The Teaching Now blog explored the latest news on the teaching profession, from practical classroom tips to raging policy debates. This blog is no longer being updated, but you can continue to explore these issues on edweek.org by visiting our related topic pages: teaching, teaching profession, and curriculum.
Science
How Far Should Student-Centered Learning Go?
A Wired magazine story looks at the effects of a "radical new teaching method" in which teachers stop direct instructing and start posing problems for students to solve. Could the approach lead, as one educational researcher posits, to teacherless schools?
Equity & Diversity
Group Asks Congress to 'Mix It Up at Lunch,' Too
On Oct. 29, some 6,000 schools will reportedly be participating in the 12th annual Mix It Up at Lunch Day, an initiative that encourages students to break out of their habitual social patterns and sit with someone new at lunch time. This year, the group behind the idea is asking Congress to participate as well.
Assessment
Multi-Grade Grouping Gaining Favor?
At Lincoln-Erdman Elementary School in Sheboygan, Wis., a new program puts 4th and 5th grade students together in classes according to their skill levels, reports the Sheboygan Press. The program aims to allow teachers to tailor class time to students' needs and to prepare students for middle school, where they will switch classrooms every period.
Teaching Profession
New York State Teacher-Evaluation Results Reveal Local Discrepancies
While teacher-evaluation results were high for most of New York state, they were low in urban pockets, including Syracuse.
Recruitment & Retention
Newark Constructing 'Village' for Teachers
Here's an interesting urban renewal story that has a very distinct connection to teaching: In an effort to revive its blighted downtown area, the city of Newark, N.J., last month officially launched a new development known as Teachers Village.
Teaching Profession
Much-Loved Math Teacher Braved Gunfire in Nevada Shooting
After serving as a Marine and doing several tours in Afghanistan with the Nevada Air National Guard, 45-year-old Michael Landsberry died a hero on his home turf, in a civilian role. On Monday, the 8th grade math teacher and soccer coach was killed while trying to protect students from a school-aged gunman.
Reading & Literacy
Writing to Connect: A Celebration of Composition
Oct. 21, 2013 is the National Day on Writing, which will discuss how people use writing in their everyday lives to connect with others.
Student Well-Being & Movement
Do Parents Leave the Ethics to Teachers?
In a disconcerting New York magazine article, Lisa Miller asks whether it's possible to be both ethical and a parent—and comes to the disturbing conclusion that it very well may not be.
Teaching Profession
Survey Attempts to Gauge Student Satisfaction
200 high school students participated in a survey about Oregon public high schools that seeks to give students a voice in education reform in the state.
Teaching Profession
PEOPLE's 6 Teachers of the Year
This morning PEOPLE magazine announced the six winners of its second annual "Teacher of the Year" contest.
Teaching Profession
Teacher-Evaluation Fears Playing Out in New York
A Syracuse high school is serving as a case study for how apparent glitches in an evaluation system can affect teacher morale—and potentially jeopardize teachers' careers.
Teaching Profession
How the Shutdown Is Affecting Teachers
Among its other reverberations in the ed world, the government shutdown has made life particularly complicated for U.S. Department of Defense teachers.
Teaching Profession
Study Finds Teachers Enthusiastic About Common Core
Nearly every teacher in the U.S. now knows about the Common Core State Standards, and 73 percent of math, English, science, and social studies teachers in states that have adopted them say they are enthusiastic about their implementation, according to a new survey.
Teaching Profession
Teachers Step In to Save Congress?
A classic 2011 story from the satirical news site The Onion has aptly resurfaced this week: "Emergency Team of 8th-Grade Civics Teachers Dispatched to Washington."