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August 1, 2020
Vol. 62
No. 8

Lessons and Practices to Scrap

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    Which common classroom lessons should teachers update? Educators share what they've chosen to cut out of today's curricula and instruction.

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    Instructional Strategies
      Even successful lessons become derivative or outdated after … a couple of years, so little tweaks each year with resources and templates at the ready is the most effective way to go. —@MirPloMCPS
      Let students contribute found articles and stories to become reading samples. It's about the standard, not the content. These supplements will create engaging, diverse points of conversation more effectively than the "favorite" literary piece you've been milking for years. —@Jhaywardtwit
      Europe is not the only history maker between the years 1500 and 1850. We need to teach about other parts of the world and not through the lens of their relationship with Europe. Stop Eurocentrism! —@kgkaris
      Assigning more than five math homework problems and spending a period the next day reviewing those problems. Give a few problems to practice skill at home, then start the next day's lesson with new independent problems to see if [students] mastered/retained the skills. —@KLarke321
      Timed tests (especially in math) need to be updated. Encourage fluency in a low-stakes, engaging setting. I think @FirstInMath and @24game provide resources to build number sense, critical thinking, and rigor. —@RTBCoaching
      Stop algebra and up unless they are a part of math courses that teach financial literacy and wealth management. We teach and test math like maniacs, then send kids off with no idea of how to manage cash, credit, and debt. Everybody will need financial literacy. —@Hedreich
      In ELA, everything in the pantry needs to be thrown out and we need to restock with an increase in reading diverse texts and low-stakes writing. Volume. Choice. Volume. —@dcuttsLBHS
      The five-paragraph essay is not for all people, all the time. Use the Frayer model intentionally, not as a universal vocab tool. Literary themes and analysis can be taught outside of the classics. —@Sawoodard22
      Public classroom behavior charts. Hated that I had to have one … secretly never used it. —@PD_JacksonATL
      Any games, simulations, or reenactments of chattel slavery in the U.S. Any lesson celebrating Christopher Columbus. Thanksgiving dress-up lessons. —@ShanaVWhite
      "Warm-ups." Because it's not a good idea to start the learning time doing busywork (while the teacher does administrative busywork). In many cases, kids can't do the problems, in which case it ain't warming anything up except negative attitudes and frustration. —@authenticplcs
      Copying notes is not a lesson. Students are not learning any standards or making connections to their own lives by copying what the teacher has deemed important to rewrite. When students "take note" of important information or a connection, they learn. —@hollowayreader
      Lessons that ask for cognitive compliance rather than cognitive engagement. Lessons that tell a [single] history and not the many histories in a time period. Lessons that provide answers rather than inspire questions. mdash;@sralandes
      Reading logs. While intended to foster an intrinsic love of reading, they do the exact opposite. Let's create a variety of opportunities for students to read in the classroom with a variety of texts. Our students lead literate lives; it just goes beyond a traditional book. —@MannuKSikka
      Instead of looking up and defining vocab words, teach them in context of the daily lesson. Give students opportunities to use them authentically in writing [or] conversation. —@FLSSTeacher
      Round Robin Reading. Instead, teachers can engage students much better through a variety of other reading strategies, such as teacher read aloud, partner reading, or guided reading. —@MizzH2os
      Sometimes we have a favorite lesson that was a part of the content standards before, but when the standards change and move, we need to let them go. —@rwootenits
      Students grading the work of their classmates. Throw that practice out! Potentially embarrassing to students and doesn't promote a positive environment. —@JCarbinEDU

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