Study considers science of good teaching
Researchers at the University of Southern California are studying the brain activity of 40 teachers at a public charter school to determine what effective teaching looks like in the brain. Researchers will gather data through tools including special wristbands and voice recording devices worn by the teachers while they’re in the classroom.
Full Story: Long Beach Post (Calif.)
Ways to support deeper learning
Driving deeper learning means shifting pedagogy from a teacher-driven classroom to a student-directed environment, suggests Scott McLeod, an associate professor at the University of Colorado in Denver. In this interview, McLeod offers examples about how teachers can redesign activities to foster student agency and enrich learning.
Full Story: EdSurge
Study: Restorative practices reduce suspensions
Restorative practices, which involves building relationships between students and teachers, can help reduce student suspensions, according to a study of students in Pittsburgh by the Rand Corporation. The largest drop was among elementary-school students, researchers said, who reported no change in academic achievement.
Full Story: The Atlantic online
Strikes planned for many districts in 2019
Teachers in some states are planning to strike in early 2019 over issues related to pay, class size, testing and more. About 31,000 teachers in Los Angeles plan to strike Jan. 10, and teachers in Virginia are planning a rally and a march on the state capitol on Jan. 28.
Full Story: U.S. News & World Report
Teachers are quitting at unprecedented rates
Public-school educators, including teachers, quit at a rate of 83 per 10,000 during the first 10 months of 2018, according to federal labor data — the highest rate since such data first was collected in 2001. Data show the low national unemployment rate and other factors may be leading to the higher attrition rate.
Full Story: The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model), Fortune
Audrey Altmann is an editorial assistant at SmartBrief.
____________________________________
This “most read” feature reflects the most read items in ASCD SmartBrief from the previous week. Sign up for ASCD SmartBrief to get news like this in your inbox, or check out all of SmartBrief’s education newsletters, covering career and technical education, educational leadership, math education and more.