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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.

Children’s Hospital Colorado Expands Access to Free, Online Teacher Training to Help Students with ASD and ADHD Improve Executive Functioning Skills

Aurora, Colo. – Free, online teacher and parent training designed to improve the executive functioning of elementary school-aged children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), is now accessible across the nation. The availability of this training is possible due 

to a $2 million contract awarded to Children’s Hospital Colorado’s (Children’s Colorado) Pediatric Mental Health Institute by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute ( PCORI) in 2020. A team from Children’s Colorado, Children’s National Hospital and The Institute for Innovation and Implementation at the University of Maryland, Baltimore is working to implement a successful online training and tele-support system for the  Unstuck and On Target (UOT) program for any parent or educator who needs it. 

Since 2020, this team has piloted UOT video training with 293 school-based staff across 230 elementary schools in Colorado and Virginia. The work follows a related PCORI-funded research project,  Improving Classroom Behaviors Among Students with Symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, led by Children’s Colorado researchers.That project demonstrated the effectiveness of UOT at improving the executive functioning – or frontal lobe skills, including flexible thinking, planning and self-control – of school-aged children in Title 1 schools. …Read More

Winsor Learning Releases Free Professional Development Resource in Response to Steep Declines in National Reading Scores

MINNEAPOLIS (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — In the wake of devastating recent news about the nation’s reading test scores, Minnesota-based Winsor Learning, the nation’s leading expert and provider of science-based reading instruction and teacher training, announced the release of a new and entirely free professional development resource for administrators and teachers. The 90-minute Science of Reading-based training is now available for download at no cost to teachers, administrators, tutors, and other teachers of reading.

To download the resource, go to: https://members.winsorlearning.com/5-strategies-for-teachers/

The most recent results of National Association of Education Progress (NAEP) testing indicate performance levels of 9-year-olds in math and reading dropping to levels not seen in more than two decades. The declines include nearly all races and income levels and are the most steep for at-risk and already lower-performing students.…Read More

Free, On-demand Videos on PLtogether.org Feature Interviews with Education Leaders About Topics Ranging From Professional Development to Teacher Wellness

SAN FRANCISCO – The PLtogether resource site powered by Edthena now features more than 75 video interviews with education experts. Educators can access the free, on-demand “Lounge Talks” video series to hear about and learn effective strategies for a number of timely topics ranging from professional development to teacher wellness.

“Created as part of our commitment to video-powered professional learning, PLtogether helps educators learn from some of the most-respected researchers and thought leaders in education,” said Adam Geller, founder and CEO of Edthena. “The dozens of videos featured on the site provide educators with tactical, bite-sized advice on many of the topics that will matter most to them this school year and beyond.”

The recent PLtogether videos have covered a number of important topics, including:…Read More

Future Astronomers releases new phase of Astronomy education for youth

Brooklyn, New York (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Future Astronomers, creator of the Future Astronomers astronomy educational platform, announced today that they are launching the second phase of free programs for Autumn 2022. 

Future Astronomers is expanding its offering, and the details are as follows: 

  • Initiating Series Two of the popular Future Astronomers Zoom classes forming their Youtube series, which will cover further exploration of astrophysics fundamentals, and how they apply to galaxies and stars.
  • Launching of ‘Materials for Learning’ program, where kids will have access to telescopes to actively engage and investigate celestial skies above.  Fundraising initiatives will soon commence to support this endeavour.
  • Expanding ‘Sidewalk Astronomy’ initiative, a flexible program which encourages other astronomers to share their knowledge and capabilities with local youth, providing further outreach for astronomy education.

According to Lucas Zimmermann, “It is with great excitement that we announce the next phase of astronomy education programs.  We are covering interesting new celestial topics in the zoom classes, which I believe helps with setting a strong foundation for astronomy knowledge.  I’m also excited to launch ‘Materials for Learning’, which I believe will be useful in providing targeted material support in key communities. And lastly, expanding ‘Sidewalk Stars’ really helps to bring the wonders of the universe closer to neighbourhoods and empowers others to contribute to interested youth.”…Read More

Education Arm of The Buck Institute – PBLWorks – Receives a $2.9 Million Grant from the Bezos Family Foundation

Novato, California – The Buck Institute for Education (dba PBLWorks) was awarded a $2.9 million grant from the Bezos Family Foundation to design an innovative social studies and civics curriculum that uses a Project Based Learning (PBL) model. The new PBL units are being designed for teachers of grades 4-12 and will be available free as Open Educational Resources (OER). 

The curriculum units are being designed with teachers in Colorado and California, in collaboration with experts in culturally-responsive teaching, and with a curriculum design team at the Buck Institute for Education (BIE).

The project draws on recent studies published and supported by Lucas Education Research (LER), a subdivision of the George Lucas Education Foundation (GLEF), which underscore the impact that PBL, professional development, and high-quality instructional materials can have on student outcomes across grade levels, racial/ethnic groups, and socioeconomic groups.…Read More

Poptential™ Free History Curriculum Helps Teachers Explain the Significance of Labor Day With Media-Rich Content

INDIANAPOLIS, (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — When teaching about the labor movement in the United States, instructors often focus on Cesar Chavez and Peter McGuire to illustrate the rise of unions and workers’ rights. Poptential™, a free curriculum that infuses lessons with digital storytelling using pop culture references, also uses SpongeBob SquarePants.

“It’s been more than 125 years since the first Labor Day was observed, and the labor movement can seem a little dry to today’s high school students,” said Julie Smitherman, a former social studies teacher and director of content at Certell, Inc., the nonprofit behind Poptential. “Adding digital storytelling—like the SpongeBob clip—helps students better relate to these topics.”

Poptential uses a variety of pop culture media to illustrate concepts, including those taken from sitcoms, movies, animations, cartoons, late-night shows, and other sources.…Read More

Flinn Scientific Offers New Laboratory Safety Certification Courses for Teachers for Free

BATAVIA, IL (AUGUST 19, 2022)   Flinn Scientific releases updated free laboratory safety courses designed specifically for middle and high school science teachers.  

Just in time for the 2022-2023 school year, Flinn Scientific has released new Lab Safety courses for middle and high school science educators. Offered free of charge, these asynchronous courses can be completed in one session and are intended to help science educators create the safest learning environments possible for their students. These courses are appropriate for teachers new to the science classroom as well as experienced educators. Some states may even offer Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for successfully completing the courses.

“Many teachers may have had limited exposure to safety practices in their educator preparation program, but we all know that creating a safe learning environment is critically important, especially in performing laboratory experiments,” says Michael Lavelle, Flinn Scientific’s chief executive officer.  …Read More

Poptential™ Free Economics Curriculum Adds Content to Explain Today’s Inflation, Recession Woes

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — With inflation reaching a 40-year high and talk of a looming recession, high school students are coming of age during one of the most challenging economies in recent history. To help them make sense of how we got here, Poptential™ has expanded and updated its Common Sense Economics digital curriculum to include recent economic events, including the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain issues, and the current inflation crisis. Click to tweet.

“The last couple of years, and this year in particular, have seen huge shifts in U.S. and world economies that will have implications for years to come,” said Julie Smitherman, director of content management at Poptential. “The beauty of a digital curriculum is that it can be updated at any time, so we have been adding content to help explain these shifts.”

Poptential Common Sense Economics is a 15-week curriculum that is standards-based and developed by teachers. Topics are illustrated with pop culture media taken from sitcoms, movies, animations, cartoons, late-night shows, and other sources, to help students better understand and retain a specific concept.…Read More

A free AR app can bring learning to life

McGraw Hill and Verizon launched a new mobile application to bring augmented reality (AR) learning activities to K-12 students and classrooms across the country: McGraw Hill AR. The free AR app leverages the immersive and interactive features of AR technology to bring academic concepts to life and give students and educators new ways to engage with educational content.

“As we look to combine the value of hands-on learning with the benefits of emerging technologies, we found AR to be a natural area of exploration in the development of our suite of education tools,” said Shawn Smith, chief innovation officer for McGraw Hill’s School group.

“Following the disruptions to classroom learning over the past few years, our AR app will pioneer new ways of engaging students with important concepts and materials. While AR technology may still be an area of uncertain utility today, we see the possibility of boundless impact tomorrow and are excited to take this step in support of the students and teachers we serve.”…Read More

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