Author: Chris Piehler

A speech-language pathologist shares how she collaborates with a two-foot-tall humanoid named Milo to help students with autism become more attentive and engaged in discussion. By Jean Graham Many people may not know that autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is the fastest-growing developmental disability in the U.S. One in 45 children ages 3–17 are currently living with ASD. But how does this affect our classrooms? As a speech-language pathologist at Broome-Tioga BOCES in New York, I work closely every day with about 24 students who have ASD. With a growing program at BOCES, we decided to pilot Milo, a robot equipped …

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One educator shares her best practices for staying connected and keeping her students learning while school is out. By Camille Cavazos With holidays, friends, travel, and a multitude of other distractions, keeping kids learning over school breaks can be challenging. Though the brain drain that happens over winter break may not be as severe as the dreaded “summer slide,” I still feel it’s better to do something than nothing at all during the holiday vacation. It’s important for kids to see that learning is a joy, and that it hardly ever comes to a complete stop. Here are some great …

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A specialist who is also a parent of a child with dyslexia explains the keys to understanding and supporting students like her son. By Shantell Thaxton Berrett When the diagnosis of dyslexia—and later dysgraphia—came to light with my son, I felt overwhelmed and afraid. I was unsure of how to help him, or the best direction to go to find that help. I couldn’t bear the thought of my child struggling and not knowing how to help him. As parents, we very quickly ask ourselves, “Did I do something wrong? Did I not do enough?” In retrospect, asking those questions …

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An author of children’s and young adult books celebrates the value of fiction for building empathy, combatting bullying, and preparing kids for real-life challenges. By Michael Dahl I grew up in a house full of books, and I read everything I could find. My mom and dad read a lot, too. My mom and I would even read the same comic books, and afterwards she would ask what I thought about the story. These discussions with my mother taught me that even the most “juvenile” of reading materials still had value and could be read critically, just like any literature. …

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Young learners dive into STEM lessons—and discussions about the nature of humanity. By Hannah DeRusha What does it mean to be human? What does it mean to be a robot? These are the questions my kindergartners and first graders asked themselves this past year at the Acera Elementary School of Science, Creativity and Leadership in Winchester, Massachusetts. Concepts like these may sound challenging for the age group involved, but by breaking big ideas down into bite-sized applications, we can introduce young learners to a new way of thinking. When I first brought a kit of customizable robots into my classroom, …

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In this district, ELL and special education students aren’t just maintaining their literacy skills over the summer—they’re improving them. By Katie Gutowski Perched on the threshold of summer, most K-12 classes are coming to a close as we begin preparing for the extended school year (ESY) and summer school programs to begin. ESYs are commonly used to address the needs of students with learning disabilities, to prevent the notorious “summer slide,” and to preserve the academic skills students have acquired over the school year. At Colonial School District in Delaware, we’ve utilized an ESY for several years, but it was …

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Educators share their strategies for teaching academically challenging (and fun) lessons that support native and non-native English speakers. By Karyn Lewis and Yvette Ramirez Transitions can be challenging for any student, whether that is moving from elementary to middle school, or moving to an entirely new school district. For English language learners (ELLs) the challenges are even greater. Not only do these students have to learn how to speak, read, and write a new language, they have to adjust to a new culture, all while keeping up academically with native English speakers. The challenge for these two educators, whose classrooms …

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Vendors in the education industry should aim to understand administrators’ challenges and be helpful, not just make a sale. By Jacob Hanson Educators and ed tech companies have the same goal: to help provide the best education possible by inspiring and supporting today’s generation of teachers and learners. To achieve that goal, schools aim to implement the most innovative tools and instructional models to improve teaching and learning—but these changes don’t happen over night. It takes time, strategic planning, and professional development to ensure that students are receiving the absolute best education possible. It’s like buying a new car. When …

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An elementary school librarian uses a kid-friendly digital database to teach ELLs both language and research skills. By Melanie Curl Being a school librarian is about much more than just organizing and scanning books. The library is the central hub in the school, where students can gather to explore the world, research their interests, and be exposed to exciting new technologies and ideas. Librarians play a pivotal role in engaging students with their learning, beyond the confines of a single subject. Librarians interact with the entire student body, and as such they have a unique opportunity—and responsibility—to ensure all students …

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