Dean Jermaine Weems (right) tells a story about fostering kittens to teachers and faculty during a Welcome Back training at CICS Bucktown on Monday, Aug. 15, 2022 in Chicago, Ill.
Teaching Video

Teachers, Try This – A Video Series on Innovative Ideas for Educators

Early career educators and those further along in the classroom are always looking for new ways of connecting with and meeting the needs of their students, as well as tackling the many responsibilities that come with their roles. Here, we share some tips and tricks from teachers, for teachers on a number of different topics that can make the job of teaching just a little easier.

Student Well-Being Video Teachers, Try This: Strengthen Students' Emotional Intelligence in 1 Minute a Day
This teacher incorporates a daily one-minute mindfulness exercise, and has seen huge benefits for her students, and her classroom community.
Jaclyn Borowski , March 16, 2023
4:39
Teaching Video Teachers, Try This: Help Your Students Embrace Boredom
In this classroom, students learn what to do when there’s nothing to do—a vital skill that requires practice to understand and embrace.
Lauren Santucci, March 9, 2023
4:45
Student Well-Being Video Teachers, Try This: Give Middle School Girls a Space Where They Feel Like They Belong
A teacher created a club for her middle school girls that doesn’t require special skills or money to join, but where they can all fit in.
Lauren Santucci, February 16, 2023
5:53
Teaching Video Teachers, Try This: Build a Lesson Plan Using ChatGPT
One educator explains how teachers can use ChatGPT to create lesson plans, and offers insight and advice on the process and its pitfalls.
Sam Mallon, January 25, 2023
3:48
English-Language Learners Video Teachers, Try This: Incorporate Students' Home Languages Into Your Classrooms
One Texas teacher utilizes her ELL students’ home languages to build community.
Lauren Santucci, December 15, 2022
2:56
An 8th grader works on a class project at Paw Paw Middle School on Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021, in Paw Paw, Michigan. The students were asked to write a word that was important to them and their work in the classroom. They then added the words to a poster to serve as a class "contract." The district has upped its social-emotional curriculum during the pandemic, as more students struggle. That is common nationwide. A recent AP-NORC/MTV poll found that nearly half of U.S. teens said the pandemic has made it harder to be happy and maintain their mental health.
An 8th grader works on a class project at Paw Paw Middle School on Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021, in Paw Paw, Michigan. The students were asked to write a word that was important to them and their work in the classroom. They then added the words to a poster to serve as a class "contract." The district has upped its social-emotional curriculum during the pandemic, as more students struggle. That is common nationwide. A recent AP-NORC/MTV poll found that nearly half of U.S. teens said the pandemic has made it harder to be happy and maintain their mental health.
Martha Irvine/AP
Teaching Video Teachers, Try This: An SEL Lesson That Teaches Kindness and Empathy
See how this elementary school teacher uses an SEL lesson to teach students about the value of kindness, empathy, and the power of words.
Lauren Santucci, November 7, 2022
4:29