7 tips and ideas to make the eclipse engaging for students

This article originally appeared on Vernier’s blog and is reposted here with permission.

On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will be visible over the United States, starting in Texas. This upcoming eclipse event is an exciting opportunity to incorporate phenomenon-based learning into your instruction and engage your students through inquiry.

Here are some tips for making the most out of this rare occasion as you study it with your students.…Read More

Math is not a universal language—but it can be a universal thread

Key points:

Say what you will about the universality of numbers and symbols; I’d politely argue that it does not follow that mathematics is a universal language. The problem for many struggling math students is that often those “universal” numbers and symbols hide in surrounding contexts of unfamiliar vocabulary, settings, and narratives.

As math educators, we can help those students by finding ways to relate their classroom learning to more recognizable cultural frames of reference that are authentic to the range of experiences in the room. In the process, math can actually become a universal thread to connect many types of content and learners. Number sense and quantities are some of the very few things that tie us together in a common experience.…Read More

Infusing PBL with edtech to enhance collaboration, critical thinking

Key points:

Project-based learning (PBL) helps prepare students for college and beyond by actively engaging them in meaningful, relevant projects. In many situations, students will work on these projects for weeks or months at a time, which helps them develop deeper content knowledge when attempting to answer complex questions and resolve real-world problems.

With advances in digital tools, many teachers are finding that using edtech tools in PBL enhances projects by providing direct access to greater sources of information and by allowing students to collaborate more easily. Some believe that leveraging the right technology is one of the best ways to support students during PBL activities.…Read More

DEI in action: eSN Innovation Roundtable

DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) is a commonly used acronym, but what does it mean in the context of day-to-day operations in a school district?

As many experts will point out, DEI initiatives are prone to fail when they aren’t getting at the crux of the issue—existing systemic processes and challenges that prevent promising solutions and DEI-focused policies from being successful.

During an eSchool News Innovation Roundtable with a focus on DEI, moderated by eSchool News Content Director Kevin Hogan, district leaders delved into the critical but complicated topic of DEI in school districts. Roundtable participants included:…Read More

ParentSquare Named to the 2024 GSV 150: The Top Growth Companies in Digital Learning & Workforce Skills

Santa Barbara, CA —  ParentSquare, the award-winning unified school-home engagement platform for K12 education, has been named to the 2024 edition of the GSV 150: GSV’s annual list of the top 150 private companies transforming digital learning and workforce skills.

The GSV 150 are VC- and PE-backed private companies experiencing top-line growth with minimum double-digit millions in revenue. The 2040 cohort collectively reaches ~3B people and generates ~$23B in revenue. GSV made the selections by evaluating over 2,000 private companies across five key factors — revenue scale, revenue growth, user reach, geographic diversification, and margin profile, to determine the top 150 companies globally.

“We are gratified to have been counted among the world’s most transformational growth companies in digital learning and workforce upskilling,” ParentSquare President and Founder Anupama Vaid said. “This recognition is a testament to our mission of developing industry-leading technologies that bridge school-home communication gaps. From groundbreaking AI integrations to new seamless communication tools, we remain focused on helping schools foster family engagement now and well into the future.”…Read More

3 keys to successful summer reading (regardless of the languages students speak)

Key points:

When I began teaching English as a second language (ESL), I had anywhere from seven to 13 different languages in my classroom because our district was in an area with a lot of recent immigration. It was an entry point for me to begin thinking about what a rich profession teaching is, along with how students develop their early reading skills, especially when they are learning multiple languages at once.

Today, I am the director of Literacy First, a program that the University of Texas launched almost 30 years ago with the mission of teaching students to read in the early grades. Literacy First fulfills its mission by offering a variety of support services, with a particular focus on achieving successful outcomes for growing readers, including one-to-one literacy interventions, teacher and staff training, instructional coaching, data-centered advising, and bilingual and culturally sustaining reading resources and interventions. One of the things I’ve learned a great deal about along the way is how to run an effective summer reading program for emergent bilingual students.…Read More

U.S. Senate and White House Honor ‘National Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Week’ with Bipartisan Resolution, Presidential Letter

CHICAGO – This week, the U.S. Senate introduced a bipartisan resolution designating March 4-8, 2024 as ‘‘National Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Week’’ to recognize the critical role SEL plays in supporting the academic success and overall well-being of students, educators, and families. The resolution was introduced by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) and Susan Collins (R-ME). 

President Joe Biden also recognized “National SEL Week” in a letter this week underscoring the importance of SEL to support the academic, social, emotional, and mental well-being of students that were a critical part of the Biden Administration’s two signature legislative achievements—the American Rescue Plan Act and the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. 

This second annual “National SEL Week” comes at a critical time for students’ academic recovery and social and emotional development. With COVID-relief funds ending, education leaders are increasingly seeking sound, evidence-based investments in students’ learning and development. …Read More

Friday 5: Online learning’s evolution

Key points:

Online learning has limitless potential for students and teachers, offering the ability to learn from any location and at all times of the day. Let’s take a look at some of the latest online learning trends:

Is online learning really effective?

The short answer: Yes. Flexible, hybrid learning is key to student success. Schools should reimagine the learning processes and leverage in-person and hybrid learning to help students achieve the best possible results. The potential for innovation and student engagement are only scratching the surface when it comes to the advantages of online learning. Having many new, effective tools in educators’ toolboxes, it’s time to cast aside conventional processes and rethink the way we provide services to, and support, our students. Take the first steps toward this innovation.…Read More

Immersive Learning Resource from Discovery Education Surpasses 1 Million Downloads 

Charlotte, NC — Discovery Education today announced that its no-cost, augmented-reality (AR) learning resource— Sandbox AR—has surpassed the 1 million download milestone in the Apple iTunes store. In 2023, Sandbox AR was named was named Best XR/VR/AI Product as part of the  GESS Education Awards and was the winner of the first prize in the Hardware, AV, AR/AV, Robotics and Digital Device category at the BETT 2023 Awards. Discovery Education is the worldwide edtech leader whose state-of-the-art digital resources nurture student curiosity and drive deeper engagement in instruction. 

Designed as a companion to the award-winning Discovery Education Experience K-12 platform, Sandbox AR is an augmented reality “maker” app that brings immersive technology and content into the classroom. Within Sandbox AR, users can create virtual worlds and populate them with hundreds of unique objects from history, the built world, science, nature, and more. Sandbox AR also gives students new ways to express themselves and demonstrate their learning through features like photo taking or video walkthroughs with their own voice over. Sandbox AR even offers a mode that allows users to scale up and inhabit their own life size virtual environments. 

For those new to AR, Sandbox AR includes many pre-built sandboxes exploring diverse subjects such as ancient Egypt, space exploration, Mayan civilization, road construction, and more, with additional sandboxes coming soon. Discovery Education is also making available several free, pre-built lessons educators can use with the app to familiarize themselves with integrating AR into classroom instruction. Subscribers to Discovery Education Experience or Discovery Education Espresso have access to additional Sandbox AR features, and soon, Sandbox AR will be compatible with Chromebooks. …Read More

5 ways to teach like a pirate

Key points:

Learning is a dynamic process, one in which learners must be actively engaged. However, studies suggest that a significant percentage of students feel disengaged in their learning, posing a challenge for educators. As teachers strive to adapt their instructional methods to nurture student curiosity and drive deeper student engagement, the principles outlined in Teach Like A Pirate offer valuable insights. 

A few years ago, I read the book Teach Like A Pirate by Dave Burgess, and the ideas resonated with me and changed my perspective on instructional practices. In his book, Burgess emphasizes the importance of Passion, Immersion, Rapport, Ask/Analyze, Transform, and Enthusiasm (P.I.R.A.T.E.) in teaching. Central to this approach are the hooks – strategies that captivate students’ attention and foster excitement for learning. Here, we explore five effective hooks I’ve shared with the educators I support that are inspired by the book, along with specific examples of their implementation: …Read More