This original teaching idea uses an adaption of the STEM activity the Paper Tower Challenge to have students examine task and maintenance roles as well as non-functioning behaviors in small groups. While problem solving as a small group, students navigate conflict and frustration, assume various small-group roles, and then reflect on their own and…

Learners encounter social and emotional challenges every day. Some rise to the demands, while others struggle. Social and emotional learning (SEL) lessons can help all learners thrive. Busy school librarians and educators who appreciate the power of teaching with picture books will celebrate this all-in-one text designed to promote SEL through the…

Three instructional coaches share more than 200 of the most helpful problem-solving strategies they've used in their decades-long work with teachers, administrators, and coaches. "The Instructional Coaching Handbook" is not a new model of coaching. It addresses common hiccups that prevent productive coaching conversations from happening…

A constant challenge for faculty is to gain and to hold student interest so that substantive learning can occur. One way to achieve this is through the use of games. This article describes an escape room activity for the classroom that is modeled after commercial escape rooms. This fun, single-session team dynamics exercise can be used in an…

Responding to change is a critical workforce competency and an essential skill for effective leadership and management along with abilities to work in a group, problem solve, and demonstrate critical thinking capabilities. In this experiential exercise, students collaborate in groups, think critically, and respond to customer demands in a…

Professionals throughout the education system are recognizing that standardized testing is holding students back. Schools tend to view children as "outcomes" rather than as "individuals" who require guidance on thinking critically and creatively. "Awesome Math" focuses on team-based problem solving to teach discrete…

This article presents a culturally situated and socially relevant lesson for intentionally teaching secondary students the fundamental engineering concepts related to Problem Framing and Project Management. This lesson includes: (1) class discussions to engage students in a socially relevant problem (food waste and sustainability) within a…

Student learning communities (SLCs) are more than just a different way of doing group work. Like the professional learning communities they resemble, SLCs provide students with a structured way to solve problems, share insight, and help one another continually develop new skills and expertise. With the right planning and support, dynamic…

To show students how engineering design practices reduce the impacts of a natural hazard, the authors--two science educators and an elementary teacher--taught a three-day 5E lesson that focused on hurricanes. They specifically focused on hurricanes because their students are located near a coastal area and are familiar with the effects of this…

The skillset that students acquire during college is not always well-aligned and/or well-developed relative to the skills needed to be successful in the business world. Employers have complained for many years that graduating students often lack adequate critical thinking and communication skills, in particular. In the marketing field (and other…

This classroom guide is intended to inspire and expand teachers' thinking about effective assessment in project-based learning (PBL). The tips listed in this guide are organized to follow the arc of a project. First comes planning, then the launch into active learning, and then a culminating presentation. Reflection is the final stage, and it's…

Using data for school improvement is a key goal of Race to the Top, and now is the time to make data-driven school improvement a priority. However, many educators are drowning in data. Boost your professional learning community's ability to translate data into action with this new book from Pam Robbins and Robert T. Hess. "The Data Toolkit"…

The "Life Skills and Leadership Manual" is designed to be used by Peace Corps Volunteers and their counterparts who work with youth worldwide to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes integral to three Youth in Development sector competencies: (1) Support healthy lifestyles and prepare youth for family life; (2) Prepare youth for…

"What does a great paraprofessional need to know and do?" Find out in this survival guide, equally useful for the brand-new paraprofessional or the 20-year classroom veteran. Packed with friendly guidance, practical tips, and relatable first-person stories, this book reveals the best ways to provide effective, respectful services to students in…

The booklet describes an activity designed to help nonhandicapped persons understand and develop solutions to problematic situations faced by mentally and physically handicapped students, their parents, and school personnel. The assumption is made that integration is desirable, and the issue therefore becomes not whether children with disabilities…