Columnists

I recently had a chance to talk with renowned “rapping” math teacher Mark Rogers from Round Rock, Texas. Rogers shared the story of how he got his start in teaching and discussed the role humanity plays in his day-to-day activities with students. After watching the interview, check out the YouTube video displaying Mark’s creative side in education.

In this article, David Greene discusses how teacher recruitment and the economic achievement gap have changed in New York City since the late 1960s.

Professional development often addresses different approaches to pedagogy. High school teachers have unique needs in this area as they prepare their students for the academic and life challenges that lie ahead. An approach to consider is one that offers individualized experiential learning. Students can use what they’ve learned in the classroom as they enhance life skills to prepare to transition into the “real world.”

In this interview, David Greene discusses the current state of the teaching profession in America with edCircuit, including its trends and issues.

A s I watched this year’s crop of college freshmen descend on campus, buried in smartphones, earbuds in, heads down, I started thinking about how different their life experience has been from those of generations past. A lot has changed over the years. Let’s take a look at the world in which these 18-year-olds have grown up.For students in the Class of 2019:The Internet has always been here.They’ve never known a world without mobile phones.They weren’t even born when Kurt Cobain and Dave Grohl last played in the same band.Wi-fi is expected, everywhere. (I’m waiting for a student to tell me it’s guaranteed in the Constitution.)The Internet has always had its own awards show, the Webbys.They’ve always been able to go online to get CNN.They’ve never known a world without Harry Potter.Hybrids have always been an option for car buyers.In spite of their obsession with coffee, “Java” has always referred to a computer programming language.Netflix has always been around. So has Amazon.They were only preschoolers when the attacks of 9/11 happened.They have no idea what you’re talking about when you refer to the white Ford Bronco or the Unabomber.Do you think any of my smartphone-obsessed students would believe that on my college dorm hall, there was one payphone available for 50 students? Or that the only way to take a picture was with a camera?Are you feeling old yet?The opinions expressed here are solely those of Donna Krache.  

In this interview, Guy Kawasaki, chief evangelist of Canva and an executive fellow at the Haas School of Business at U.C. Berkeley, shares what excites him.

Ed Tech guru Richard Byrne offers general advice and three common scenarios on what to buy when classroom and teachers budgets are tight.

S eptember 8 is International Literacy Day. Literacy in its various forms (financial literacy, civic literacy, etc.) has always been a personal cause of mine. A few years ago, I served on the board of a local literacy organization, Literacy Action in Atlanta, Georgia. This great organization has as its mission “To build better futures for undereducated adults by teaching literacy, life and work skills that empower them to reach their highest potential.”

edCircuit recently caught up with Chad Ratliff, Director of Instructional Programs for Albermarle County Public Schools, to learn more about the district’s Startup Weekend.  Here’s our Q&A.Dr. Berger: Why organize a Startup Weekend for your teachers and what was the initial response to the idea from both teachers and administrators?