An award-winning English and Social Studies teacher at Luther Burbank High School in Sacramento, Calif., Larry Ferlazzo is the author of Helping Students Motivate Themselves: Practical Answers To Classroom Challenges, The ESL/ELL Teacher’s Survival Guide, and Building Parent Engagement In Schools.
Teaching
Opinion
Try These Simple Shifts in Teaching for a Big Payoff
A complimentary call at week's end to a student's family strengthens relationships and reminds teachers of the good in every week.
Classroom Technology
Opinion
Ed Tech Can Be an Invaluable Tool for Teachers. Here’s How to Use It Best
Ed-tech tools can enhance student learning. But teachers need to ensure they can prove meaningful and promote fact-based knowledge.
School Climate & Safety
Opinion
What Do Restorative Practices Look Like in Schools?
Such practices teach students how to resolve disputes amicably, own their actions, and be empathetic and forgiving.
Teaching
Opinion
How Teachers Can Keep It Real for Students
Building curiosity is one way to make content matter to students.
Teaching
Opinion
Where Did I Go Wrong? Teachers Learn From Their Mistakes
Treat students with compassion and kindness rather than thoughtlessness and irritation. Students and teachers alike can learn from that.
Reading & Literacy
Opinion
How to Help Students With Their Writing. 4 Educators Share Their Secrets
In many classrooms, students are handcuffed by restrictive templates for assignments instead of getting to practice how to create.
Teaching
Opinion
Do I Really Have to Go to Summer School? How to Get Students to Change Their Minds
Students often view summer school as a punishment. Schools can take steps to shift that perception.
Teaching
Opinion
How to Expand Teens' Vocabulary
Students are unlikely to expand their vocabulary by copying definitions of words. There are other, better ways.
Teaching
Opinion
Should Cellphones Be Permitted in Classrooms? Teachers Offer These Strategies
Teachers can play a role in helping students figure out appropriate times for using their phones.
English-Language Learners
Opinion
How to Connect With English-Language Newcomers. Teachers Share Their Favorite Lessons
Stock classrooms with books that reflect students’ lives, languages, and cultures and invite them into as yet unfamiliar worlds.
Teaching
Opinion
Teaching Advice in 6 Words, More or Less
The most insightful advice sometimes comes in small doses, explain educators.
Teaching
Opinion
School Is Relevant. How to Help Students See That
Students often say they don't know why they have to learn something. Try these strategies to help them understand and care.
Teaching
Opinion
Students Will Miss Deadlines. How Teachers Should Respond
Adults miss deadlines all the time. Should there be a double standard for kids?
Assessment
Opinion
What's the Best Way to Grade Students? Teachers Weigh In
There are many ways to make grading a better, more productive experience for students. Here are a few.