Tips for encouraging self-regulation of digital distraction As more schools introduce one-to-one iPad or laptop policies, teachers are increasingly worried about students’ dependence on screens. Devices are now a constant part of their environment and have become their ‘go-to’ form of communication, information, and entertainment for many children. As a fourth-grade teacher in a school […]
Instruction & Curriculum
Posted inTechnology
How I Use Apps to Improve Family Engagement
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! Parent communication is one of the most critical aspects of teaching. Without it, parents will not be informed about what is going on in the classroom, and teachers can feel less supported. It can also get easily pushed aside […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Why I Don’t Show My 4th Grader His Grades
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! My spouse and I are teachers, and we do not share report cards with our kids (yet). I have written out hundreds of interim and final grades in my high school teaching career. I always carefully consider how my […]
Posted inClassroom Management
Why You Should Try a No Cell Phone Policy in Your Classroom
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! If you want to try an interesting experiment, ask your students to turn up the volume on their cell phones and tally how many times in a class period their cell phones signal an alert. We tried it a […]
Posted inPedagogy
Red Light! It’s Time to Take Digital Literacy Seriously
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! Several months ago, my fifth-grade class asked me to play Red Light, Green Light. Not typically a game my fifth graders request, it came as a surprise. Later that week I watched the first episode of a very grown-up […]
Posted inPedagogy
Lessons for Teachers From a Military Brat
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! What is a Military Brat? Are you familiar with the term “military brat?” This term refers to someone who grew up in a family where one or both parents served in the armed forces. My father served in the […]
Posted inPedagogy
Justice Jackson and Romeo & Juliet (and Taylor Swift too!)
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! We can celebrate the historic confirmation of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and educate our students about many subjects at the same time! My favorite arguments from the newest U.S. Supreme Court Justice are not from any of the important cases she […]
Posted inPedagogy
How to Support Parents and Educators of Autistic Students
I remember the first student I taught who had been diagnosed with autism very well. “Ms. Lamons, you need to fix the date on the board.” “Ms. Lamons, I need to know what we are doing today.” “Ms. Lamons, I finished my work. Now, what do I do?” John had what some described as a […]