feedback. Peer Feedback Choice Board.

Feedback 546

Feedback Peer Review Assignments Online Learning 546

Catlin Tucker

APRIL 28, 2023

The number of learning activities and complexity of the playlist will also affect the time needed to complete it. This allows students to work at their own pace and provides them with a range of activities to choose from. The “must-do” activities are critical to mastering grade-level content and skills.

Blended Learning 434

Blended Learning Feedback Universal Design Art 434

eSchool News

SEPTEMBER 13, 2023

Student agency empowers learners to play a more active role in their own education by taking charge of the learning process under the guidance of skilled educators. The benefits of student agency Students are more engaged and motivated. Students learn independence and other skills needed for success.

Students 348

Students Motivation Achievement Assignments 348

Ask a Tech Teacher

MAY 30, 2024

Pick the ones that suit you: How to Keep Learning Fresh Over the Summer 15 Skills To Learn this Summer and Use Next Year 6 Tech Activities for Your Summer School Program 12 Tech Tasks To End the School Year Here’s How to Motivate Summer School Students Seven Fun Math Activities for the Summer Break How to Blend Learning with Play for a Kid-friendly (..)

Activities 165

Activities Blended Learning Motivation Math 165

eSchool News

JANUARY 10, 2025

“Games are among childrens favorite activities, especially for primary school students. “Several empirical studies have confirmed that students in gamified learning environments achieve higher levels of motivation and cognitive engagement compared to those in traditional classroom settings” (Dehghanzadeh et al.,

Gamification 306

Gamification Multiple Choice Questions Motivation Social Studies 306

Catlin Tucker

DECEMBER 31, 2020

Starting each class with a two-word check-in like Brené Brown uses with her team, incorporating fun activities, like online icebreakers and scavenger hunts, and making time to conference with individual students can all help to build community and relationships with students, even if that work happens online. What is working well?

Learning 544

Learning Blended Learning Assignments Feedback 544

Catlin Tucker

JUNE 21, 2021

This is a critical shift if we want to cultivate expert learners who are resourceful, strategic, and motivated. Over time, the lack of autonomy and agency also negatively impacts a learner’s motivation. The beauty of blended learning models is they shift control over the learning experience from teacher to student.

Blended Learning 516

Blended Learning Lecturing Learning Motivation 516

Catlin Tucker

SEPTEMBER 1, 2023

Part IV: Thinking About Thinking This is part four of a five-part series focused on using thinking routines to drive metacognitive skill building. The routine can be applied across various subject areas and is valuable for individual and collaborative activities.

Questions 413

Questions Metacognitive Skills Ethics Math 413

k12 Digest

MAY 15, 2025

A recent Harvard study found that AI tutors can double learning gains compared to traditional active learning classrooms, while also increasing engagement and reducing time to competency [5]. This kind of adaptive, data-driven support is helping students achieve more in less time, making learning both more effective and more motivating.

Education 154

Education Learning Knowledge Feedback 154

Ask a Tech Teacher

DECEMBER 4, 2023

Here’s Why Kids Should Participate in Extracurricular Activities Most parents ignore this, but playtime activities significantly contribute to a child’s overall development. That said, below are a few reasons your child should actively participate in extracurricular activities: 1.

Participation 171

Participation Activities Lecturing Critical Thinking 171

Catlin Tucker

NOVEMBER 7, 2020

My doctoral research focused on the multidimensional motivational construct of teacher engagement in blended learning environments. Small-scale playlists may focus on introducing students to a particular concept or skill. Then each column after should represent a learning activity or task from the playlist.

Blended Learning 420

Blended Learning Learning Coaching Discussions 420

Catlin Tucker

DECEMBER 22, 2021

What skills, abilities, language proficiencies, interests, and/or learning preferences are present in a class? The issue of grading and motivating students to see value in work that is not graded is complex and multifaceted. Where are they seeing growth in their skills and/or content knowledge?

Blended Learning 535

Blended Learning Teachers Learning Grades 535

Catlin Tucker

OCTOBER 29, 2021

It was exciting to see how the addition of a single device enabled my students to drive their learning and engage in meaningful student-centered learning activities. It is a series of stations, or learning activities, that students rotate through. How will students actively engage at this station? I was hooked!

Blended Learning 535

Blended Learning Critical Thinking Communication Participation 535

eSchool News

APRIL 15, 2025

For students, the mid-year stretch is a chance to assess their learning, refine their decision-making skills, and build momentum for the opportunities ahead. In today’s world, goal setting isn’t just about school–it’s a necessary life skill.

Skills 165

Skills Achievement Motivation Exams 165

Catlin Tucker

SEPTEMBER 18, 2023

It is a process where students evaluate their work, reflecting on what they’ve learned, how well they’ve understood complex concepts, how much progress they’ve made toward mastering key skills, and where they may need to invest time and energy to improve their concept knowledge and skill set.

Evaluation 426

Evaluation Assignments Failure Discussions 426

Edsurge

SEPTEMBER 10, 2024

Their teachers will spend these early weeks determining where the 5- and 6-year-olds are developmentally, what academic, social and emotional skills they bring, and what support they need to set them up for a successful school year. Finally, there is a child’s approach to learning, including what motivates them and how they learn best. “A

Skills 205

Skills Teachers Cognitive Development Writing 205