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Social and Emotional Techniques That Help Students Focus on Academic Progress at Mount Desert Elementary

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John Seely Brown on Motivating Learners (Big Thinkers Series)

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How to Thank a Teacher

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Elementary Art and Service Learning Projects for Earth Day and Beyond

Gaetan PappalardoApril 22, 2011

Tags Lesson Plans, Primary (K-2), Project-Based Learning, Service Learning, Teacher Development, Upper Elementary (3-5), English Language Arts, Geography, Science, Visual Arts, New Jersey

Be not simply good - be good for something.
Henry David Thoreau

"Valentine's Day is for suckers." I usually get a nasty look when I exercise my freedom of speech on heart day. Don't get me wrong, I'm romantic and sensitive -- I am a writer, remember? I just feel that a holiday celebrating love really shouldn't be a holiday at all. We should love each other all year, not just on February 14th. So, I'm against V-day and all its evil. No harm, no foul. Hallmark is not getting a dime out of me. But what about Earth Day? In my ten years of teaching I've done some pretty cool stuff on April 22nd, nothing earth-shattering or innovative, just an all day celebration of the Earth. Some cute ideas that I've fancied are below.

Turning the Tide: Taking Competition Out of School Reform

Maurice EliasFebruary 10, 2011

Tags Charter Schools, Education Reform, , Teacher Development, All Grades, New Jersey

The overall education policy and even more strongly, in my home state of New Jersey, encourages the development of charter schools. Often, support for charter schools is framed in the context of competition being good for education, as it is in business.

Education, Show Business, and Facebook

Maurice EliasOctober 13, 2010

Tags Accountability, , All Grades, New Jersey

What do you think about the situation in the Newark public schools? Do you think it's a good idea for the governor of New Jersey to engineer a $100 million gift, and matching funds, to just one district of more than 550 in New Jersey?

On Location at ASCD: SEL Is Alive and Well

Maurice EliasMarch 21, 2008

Tags , Teacher Development, All Grades, New Jersey

I am writing this at the end of the annual conference of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), in New Orleans, where 10,000 attendees chose from over 400 sessions. But the big news, as far as I am concerned, is that social and emotional learning (SEL) is alive and well, represented by presentations from all over the United States and internationally.

A Stand for What's Right: Courageous Leaders and the Future of No Child Left Behind

Maurice EliasMarch 11, 2008

Tags , All Grades, New Jersey

When leaders know something's wrong but find it difficult to step up and generate needed changes, it's the time for courageous leadership.

Character Development: The Other Side of the Report Card

Maurice EliasMarch 5, 2008

Tags Primary (K-2), , Teacher Development, All Grades, New Jersey

Both in school and after school, teachers, administrators, and staff feel as if they are working harder and harder without seeing proportional results. Frustration is mounting, especially in low-performing districts, over fleeting academic gains despite the ever-increasing efforts teachers make to improve test scores.

On the Air: A Student's Dream Fulfilled

Anthony BencivengaOctober 4, 2006

Tags , Middle (6-8), New Jersey

This is the fourth post in a series on student television broadcasts and how such programs foster students' academic and social and emotional development. Visitors may want to read the previous posts first:

Student Broadcasters: Feature Stories Reflect Local and Global Awareness

Anthony BencivengaOctober 3, 2006

Tags , Teacher Development, Technology Integration, Middle (6-8), New Jersey

This is the third post in a series on student television broadcasts and how such programs foster the students' academic and social-emotional development. Readers may want to read the other posts in this order:

Lights! Action! Camera!: Student News Coming Your Way

Anthony BencivengaAugust 30, 2006

Tags Project-Based Learning, , Technology Integration, Middle (6-8), New Jersey

This post is the second part of a three-part blog entry. Read part one.

Small Screen, Big Success: Creating a Student-Produced Television Program

Anthony BencivengaAugust 9, 2006

Tags Project-Based Learning, , Teacher Development, Technology Integration, Middle (6-8), New Jersey

In an earlier post, I posed the question "How do we begin to create a school culture that values social and emotional well being while promoting academic success?" I suggested that it begins with a shared vision.