Should Politics Be Discussed in Schools?
In the current political climate, it can feel difficult to discuss political issues or your point of view in a professional setting. However, schools lay the seeds of learning critical thinking, and political issues and political views can provide a starting point to discuss issues in depth in a safe space. Ultimately, what students need […]
Politics in Education
Schools are a vital part of any community. They provide lessons and skills to the new generation and can shape their attitude toward participating in our political system. From middle school to high school students will be impacted by the education policy decision-making of politicians. So let’s explore how schools and politics mix a bit […]
Understanding the Political Spectrum
What are the political ideologies? Political ideologies are derived from political philosophies which explore and debate how we should live together in a society. In the United States, the political philosophy is democracy. From there, our government is formed from political parties. Political parties vary in their political beliefs. These political beliefs span the political […]
How Can Health Influence Learning?
Everyone knows an apple a day keeps the doctor away. But can an apple a day lead to better grades too? Well, it might not be quite that simple, but good health and educational achievement are linked. According to data from the 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, school students who had higher test scores […]
Safer Internet Day
Origin Originally established as an initiative of the EU SafeBorders project in 2004, Safer Internet Day (SID) was taken up by the Insafe network as one of its earliest actions in 2005. Insafe is a European network of Safer Internet Centres (SICs). Every national Centre is focused on online safety, media literacy, and cyber security. […]
Kami and UDL
What Is UDL? Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a method of teaching and learning that focuses on accommodating the wide variety of learner variability in classrooms. UDL takes into account individual learners’ abilities, as well as any measures that help them to learn more effectively. A teacher working with UDL in mind understands that, […]
The Three Principles of UDL
Now that you know what UDL is from reading our other blogs, What is UDL and Examples of UDL, you must be itching to implement it into your learning environment. The first thing to remember is that Universal Design for Learning is a broad category. The official Universal Design for Learning guidelines says it encompasses […]
What is Universal Design for Learning?
Universal Design for Learning, or UDL, is a set of principles that provide teachers with a structure to develop instructions and create a learning environment to meet the diverse individual needs of all learners. It’s not just a matter of following a hunch, either. The variability in students’ learning styles is backed up by peer-reviewed […]
Examples of UDL
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an approach to teaching aimed at meeting the needs of every student in a classroom. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out our main blog on “What is UDL?”. A UDL-based approach to designing your learning environment has proven benefits for all your learners; not just those […]
Phonological Awareness vs Phonemic Awareness
Phonological awareness and phonemic awareness — boy, those are long words for something that we expect five-year-olds to be able to master! But don’t panic. The skills are actually a lot simpler than the names. When you are teaching children in pre-K, kindergarten, and first grade, a lot of the focus will be on developing […]
Changes to State Testing in Texas
How are students tested in Texas? Students in Texas take the STAAR test each spring. STAAR (State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness) is a collection of assessments administered statewide to see if Texas students’ academic performance meets the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) set out by the TEA (Texas Education Agency — based […]
What is Character Education and Why is it Important?
We all know why schools exist; they prepare young people to take the reins of the nation that will one day be theirs. The Department of Education describes it as “fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access.” So how can we tell if we, as educators, have done a good job with the young people […]
