Ask a Tech Teacher

MAY 27, 2025

Believe it or not, there are a whole list of skills easy enough for a fifth grader (maybe even fourth, but I haven’t had time to test it yet). Over the next months, in this series, I’ll show you how to teach Photoshop skills appropriate for fifth grade and up.

Skills 99

Skills Art Intelligence Curriculum 99

eSchool News

JULY 30, 2024

Key points: A love of learning can lead to a lifetime of learning How to use PBL with makerspaces across your curriculum Here’s how schools can better support neurodiverse students For more news on instruction, visit eSN’s Innovative Teaching hub Curiosity is a fountain of opportunity for all educators.

Skills 294

Skills Gamification Learning Intelligence 294

eSchool News

JANUARY 29, 2025

Key points: Technology works in service of teaching, not the other way around Teaching ethical edtech for future innovators Leveraging edtech to help students, teachers stay connected through illness For more news on AI, visit eSN’s Digital Learning hub Artificial intelligence brings opportunities and questions to classrooms worldwide.

Teaching 328

Teaching Ethics Education Teaching Methods 328

eSchool News

APRIL 1, 2024

But despite these challenges, there are bright spots in teaching and learning. The pedagogical approach to brings learning to life for students through hands-on engagement that lends itself to both differentiation and personalization, writes Kendall Stallings, a first grade teacher in Baltimore County.

Teaching 325

Teaching STEM Education Cognitive Development 325

eSchool News

MAY 27, 2025

We have an extremely diverse student body, which means foundational skills and native languages are varied and distinctive. Teach to a group or individuals. If they don’t have those skills, theyll resist working with the teacher in a Tier 1 setting. Offer an engaging way to catch up to the rest of the class.

English 176

English Students Languages Language 176

eSchool News

AUGUST 14, 2024

With better feedback mechanisms and more support, teachers could adjust their lesson plans, teach in near-real time, and deliver the help when it’s needed – without slowing down or backtracking the entire class to help the small group of students struggling with that day’s lesson.

Teaching 325

Teaching Gamification Feedback Intelligence 325

eSchool News

NOVEMBER 27, 2024

Even as they will be required to program machines, they will still have to collaborate, problem solve, and engage in all the very human soft skills. At the time, we did not have a robotics course for middle grades at all, though we did have an after-school STEM club. These don’t have to be groundbreaking or deeply insightful questions.

Teaching 298

Teaching STEM Middle School Middle School 298

eSchool News

MAY 26, 2025

Delayed readers are students whose reading development lags behind typical age or grade expectations. Foundational skills to support reading for understanding in kindergarten through 3rd grade (IES Practice Guide). What is a delayed reader? Supporting delayed readers starts with understanding who they are. Foorman, B.

Disabilities 238

Disabilities Learning Disabilities Reading Motivation 238

eSchool News

OCTOBER 24, 2024

IXL covers all the areas needed to teach language arts, containing more than 2,400 skills spanning reading comprehension, grammar, vocabulary and more. It guides students from simple to complex skills, adapting to individual student needs and offering explicit instruction with real-time feedback.

Secondary Education 258

Secondary Education Grades Art Languages 258

eSchool News

JANUARY 16, 2025

At the same time, schools are placing a stronger emphasis on mental health, equity, and future-ready skills, ensuring students are not only academically successful but also are prepared for the challenges of today’s every-changing world. Students are engaged and invested in a project that has local benefits!

Teaching 278

Teaching Education Learning Interdisciplinary 278

Catlin Tucker

SEPTEMBER 13, 2021

During our conversation, we explored aspects of the teaching profession that are time-consuming and create work-life imbalance. One culprit is the mentality that, “If I don’t grade it, the students won’t do it.” First, I do not think grades are an effective long-term strategy for motivating most students.

Teachers 544

Teachers Motivation Assignments Students 544

eSchool News

NOVEMBER 20, 2023

This shortcoming means that, every year, nearly 100,000 elementary teachers across the country enter classrooms with false assurances that they are ready to teach reading. More than 50 years of research has illuminated the most effective way to teach children to read. In fact, one state, Iowa, requires no reading licensure test at all.

Reading 300

Reading Teaching Exams Teachers 300

Catlin Tucker

FEBRUARY 26, 2023

Rubrics identify specific criteria relevant to the assignment, along with corresponding levels of performance that allow for more precise grading. Using rubrics helps teachers stay focused during the grading process and ensures that grading is objective, consistent, and fair. How does using rubrics benefit students?

Fairness 545

Fairness Assignments Feedback Evaluation 545

Catlin Tucker

DECEMBER 22, 2021

What skills, abilities, language proficiencies, interests, and/or learning preferences are present in a class? Grading is the most time-consuming task teachers are responsible for beyond the classroom. Most of the teachers I know spend hours of their evenings and weekends grading student work. The answer did not surprise me.

Blended Learning 535

Blended Learning Teachers Learning Grades 535

eSchool News

APRIL 23, 2025

The development of Discovery Educations newest content is based on feedback from the companys school-based partners and makes teaching and learning even more relevant, interesting, and personalized for users of Discovery Education products. The Superpower of Story: A Virtual Field Trip to Warner Bros.

Laboratory 197

Laboratory Social Studies Education Middle School 197

Edsurge

MAY 12, 2025

Its about time that schools dragged math into the modern world, so that it imparts useful skills, Henderson says. That includes how job skills play into math paths for students. For example, Marylands state board has flagged that it wants every student career ready by the end of 10th grade.

Math 179

Math Motivation High School High School 179

eSchool News

MAY 5, 2025

Some have parents or guardians who have introduced them to foundational concepts and skills. There are many ways problem solving skills can manifest, and through offering students problems with multiple solution paths and multiple entry points, we can enable these math skills to develop. Some have had no exposure.

Math 195

Math Beliefs Culture Ethics 195

eSchool News

JANUARY 16, 2024

His goal: Creating a place where all students graduate from school with the skills, attitudes, and values necessary to anchor their success in work, life, and their social-emotional well-being. Teachers can model responsible decision making, positive relationship building and other important SEL skills in their everyday interactions.

Teaching 300

Teaching English Students History 300

eSchool News

APRIL 24, 2025

And that made it harder to help new teachers grow their own skills when they asked for help. And its changed the way I look at my early days of teaching. For most teachers, student teaching is their most valuable preparatory experience , and a strong program gives them armor against burnout.

Classroom Management 183

Classroom Management Coaching Feedback Skills 183

eSchool News

JUNE 4, 2024

Key points: Critical thinking should not be separate from and on top of what teachers are doing in the classroom How to help students build critical success skills 3 lessons on perseverance from Stoffel the honey badger For more news on durable skills, visit eSN’s Innovative Teaching hub Achievement discrepancies among U.S.

Critical Thinking 337

Critical Thinking Metacognitive Skills Knowledge Achievement 337

Catlin Tucker

OCTOBER 7, 2020

Teachers juggling the concurrent classroom with some students physically attending class and others joining remotely via video conferencing are trying to balance the demands of teaching in two learning landscapes simultaneously. A present–pause–discuss format allows the teacher to focus on introducing one concept or skill at a time.

Blended Learning 546

Blended Learning Coaching Feedback Discussions 546

eSchool News

FEBRUARY 17, 2025

Key points: Focus on what students can do, instead of what they cant Design thinking in the 21st century is an imperative Empathy, adaptability, and real-world readiness: Supporting students in 2025 For more on a growth mindset, visit eSN’s Innovative Teaching hub In the words of Carol Dweck, Becoming is better than being.

Interdisciplinary 314

Interdisciplinary English Math Failure 314

Catlin Tucker

SEPTEMBER 20, 2021

If the learning objective is for students to craft a strong argument, you can provide them with different levels of support and different ways of demonstrating that skill. First, when designing any learning experience or learning cycle, I encourage teachers to identify target standards or skills that will frame and focus their design work.

Blended Learning 520

Blended Learning Essay Feedback Writing 520

Catlin Tucker

MAY 4, 2024

Jenn is a first-grade teacher at Desert Sands Unified School District. In addition to teaching, Jennifer serves on the Board of Directors for CUE. They are designed to combine educational technology with specific teaching protocols that promote active learning, student engagement, and collaboration in the classroom.

Writing 381

Writing Feedback Learning Spaces Activities 381

k12 Digest

MAY 28, 2025

Teachers regularly use technology, not just to teach, but to help students think deeper, ask better questions, and tell their own stories. These arent just digital skillstheyre life skills. They begin tackling real problems, building research skills, and learning how to think for themselves. Meadowcroft. The result?

Schools 214

Schools Culture Interdisciplinary Art 214

Catlin Tucker

JUNE 16, 2024

How can we create a learning environment where each student feels confident applying the knowledge and skills they’re acquiring? These activities can also be used to encourage collaboration and communication as students work with peers, which can result in the development of interpersonal skills.

History 380

History Art Essay Physical Education 380

eSchool News

OCTOBER 5, 2022

For instance, the latest test results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) show that fourth graders’ average reading skills have dropped by five points on a 500-point scale since the start of the pandemic—the biggest decline in more than 30 years.

Reading 356

Reading Coaching Intelligence Testing 356

eSchool News

DECEMBER 20, 2024

Im in my fifth year teaching science to fifth and sixth graders, but, like every other teacher at the K-8 charter school where I work, I also teach reading. But pandemic-era school closures drastically cut into learning time, and literacy skills have been slow to recover. This story was originally published by Chalkbeat.

Reading 325

Reading Science History Teachers 325

eSchool News

APRIL 9, 2024

Research shows that teaching students individual letter-sound correspondences and having them sound out words is more effective. The problem with emphasizing whole words Some children’s books that are used to teach reading use repetition. This practice skips important steps. For example, a book may say, “I see the police officer.

Education 336

Education Knowledge Reading Skills 336

eSchool News

DECEMBER 11, 2023

In the early elementary grades, the assumption that PBL is simply too much for young learners can be a frequent roadblock. Projects can be individually completed or a collaborative effort, promoting group work and social skills. They then work together to combine their stories and create a mini encyclopedia.

Writing 300

Writing Grades Motivation Attention 300

eSchool News

JULY 30, 2024

Putting the ‘E’ in integrative STEM instruction For more news on STEAM, visit eSN’s STEM & STEAM hub According to the National Math and Science Initiative , STEM education helps students develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills, fosters communication, and bolsters teamwork.

STEM 334

STEM Education Critical Thinking Students 334

eSchool News

NOVEMBER 22, 2024

This “cookbook recipe” teaching style not only stifles creativity, but it can also hinder critical thinking skill development. As a science teacher for grades 1-3, I wanted to create a completely different science lab experience for my young students. All students in grades 1-3 currently use TinkRworks for science labs.

Science 321

Science Critical Thinking STEM Textbooks 321

eSchool News

NOVEMBER 13, 2023

Key points: Literacy is critical for students–and elementary years are a pivotal time These online tools help students develop essential literacy skills See related article: How efficacy studies improve literacy instruction For more news on literacy, see eSN’s Innovative Teaching page Fall is the best time of year in Montana.

Elementary School 339

Elementary School Elementary School Schools Quizzes 339

eSchool News

JANUARY 6, 2025

On average, about 25 percent of children in the early grades struggle with reading. Reaching reluctant and disinterested readers can be challenging, frustrating, and discouraging for teachers, who fully grasp the importance of literacy skills. Many educational games fall into this category.

Failure 328

Failure Motivation Gamification Cognitive Development 328

Catlin Tucker

SEPTEMBER 18, 2023

Who decided that grading and assessment should be the exclusive responsibility of teachers? Self-assessment shifts the focus from a grade-centric perspective to a learning-centric one. When teachers grade these exercises, it creates anxiety among students still grappling with new concepts or skills.

Evaluation 426

Evaluation Assignments Failure Discussions 426

eSchool News

FEBRUARY 24, 2025

Yet, this omission has a profound effect on students literacy skills. Not only does this affect their ability to communicate effectively, it also affects their reading skills, because writing and literacy are closely linked. According to one analysis ,half of U.S. eighth gradersstruggle with long-form writing on tests and classwork.

Writing 287

Writing Learning Coaching Reading 287

eSchool News

JUNE 17, 2024

I’m in my fifth year teaching science to fifth and sixth graders, but, like every other teacher at the K-8 charter school where I work, I also teach reading. But pandemic-era school closures drastically cut into learning time, and literacy skills have been slow to recover. This story was originally published by Chalkbeat.

Reading 306

Reading Science History Teachers 306