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From A Mindset for Learning by Kristine Mraz and Christine Hertz
The most powerful classroom cultures are the ones that have rich opportunities for playful engagement. Play has a wide range of definitions—rough and tumble, fantasy, construction play for starters—and all of them have a place in school. How might constructive play be practically implemented in classrooms?
Try this: Encourage children to create pretend worlds in the primary grades.
There is wild and raucous recess play, but there is also sustained and involved intentional play. Recess play exercises bodies and energizes spirits. The other kind of play may seem quieter, but also works on mental dexterity, flexibility, and self-regulation.
From Modeling with Mathematics by Nancy Butler Wolf
When students present their results in a variety of ways, they find that they are not only providing a clear explanation of their reasoning and solution, but have a better understanding of the connection between the equation, the picture, and the actual problem they are solving. How can we help students to communicate solutions in a variety of ways?
Try this:
Communicating mathematical solutions pictorially, verbally, graphically, and textually, helps students to internalize the myriad ways to solve math equations while building confidence in their own problem-solving abilities.
From Amplify by Katie Muhtaris and Kristin Ziemke
Students benefit from explicit instruction in applying navigation and comprehension strategies when reading in a digital format. How might we develop the digital aptitude of our students?
Try this:
Although it’s tempting to label our students “digital natives” and assume they already understand these concepts, it’s clear that kids need support and it’s up to us to explicitly teach and model elements of digital reading.
From After THE END, Second Edition by Barry Lane
Here’s a bit of advice for your writing conferences that is simple yet powerful: when you meet with a student, make sure the student speaks first. To get the conference started, students should arrive prepared with either a short paragraph about their writing or a list of questions. Of course, you could be the one to kick things off with “Tell me how your writing is going” or “What questions do you have for me about your writing?” But the student is the one to offer substantive details first. With this small adjustment to your writing conferences, you will make a huge difference in the amount of ownership that students feel over their writing.
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