Favoritism, Fun, and the Future of Learning
As teachers, we’re taught not to play favorites, but that’s a difficult task. There are good reasons why.
Want to build a discussion skills program?
Destination: Discussion
Information & Inspiration
from real teachers, real students & real research
Social Presence in the Online Classroom
Everyone’s afraid of Zoom fatigue these days. Lowenthal and Dunlop ask their students how to make social presence possible online.
Protagonists: Kendall O’Connor-Tappan
“The teacher who stands out in my mind is Ms. Hall, my Art and Art History teacher for all four years of high school. I don’t think I recognized it at the time, but I think she really showed me what it means to be in a flow state. And also the importance of a great playlist in the background of a classroom. She so delicately balanced giving her students personal space and structure.”
Discussion through the Digital Humanities, Creativity Protocols, and the Neuroscience of Trust
This week, we feel challenged by Paul Zak’s work on trust in the workplace, Leyla Alipour’s protocols for boosting student creativity, and NYU press’s forays into online discourse in the Digital Humanities.
Beyond Fragility and Into History
A 2017 article challenges us to think from, but also beyond, the popular concept of white fragility — especially when it comes to building new curricula.
Protagonists: Myles Teasley
“Better classroom discussion will reimagine what History is for students who don’t like memorizing dates and facts.”
Trust Gaps, Civic Agency, and Structural Racism in Schools
This week’s highlighted media bring together ideas from students, teachers, and academics to identify problems and strategies for interrupting inequity and pursuing antiracism in schools.
Protagonists: Meg Goldner Rabinowitz
“…when I think of my noble intention in life — justice and compassion. My wish for this world is that the concepts of justice and compassion would become that concepts that are most highly valued, and that any decision that we make would be rooted in them.”
Rituals, Rethinking Direct Instruction, and Redesigning Schools
This week’s roundup asks us to question the structures of our classrooms, especially discussion-based classrooms, and to consider several new approaches to familiar work.
Better Protocols for Online Discussion Boards
How do we use the “discussion board” feature to… actually hold discussions?
