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Creating a safe space for students to take academic risks

In The First Year, page 1.6

A classroom culture that encourages students to take academic risks starts with the teacher.

By Kristi Johnson Smith.

Deficit thinking

In Bridging Spanish language barriers in Southern schools, page 4.2

Teachers frequently attribute the academic struggles of English language learners to the students' inability or unwillingness to learn English, but this "deficit thinking" can better be replaced by a focus on what immigrant students bring to the classroom.

By Buck Cooper.

To know them is to teach them

We must maintain high standards and expectations, incorporate students' experiences into the curriculum, and use culturally relevant materials.

By Barbara Rush.

The First Year

Essays on the author's experiences in her first year of teaching: the mistakes she made, what she learned from them, and how she used them to become a better teacher — and how other first-year teachers can, too.

Format: book (multiple pages)

March Madness and relationship-building

In The First Year, page 3.9

Taking time away from instruction to build relationships with your students can pay off in the long run.

By Kristi Johnson Smith.

Culturally relevant teaching

Culturally relevant teaching is a term created by Gloria Ladson-Billings (1994) to describe "a pedagogy that empowers students intellectually, socially, emotionally, and politically by using cultural referents to impart knowledge, skills, and attitudes."

Format: article

By Heather Coffey.

Guidelines for writing best practice articles

In Web Publishing & Collaboration Guide, page 2.2

Not every good teaching idea can be written as a lesson plan or buried within one. Some ideas are more general and apply throughout a curriculum area or even across curricula. If you find yourself explaining concepts, strategies, or practices, consider writing...

Format: /help

Cooperative learning

Cooperative learning is an instructional method in which students work together in small, heterogeneous groups to complete a problem, project, or other instructional goal, while teachers act as guides or facilitators. This method works to reinforce a student's...

Format: article

By Heather Coffey.

Communities In Schools of Wake County: “Just passing isn’t good enough!”

The educators of Communities In Schools (CIS) of Wake County, after ascertaining that the average grade of their middle school students was low D to F, determined to change their program drastically. They researched programs across the country that demonstrated success with students with profiles similar to those of CIS students, hired an education consulting company to help them establish measurement matrices, and instituted a range of new policies and activities. As a result, CIS students’ grades improved to C in just six months.

Format: article

By Susan B. Hansell.

Effective communication for successful careers

In CareerStart lessons: Grade eight, page 1.7

In this lesson plan, students consider the elements of effective communication and write an informative or persuasive paper with a particular audience in mind.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 English Language Arts)

By Andrea Fedon, Gail Frank, and Cindy Neininger.

Bridging language barriers

In Bridging Spanish language barriers in Southern schools, page 1.3

How schools can ease the transition for Latino immigrant students.

By Regina Cortina.

Guidelines for being a good online learner

The elements that ensure success in an online learning environment are slightly different than those in a traditional classroom. These guidelines will help ensure your success as an online learner.

Format: article/help

Wall-to-wall project-based learning: A conversation with biology teacher Kelley Yonce

This article explains the process of project-based learning (PBL) as it is practiced by Kelley Yonce, a high-school biology teacher who uses PBL throughout the school year. Concrete guidelines for a DNA project are included, as well as rubrics, assessment criteria, and other relevant documents.

Format: article/best practice (grade 9–12 Science)

By Dan Lewandowski.

Feed a fighter

In this lesson students will examine “Additional Helps for the 4-H Mobilization for Victory Program,” a Cooperative Extension Work document from the Green 'N' Growing collection at Special Collections Research Center at North Carolina State University Libraries. The document will help students understand the efforts civilians underwent to support military efforts in World War II.

Format: lesson plan (grade 10–12 Social Studies)

By Lisa Stamey.

Get your character education act together!

Elements of an effective character education program and lots of ideas for implementation—all across the curriculum.

By Frances B. Lewis.

Play in the multilingual classroom

In Bridging Spanish language barriers in Southern schools, page 2.3

Unstructured play is an important way for young children to make social and cultural connections. It also fosters language development and literacy skills for both English language learners and native English speakers.

Format: article

By Kristin De Soto Madson.

Resources on the web

The National Science Foundation

Super scientific articles, audio clips, videos, and interactive features about a panopoly of innovations: the Internet, robots, artificial heart valves, frozen frogs, extrasolar planets, memory, data mining, and more. Get the latest news and classroom resources... (Learn more)

Format: website/general

Provided by: National Science Foundation