Sometimes we all need to change the way we approach topics, lessons, or units. Here are some refreshing (and inspiring!) ideas from fellow educators to hopefully motivate you to change things up.
1. This interview on diversifying children’s reading curriculum.
Excerpt: “The ways in which we are misrepresented, are marginalized, or deleted vary according to our identities,” Penn GSE expert on children’s literature Ebony Elizabeth Thomas says, “but all youth-focused narratives that enter popular culture should be more representative. It’s not just kids of color, kids from the margins who need diverse literature and media. It’s all kids who need all stories about all kinds of people.” — Ebony ELizabeth Thomas
2. This powerful article on how we can shift the education curriculum through collaboration.
Excerpt: “We are attempting to build a culture of openness in practice that rarely exists in education, a culture of evaluating one another’s classroom experiences in sophisticated ways.”
3. This article about getting students to talk to one another and have healthy disagreements.
Excerpt: “My students are often so afraid to disagree, but they have so much to say. Students need to gain confidence in arguing, which is different, I think, from becoming comfortable with conflict.” — Paula Patch
4. These ideas on alternatives to research essays.
Everything from podcasts to letters to the editor, to so much more – these are engaging, unique, and effective ways to use research methods in a new way.