eSchool News

OCTOBER 2, 2023

Key points: Dyslexic students often incur additional stress in the classroom Using different learning tools and regular communication can help students’ comfort levels See related article: The intersection of the science of reading and edtech Reading-based learning differences such as dyslexia can pose unique challenges for students in school.

Reading 306

Reading Syllabus Intelligence Learning 306

Catlin Tucker

OCTOBER 29, 2020

Too often, a teacher’s questions in a video conferencing session are met with long silences. ” First, it is important to remember that participating in a real-time discussion is scary and feels like a risk for students who are shy, anxious, or need more time to process the questions. Facilitating Online Discussions.

Discussions 546

Discussions Participation Questions Assignments 546

Catlin Tucker

JULY 9, 2020

While one group engages in a discussion or attempts to solve a problem, the second group observes and captures their observations, questions, and comments. Once students know what group they are in, the teacher presents group A with a discussion question or a problem to solve and sets the timer (e.g., What questions do they have?

Active Learning 546

Active Learning Activities Learning Students 546

eSchool News

MAY 27, 2025

Teachers can integrate SEL strategies directly into academic instruction, such as modeling emotional regulation during challenging tasks or building communication skills through collaborative assignments. These small modifications can significantly improve comprehension and reduce a students frustration.

Students 204

Students Learning Styles Assignments Intelligence 204

Catlin Tucker

JULY 23, 2024

I encourage the educators I work with to reach out if they hit bumps, have questions, or need support as they implement new instructional models. Every year, I field hundreds of questions from the educators I work with and people who read my blog or listen to my podcast. Stay curious, and keep those questions coming!

Coaching 221

Coaching Questions Blended Learning Feedback 221

Faculty Focus

MAY 20, 2025

In a course that requires out-of-class reading, that conversation is highly reliant on students doing their part and completing the assigned reading.However, in recent semesters, students engaging in focused reading in which they annotate text is dwindling. There is a notable drop off in the reading and conversations.In

Instructors 95

Instructors Assignments Participation Students 95

Edsurge

OCTOBER 7, 2024

Then there’s the sudden temptation of ChatGPT and other new AI tools, which can make cheating on assignments easy and often undetectable. Instead, college instructors need to change how they assign and communicate their homework assignments. Some students don’t understand how important assignments are, Beckett says.

Instructors 191

Instructors Assignments Textbooks Essay 191

eSchool News

MARCH 5, 2021

New supplemental reading program for Grades 3–5 engages students with grade-level content using culturally relevant texts. To help students build confidence while mastering critical reading skills, Curriculum Associates has launched the supplemental Magnetic Reading program for Grades 3–5.

Reading 233

Reading Curriculum Skills Culture 233

Catlin Tucker

AUGUST 2, 2020

Either assign students a particular slide (by writing their names at the bottom of each slide) or allow students to select the slide they want to work on. Teachers can strategically assign slides to subtly differentiate learning or give students a degree of agency by allowing them to choose their slides. What questions do they have?

Students 546

Students Math Writing Discussions 546

Edsurge

MARCH 15, 2024

This fall, after a restless night overthinking an assignment for my upcoming class and drinking three cups of not-strong-enough coffee, I added the final touch on my latest assignment for students in my World History II class. I like to think of this shift as a transition from content-based to issues-based curriculum.

Assignments 199

Assignments Essay History Social Studies 199

Catlin Tucker

AUGUST 19, 2020

So, the question many teachers are asking is, “How should I spend my limited time with students in the classroom or in video conferencing sessions? Students work independently to complete assignments and tasks. Students have access to teacher and peer support while completing assignments and tasks.

Blended Learning 546

Blended Learning Learning Assignments Activities 546

Catlin Tucker

JUNE 29, 2015

This requires that I design flipped lessons that encourage students to ask questions, analyze the information, and discuss concepts with peers asynchronously online to begin making sense of the information they are receiving at home. Step 4: Add Questions to Get Students Thinking Critically. Open-ended Questions.

Multiple Choice Questions 420

Multiple Choice Questions Students Assignments Blended Learning 420

Catlin Tucker

NOVEMBER 12, 2023

auditory processing, attention deficit, lack of background knowledge or vocabulary, absences), teachers record video instruction and assign those videos for homework. The benefit of assigning video instruction for homework is that students can control the time, place, and pace of the learning experience when they watch the video at home.

Blended Learning 465

Blended Learning Students Assignments Lecturing 465

Catlin Tucker

APRIL 24, 2018

I want them reading, thinking about, and discussing hot topics that impact their lives; however, engaging students around online articles hasn’t always been easy. I decided to use InsertLearning to add highlights, notes, questions, and discussion prompts to the article. Click the question mark icon to insert a question.

Discussions 419

Discussions Critical Thinking Reading Assignments 419

Catlin Tucker

APRIL 11, 2017

Last week, my students began reading excerpts from The Sixth Extinction to complement our Environmental Unit. A teacher can find a PDF they want students to actively read and share that PDF via Google Classroom. When creating your assignment, select the option to “Make a copy for each student.” strikethrough.

Assignments 417

Assignments Reading Activities Questions 417

Catlin Tucker

SEPTEMBER 22, 2019

Teachers can combine reflective questions with academic content questions to understand where students are at in terms of their knowledge of a topic or concept. A learning log or ongoing learning blog is a strategy you can use to encourage your students to spend time thinking about a particular assignment. Exit Ticket.

Learning 420

Learning Assignments Students Knowledge 420

Catlin Tucker

SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

instruction, scaffolds, practice, assignments). Record video directions for each station to reduce questions and confusion. Create a pathway for online students to ask questions as they work (e.g., For more detail on this three-part approach to designing a flipped lesson, you can read this blog. Here are five strategies!

Blended Learning 545

Blended Learning Teaching Learning Students 545

Catlin Tucker

MARCH 18, 2016

” It asks teachers a series of questions: Are we planning to continue teaching next year? If we could describe our perfect teaching assignment, what would it be? This year as I stared at the form and asked myself, what is your perfect teaching assignment? Who would we enjoy working with?

Teaching 414

Teaching English Blended Learning Assignments 414

Catlin Tucker

AUGUST 18, 2015

Unfortunately, many teachers spend the first day of school reading their syllabus to their students and explaining all of the classroom norms and rules. 10 Questions . While I silently circulate checking their schedules, students answer 10 questions about themselves on the inside of a big index card. So, I didn’t.

Syllabus 420

Syllabus Learning Styles Schools Quizzes 420

Catlin Tucker

NOVEMBER 13, 2020

As I’ve said in previous blog posts, teaching in a concurrent classroom is the most challenging teaching assignment I can imagine. What questions or suggestions do they have? Teachers can create a simple Google Form to collect quick formative assessment data and create an avenue for students to ask questions or request help.

Evaluation 546

Evaluation Feedback Writing Assignments 546

Catlin Tucker

JULY 25, 2016

The texts are paired with Think Questions and writing prompts that I can use or adapt. Instead of marching lockstep through information as a class, I will assign a video for homework and use class time for practice. StudySync has freed me from the limitations of our school book room.

Online Learning 420

Online Learning Technology Blended Learning English 420

eSchool News

AUGUST 20, 2024

While novels are engrossing for some students, teachers who use a variety of texts and media sources engage more students and address a broader range of topics and reading standards. These connections make students more interested in the stories they read, enhancing their overall classroom engagement. This novel by S.

Reading 325

Reading Assignments English Math 325

Edsurge

JANUARY 7, 2022

You can pose a question for a future column here. Reader Question: Dear Bonni, What ideas do you have for student accountability? It actually requires some unlearning, and some changes in approach, to create an environment that better encourages students to complete assigned activities.

Motivation 196

Motivation Reading Instructors Assignments 196

Catlin Tucker

JUNE 12, 2019

A simple approach is to think about the what, how, and why of a lesson, assignment, or project and give students the opportunity to answer one of those questions. Can you allow students to decide what aspect of a subject or topic they want to focus on for a lesson, assignment, or project?

Assignments 420

Assignments Students Blended Learning Motivation 420

Catlin Tucker

OCTOBER 24, 2021

After reading Catlin Tucker’s blog post, 5 Strategies to Engage Learners Around Flipped Instruction , I was inspired to reflect on and revise a mini-unit I designed focusing on the short film Alike by Daniel Martinez Lara and Rafa Cano Méndez. The video automatically pauses to present a question, and students record their answers.

Blended Learning 396

Blended Learning Multiple Choice Questions Learning Discussions 396

Catlin Tucker

JANUARY 3, 2024

Telling students that kind and specific feedback is helpful to us as educators, the same way feedback is helpful for them when they are working on an assignment, underscores the value of feedback as a critical part of the learning process. Younger students may also pair drawings with simple phrases to answer these questions.

Feedback 459

Feedback Students Reading Assignments 459

eSchool News

NOVEMBER 13, 2023

You can create quizzes for the books your students are reading and assign collections to your students. It provides animated stories that are read aloud to students. For the primary grades it has read aloud stories with lessons provided to go with the story. It began as a site where actors read famous children’s books.

Elementary School 339

Elementary School Elementary School Schools Quizzes 339

Catlin Tucker

MARCH 25, 2024

It begs the question, What is the value of racing through material if students don’t understand or retain it? Writing Assignments: Writing tasks, whether creative stories, essays, or research papers, require students to think critically, organize their thoughts, write a draft, and revise based on feedback.

Teachers 479

Teachers Art Feedback Writing 479

Faculty Focus

JUNE 13, 2024

It has been sobering to see, through their eyes, how unclear our assignments can sometimes be. Maybe the student skipped class or doesn’t have all the material handed out with the assignment. They’re used to teachers asking questions; generally when teachers ask questions they want students to provide answers.

Assignments 119

Assignments Essay Writing Questions 119

Catlin Tucker

OCTOBER 3, 2016

This summer I read Starr Stackstein’s book Hacking Assessment: 10 Ways to Go Gradeless in a Traditional Grades School. Their first task was to read through and rewrite the standards in a way that made sense to them. We shared this “Ongoing Assessment” document with each student via Google Classroom.

Grades 420

Grades Feedback English Evaluation 420

Catlin Tucker

DECEMBER 31, 2020

Who wants to read a depressing newsletter about a year fraught with challenges? Do they feel the work assigned is interesting, engaging, and relevant? Teachers can learn so much from their students if they ask the right questions. What has been your favorite activity, assignment, or routine? 4 Ask students for feedback.

Learning 544

Learning Blended Learning Assignments Feedback 544

Catlin Tucker

MAY 7, 2023

I point to each station’s location and review the assigned seating chart. Note: I don’t usually assign seats at the independent teacher-led station because that is where I will be.) Because students do not need to get out any materials when they transition, I set the transition timer to 20 seconds. I check for understanding.

Coaching 336

Coaching Blended Learning Assignments Middle School 336

eSchool News

JUNE 28, 2024

It takes only seconds to plug a writing prompt into a generative AI tool and receive a completed assignment. The bottom line: When students are confident in their writing skills, they will be less tempted to run directly to AI to generate a writing assignment. It’s intimidating.

Writing 328

Writing Essay Plagiarism Assignments 328

Catlin Tucker

FEBRUARY 7, 2021

Last week it dawned on me that I can assign homework to be completed in pairs and groups virtually. Not only did students complete the assignments, but they were excited about it. Third, I would assign partners or groups during our synchronous sessions or post them in Google Classroom. The results? A smashing success!

Assignments 317

Assignments Schools Middle School Middle School 317

Catlin Tucker

MARCH 30, 2020

For teachers using StudySync in combination with Google Classroom, I’ve described three strategies that educators can use to capitalize on the activities in the StudySync First Read lesson plans to engage students in online discussions, collaborative research projects, and online vocabulary review. #1 If so, could that create bias?

Collaborative Research 370

Collaborative Research Students Knowledge Assignments 370

Faculty Focus

JUNE 13, 2024

It has been sobering to see, through their eyes, how unclear our assignments can sometimes be. Maybe the student skipped class or doesn’t have all the material handed out with the assignment. They’re used to teachers asking questions; generally when teachers ask questions they want students to provide answers.

Assignments 111

Assignments Essay Writing Questions 111

Catlin Tucker

OCTOBER 7, 2020

In a previous post, I described how blended learning models could make this challenging teaching assignment more manageable ; however, that post assumes that teachers are familiar with blended learning. For any teacher reading this post looking for strategies and support, I want to thank you for doing this job. You matter.

Blended Learning 546

Blended Learning Coaching Feedback Discussions 546