Podcast Series: Innovations in Education

Explore the full series of eSchool News podcasts hosted by Kevin Hogan—created to keep you on the cutting edge of innovations in education.

How to reimagine teacher leadership

Key points:

  • Teacher-leaders are an integral–but under-utilized–part of a school
  • School leaders can secure teacher buy-in around new initiatives through teacher-leaders

The typical leadership structure in a school is quite rigid, with administrators and teachers filling their roles separately. In this model, teacher skills are only utilized inside of the classroom, leaving teacher leadership potential on the table.

Because this is true in almost any school building, it is time for administrators to reimagine teacher leader roles and leverage teacher leadership, specifically at the grade level or in content teams. Many schools have positions such as “Lead Teacher” or “Content Team Leader,” which is a great starting point. The next step is transforming these established positions, or creating similar models, and implementing them across your school. This should lead to actionable steps taken by these teacher-leaders, and the loosening of the reins by administrators.…Read More

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Investing in classroom collaboration tools? 3 things to know

Key points:

  • Flexibility and ease of use should be important parts of decision making
  • Meet today’s needs, but keep tomorrow’s needs in mind

Modern technological advancements affect virtually every area of daily life, and today’s educational institutions are looking to new digital tools to help improve student achievement and engagement while fostering collaborative learning environments for both in-person and remote learners.

To maximize a system’s effectiveness and ensure investments pay dividends for students and instructors, decision makers and school technology managers must maintain a strong understanding of all the available solutions, devices, and platforms that can meet their needs. While differences in location, age range, and budget naturally affect technology decisions and opportunities, there are several key factors central to any successful implementation.

Keep It Simple, Schools…Read More

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4 ways to use ChatGPT in your STEM classroom

Key points:

  • ChatGPT isn’t a tool to be feared–it can contribute greatly to STEM learning
  • AI tools aren’t going away, and harnessing their capabilities is important

“If we teach today as we taught yesterday, we rob our children of tomorrow.” – John Dewey

Back in 2007 when I was teaching Algebra I at the local middle school, the biggest question for mathematics teachers on our campus was whether students could use their calculators while doing classwork and on standardized tests.  A few years later, the discussion changed to an argument about the pros and cons of using a Desmos calculator on their classroom iPads.  Using Desmos was seen as being particularly egregious, as educators feared that students may have access to the internet and may surf the web while they should be learning or during summative assessments.  …Read More

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Are you choosing the right classroom visual displays?

Key points:

  • Size isn’t the only important part of classroom visual displays
  • Brightness, contract, interactivity, and resolution are all critical factors

The transfer of knowledge is an educator’s principal concern–one that has led them, along with researchers, to ask: “What’s the best way to help transfer that knowledge and help students learn?”

Research has shown that students learn better with visuals than words alone. Visual presentations using a projector or interactive display can help to promote a much more active learning environment and more successful outcomes. However, in the last few years, as interactive displays have become more popular, there has been a significant debate on which is the best display type–projectors or interactive flat panel displays–for the classroom.…Read More

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Classroom noise pollution is adding to student distraction

Key points:

  • Students can’t learn if they’re having trouble listening
  • Tech tools and sound amplification can help combat classroom noise pollution

Learning depends on listening. But classroom noise pollution is making hearing in the classroom harder. Finding simple and effective ways to dial down classroom noise levels can help increase focus and stamina.

The World Health Organization recommends classroom sound levels of no more than 35 decibels. The average volume of a classroom, however, rings in at more than twice that level. At 77 decibels, the average classroom produces the same level of noise as freeway traffic or other “annoyingly loud” sounds.…Read More

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Riverside Insights and Thrively Team Up to Help Children Discover Their Inner Genius

ITASCA, Ill. – Riverside Insights®, a leading developer of research-based assessments and analytics, today announced a partnership with Thrively, a personalized learning platform for K-12 students aimed at helping children everywhere discover their inner genius. The partnership will enable educators to discover students’ unique strengths, interests and aspirations to build the skills they need for success in the classroom and beyond.

Adding Thrively to Riverside Insights’ offerings provides educators engaging resources to complement Riverside’s researched-backed assessments and insights. The Riverside Insights’ CogAT(R) (Cognitive Abilities TestTM ) measures verbal, quantitative and nonverbal reasoning skills, providing multiple perspectives on cognitive abilities and student potential for learning. The Thrively assessments, also research-based, help students develop self-efficacy and confidence to unlock their strengths, learning styles, habits and personality. Riverside and Thrively assessments, used in combination, maximize student understanding and engagement and create a comprehensive strengths-based profile for students K-12.

“Riverside Insights and Thrively share the same goal of giving all students the tools and confidence they need to thrive in the classroom and succeed in life after graduation,” said Matt Tebbe, Group General Manager, Riverside Insights. “Our research-based assessments empower educators with the knowledge to help each learner, while the Thrively platform helps to unlock the students’ potential and increase overall classroom engagement.”…Read More

Edthena Announces Winner of the 2023 Teacher Leader Impact Award 

SAN FRANCISCO – To kick off Teacher Appreciation Week, Edthena is announced Megan Schlagel of St. Vrain Valley Schools in Longmont, Colo. as the winner of its 2023 Teacher Leader Impact Award which recognizes standout teachers nationwide. Schlagel, a high school math teacher at Niwot High School, was nominated by an administrator at her school for having an impact in her classroom and beyond through her dedication to lifelong learning and the continuous improvement of her teaching practices. 

“Megan truly exemplifies what it means to be a teacher leader,” said Adam Geller, founder and CEO of Edthena. “In addition to the impact she has with her students, Megan is passionate about supporting her fellow high school teachers and continuing her own professional learning. We are proud to recognize her hard work and dedication.”

As part of the award’s nomination process, school-level administrators were asked to detail how a nominee continually improves as well as the positive impacts of the nominee’s teaching and lifelong learning. …Read More

Swing Education Surpasses One Million Hours of Classroom Substitute Teaching

SAN MATEO, Calif.– Substitute teachers sourced via  Swing Education, a tech-enabled staffing marketplace that matches schools with qualified substitute teachers,  have filled more than one million hours of classroom instruction in the 2022-23 school year. 

Though Swing has been helping schools fill classroom vacancies since 2015, this is the first time the company has crossed the one million instructional hour mark in a single school year. 

“We never had an explicit goal to reach a million teaching hours, but knew we were going to get there and it kind of snuck up on us, to be honest,” said Mike Teng, CEO of Swing Education. “Reaching this number is significant and it feels extraordinary, especially as it lands during teacher appreciation week, which is this week. It also validates the real service we’re providing to schools and students since having a stable pool of substitutes is critical for maintaining instructional consistency and quality.”…Read More