Effective learners, whether they’re in school or out in the world, are those who discover how to study smarter, not harder. For the purposes of this blog, we’re going to be focusing on classroom learning, and, in that environment, studying smarter is key to managing your time efficiently, getting good grades, building upon what you’ve … Continue reading “Study Skills — Part 5: Becoming an Effective Learner”
Tag: classroom
Interview with Leah King: Educator, reading specialist, and reader, Part 2
[Editor’s note and disclaimer: This is Part 2 of our discussion with educator and reading specialist Leah King. The content for this two-part post came from an interview conducted by Miriam Ruff on October 4, 2020, and it has been edited somewhat for length and fluency.] To read Part 1, click here. MR: Like everyone … Continue reading “Interview with Leah King: Educator, reading specialist, and reader, Part 2”
Guest Blog: The Unexpected Benefits of Virtual Learning, and How to Make the Most of Them
[Editor’s note: Today’s blog was written by Jane Miller, a freelance writer, part-time high school English teacher, and a graduate student based in Seattle, Washington.] In the roughly six months since the coronavirus pandemic struck the U.S. in earnest, virtual learning has developed something of a mixed reputation. In those six months, students of all … Continue reading “Guest Blog: The Unexpected Benefits of Virtual Learning, and How to Make the Most of Them”
Listening in on the Relationship between Audiobooks and Reading Comprehension
In this day and age of technological everything, the debate about whether people should read on a screen or from a printed page rages on. A less obvious, but equally important, debate centers on whether students should be encouraged to “read” using audiobooks instead of traditional media, especially when they’re doing it outside of a … Continue reading “Listening in on the Relationship between Audiobooks and Reading Comprehension”
AceReader in the Educational Environment
In some ways, reading education has not changed much over the past hundred years or so – teachers still confront the issues of how to instruct students effectively in the basic issues of learning phonemic awareness, decoding text, mastering understanding of text material (comprehension), and achieving reading fluency. What has changed is our understanding of … Continue reading “AceReader in the Educational Environment”
Poverty and the Educational Process – Part 3: Vocabulary and Cognition
[Editor’s note: This is part three of a four-part series on poverty and the educational process. Links to the previous blog posts are included below.] Poverty has a multifaceted impact on both student engagement and student success in the classroom. Last time we looked at Effort and the Growth Mindset. In this post, we are … Continue reading “Poverty and the Educational Process – Part 3: Vocabulary and Cognition”
Practical Optimism for Teachers and Students
In their blog post “Cultivating Practical Optimism: A Key to Getting the Best from Your Brain,” Drs. Marcus Conyers and Donna Wilson describe the concept of “positive optimism.” They define it as a way “to describe an attitude about life that relies on taking realistic, positive action to increase the likelihood of successful results.” They … Continue reading “Practical Optimism for Teachers and Students”
Setting up a Classroom to Establish Critical Thinking
As we have discussed previously (click here for the blog post), critical thinking is an essential component of both reasoning through problems and situations and learning. However, as instructor Peter Liljedahl found, teachers often make the assumption that the students either cannot or will not think on their own. Under such conditions it becomes unreasonable … Continue reading “Setting up a Classroom to Establish Critical Thinking”
Technology Integration in the Classroom
Today computers, pads, cell phones, and other electronic devices are becoming a ubiquitous part of the classroom. “Technology Integration” has become the new buzz-phrase, and many teachers are relying more on these devices to help deliver content to students of all ages. But what exactly does “technology integration” mean, and are all these digital gadgets … Continue reading “Technology Integration in the Classroom”
AceReader Book Review – “Ms. Marvel: No Normal”
Today’s book review is a selection from the Montgomery County (MD) Public Library System. It’s a graphic novel, “Ms. Marvel: No Normal,” published by Marvel Now! and aimed at high school students. A while back, we discussed the potential benefits of using comics and graphic novels in the classroom as a way to aid reading … Continue reading “AceReader Book Review – “Ms. Marvel: No Normal””