George Lucas Educational Foundation
Edutopia

Teaching Strategies

Discover and share best practices for improving your teaching craft -- delivering instruction, engaging students, reaching struggling students, and more.

  • Innovative Ways to Make Coronavirus a Teachable Moment

    When the world feels dangerous, harnessing learning can provide some measure of clarity and perspective.
    Sarah Gonser

  • New Strategies in Special Education as Kids Learn From Home

    In special education, teachers say that schedules, sensory supports, and close collaboration with families can help smooth the transition to remote learning.
    Nora Fleming

  • Using Think Time to Let All Students Show What They Know

    More students will be better able to share their learning—during both discussions and tests—if they have the time they need.
    Geoff Richman

  • What Teachers in China Have Learned in the Past Month

    An American whose classroom in Beijing is now online shares what she and her team have learned since the coronavirus hit, just as U.S. teachers make the same shift.
    Laurel Schwartz

  • A Handy Strategy for Teaching Theme

    Analyzing the themes in a literary work can be tricky for students, but a simple formula can scaffold the process.
    Zach Wright

  • Borrowing a Literacy Strategy From Band Class

    A band teacher explains how a process he uses to train budding musicians’ inner voice can be used to help struggling readers improve.
    Brian Campbell

  • Talk Less So Students Learn More

    Productive struggle is important for students to retain what they learn.
    Shannon McGrath

  • 5 Ways to Support Students Who Struggle With Reading Comprehension

    These strategies can help students who are able to decode well but have difficulty understanding what they read—and they’re beneficial for all students.
    Nina Parrish

  • What Doesn’t Work: Literacy Practices We Should Abandon

    The number one concern that I hear from educators is lack of time, particularly lack of instructional time with students. Although we can't entirely solve the time problem, we can mitigate it by carefully analyzing our use of class time.
    Nell K. Duke

  • 3 Ways to Ask Questions That Engage the Whole Class

    These techniques guide all students to process course content and then actively demonstrate their learning.
    Pérsida and Bill Himmele

  • Inviting Participation With Thumbs-Up Responses

    A quick assessment strategy replaces raised hands, encouraging more students to contribute by accommodating their different processing needs.

  • 30 Techniques to Quiet a Noisy Class

    Most teachers have a method of calling for quiet, and we’ve collected a variety of good ideas for elementary, middle, and high school.
    Todd Finley

  • Teaching Black History in Culturally Responsive Ways

    Black history is American history and should be taught throughout the year across the curriculum—not confined to a single month.
    Rann Miller

  • 5 Research-Backed Studying Techniques

    Teachers can guide students to avoid ineffective studying habits in favor of ones that will increase their learning outcomes.
    Edward Kang

  • Demonstrating Self-Regulation With Tone of Voice

    When teachers model self-regulation by using a voice that is calm, neutral, and assertive, they help students feel cared for—and ready to learn.