By Ian Fagan and Julian Fagan For many years, teachers rewarded quiet, well-behaved students and discouraged chatter during lessons. In a busy classroom this made practical sense: interruptions disrupt learning and teachers need to manage time effectively. But in trying to suppress disruptive noise, schools can unintentionally teach students to stay silent about what matters. … Read more

Encouraging Productive Struggle in Math: Building Number Sense and Independent Thinkers By Brittany Goerig Basic math fact recall remains important, but instruction should go further. Teachers must help students understand the relationships between numbers so they can develop flexible strategies and solve problems independently. When students learn that productive struggle is a normal—and valuable—part of … Read more

How the Chinese Celebrate the New Year (With Student Resources Below) China, the world’s most populous country, celebrates the Lunar New Year—commonly called the Spring Festival or Chunjie—with a vibrant mix of family reunions, fireworks, lanterns, parades, and a sea of red decorations. This is the longest holiday in the Chinese calendar, stretching across fifteen … Read more

Learning Loss, Equity, and Cognitive Capacity in the Pandemic Era By Betsy Hill and Roger Stark Editor’s Note: This is part one of a five-part series As the 2020–21 school year began, remote learning became the default for most students across the United States, and conversations about equity intensified. Some state leaders moved to standardize … Read more

By Diana Phillips In the beginning… Back-to-school nerves affect both teachers and students. Every fall I think about educators starting something new: first-year teachers, those moving to a different grade or subject, and teachers trying fresh approaches. I remember my first day in the classroom—feeling underprepared, overwhelmed, and asking myself, “Am I ready for this?” … Read more

By Tamara Fyke It has been a year of dramatic changes: closed schools, limited travel, face masks, social distancing, and remote classrooms. Families adapted to distance learning, friendship pods, and new routines. Many faced illness, loss, reduced income, and stretched budgets. Yet through it all, educators, parents, and students have continued to show up for … Read more

Written by: Catherine De Orio Over the past decade, many schools have shifted classroom time toward testing-focused subjects like math and reading, and arts programs have often been first on the chopping block. Although some view art education as an optional extra, creative classes—from visual arts to culinary and performing arts—play a vital role in … Read more

By Martin Demkowicz How do we keep virtual learning human-centric? Remote, virtual, and distance learning have become part of everyday vocabulary as millions of learners connect with instructors who are not physically present. As more of our interactions move into digital spaces, we should ask: beyond physical proximity, what do we lose when education becomes … Read more

Op-ed Personalized learning needs to go I could argue that personalized learning should disappear because companies are trying to replace teachers—their empathy, judgement, and mentorship—with algorithms and screens. I could warn about the dangers of privatizing education and handing sensitive learning data to closed corporations. Those are important points, but there is a simpler, deeper … Read more

By Lane Jabaay Editor’s Note: This is part two of a series about how findings and solutions from Applied Educational Neuroscience are necessary in improving our approach to the social and emotional development of children.   Applied Educational Neuroscience (AEN) examines the brain processes that underlie learning and behavior. While the research behind AEN can … Read more