The challenging of books based on their content has a long history, but they have been a major news story this school year. The challenges are coming from a variety of sources—parents, school committees, politicians, community groups, and others. There are a variety of reasons for the discussion, but what do you do when books … read more »
If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart. —Nelson Mandela The first whole week of March is National Foreign Language Week (NFLW). The purpose of the week and the various activities sponsored is to help make … read more »
Critical thinking, social-emotional learning, culturally responsive teaching, authentic learning—these are a few of the latest terms found in many discussions of education and teaching. It might seem daunting to address all of them, but some issues offer the opportunity to embrace these concepts by providing lessons with a larger frame of reference. One such frame … read more »
“Nothing sticks in your head better than a story. Stories can express the most complex ideas in the most digestible ways.” Sam Balter Mathematicians have used storytelling for centuries to engage their audiences and as a means for understanding math concepts. Likewise, educators have long known that sharing stories with math concepts integrated into them … read more »
Agatha Christie was born on September 15, 1890, and is known as one of the world’s foremost mystery novel writers. She wrote 66 novels and 14 short story collections, but perhaps you’ve heard of her most famous character, Miss Marple. Miss Marple isn’t a typical detective—as an elderly, white-haired woman, she uses her ability to … read more »