Professional Resources for Current Projects
Teaching In Unprecedented Times
Professional Resources for Teaching Controversial Topics
In a time of multiple and overlapping crises-- the Covid 19 pandemic, a national reckoning on race and injustice, political polarization, and threats to voting rights and access-- how will you teach about current events (including the election) in this environment? Here you will find the professional resources to complete the task!
Click above image for School Board policy
External Opportunities & Resources
General Resources
Resources from Facing History
- Contracting for Remote Learning
-
Ingroup Bias; Confirmation Bias
Resources from Choices Program : Brown University
Resources from Teaching Tolerance
Webinars
Teaching Tolerance
- January 12: The World That We Knew - A Virtual Conversation with Alice Hoffman
- January 21: Those Who Were There Using Podcasts & Survivor Testimony in Your Classroom (Holocaust)
- January 28: Teaching Just Mercy: A Story of Justice & Redemption
NCSS Webinars
- January 26-28: NCSS Workshop - Teaching Inquiry About Race & Democracy
- April 21: "Awful Choices": Bayard Rustin's Radical Vision and the Social Movement of the 1960's
Brown University Choices Program
- January 21: What's New in the Updated Russian Revolution Unit?
- February 2: Meeting Students' Requests for African American History Curriculum
- February 25: The Syrian Civil War: An Online Workshop
- March 4: Japanese American Incarceration in WWII
- March 11: Racial Slavery in the Americas: Resistance, Freedom, & Legacies
- March 18: Teaching about the Haitian Revolution's Role in American History
- April 6: New Directions for Cuba
- April 13: Westward Expansion: A New History
Conference & Courses
What's in the News?
Internal Opportunities & Resources
Election 2020 and It's Aftermath (Webinar)
Election 2020 and its Aftermath: Teaching in Unpredictable Times (Wednesday 11/19 4:30-6:00pm EST)
Facing History and Ourselves - Jeremy Nesoff
Come explore approaches to teaching the election that focus on the history of voting, health of democracy, the factors that shape our civic decision-making, and the power of youth agency and voice.
After weeks of absentee and early voting, the US electorate finished casting their ballots for the next president on November 3, 2020. This election has been shaped by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic: unprecedented numbers of voters chose to vote early or vote by mail, and counting absentee ballots meant the results of the election were not projected until several days after Election Day. While Election Day itself and most public gatherings have been peaceful, it is still possible that there will be unrest or instances of violence during the period following the election. Students who supported Joe Biden and Kamala Harris may feel excitement and hope, while those who supported President Trump and Vice President Pence may feel disappointment, anger, or vulnerability.
Join us as we explore how to discuss the election with students, as well as a collection of activities to help students process their emotional responses to the election, find accurate information, and consider the impact of the election outcome.
Resource:
Teaching Tolerance Guide: Let's Talk!
As you may know, we have been facilitating faculty conversations to promote civic discourse these last two weeks. We have found many resource gems in our process! We wanted to distribute these particular resources widely for teachers and other educators who are interested in having courageous conversations in their classrooms before and after the elections. Having skillfully-facilitated discussions around these significant issues allow for diverse perspectives to be heard and hold the individual safely throughout. (Click image below for guide)
Grading Practices
Professional Learning Resources for Grading Practices
Scroll past table for brief overview of three pillars of grading policy
|
Author |
Title with Link Source (Year), Description |
Accurate |
Supportive |
Consistent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Feldman |
Accurate and Equitable Grading National School Boards Association (2020) Very brief high-level overview. “Former district administrator Joe Feldman explains how traditional grading systems perpetuate inequities while also offering school board leaders practical tips to move towards more equitable grading processes.” |
Supportive | ||
|
Feldman |
EdCast Grading for Equity Harvard (2019) Podcast interview (transcript included) with Joe Feldman. “Encouraging teachers to reassess their grading practices and make the adjustments that can guide their students toward academic success.” |
Accurate |
Supportive |
Consistent |
|
Feldman |
Chapter 1 Grading for Equity Corwin (2018) First chapter of the Grading for Equity book. Gives overview, history and charge for grading for equity. |
Accurate |
Supportive |
Consistent |
|
Feldman |
Webinar Grading for Equity Corwin (2018) 1 hour recorded webinar covers the history of grading and its impact on teaching and learning as well as more equitable grading practices. “Joe Feldman describes how grading practices that are accurate, bias-resistant, and motivational can reduce those gaps, improve learning for all students, minimize grade inflation, and become a lever for creating stronger teacher-student relationships and more caring classrooms.” |
Accurate |
Supportive |
Consistent |
|
Douglas Reeves, Lee Ann Jung, and Ken O’Connor |
What’s Worth Fighting Against in Grading Educational Leadership (2017) Four common grading practices can hurt students and erode instructional culture. |
Accurate |
||
|
Anthony Miller |
Do No Harm: Flexible and Smart Grading Practices Edutopia (2016) Describes strategies to help address concerns around redoes, zeroes, not grading homework, and more |
Supportive |
||
|
Kristina Doubet and Eric Carbaugh |
The “Economics” of Grading ASCD (2020) Five ways to improve communication - and symmetry - in performance-based classrooms. |
Supportive |
||
|
Sarah McKibben interview with Cornelius Minor |
Antiracist Grading Starts with You ASCD (2020) “Pernicious grading practices start out as pernicious pedagogy. I cannot separate grading practices from pedagogy, and I cannot separate pedagogy from the history of classism, sexism, racism, and ableism in the United States.” |
Supportive |
||
|
Bryan Goodwin and Kris Rouleau |
Grading to Encourage Relearning ACSD (2020) Let’s use grading practices that reflect the science of learning. |
Supportive |
||
|
Lee Ann Jung |
Does this Count? ASCD (2020) “How do we move toward the goal of all students’ being engaged in learning, giving effort, and being conscientious about performance and deadlines without attaching grades to those behaviors? This is the million-dollar question for improving grading practices.” |
Accurate |
Supportive |
Three Pillars of Grading & Assessments
Accurate:
- Correctly describe student achievement, knowledge, and skill proficiency demonstrated in the classroom
- Align to standards for student learning
- Be separated from work habits
- Be impartial and fair, not influenced by a teacher's implicit bias or reflective of a student's environment
- Be impartial and fair, not influenced by a teacher's implicit bias or reflective of a student's environment
- Utilize mathematically sound calculations
- All grades will be unweighted, using a 4.0 scale
Consistent
- Be consistent across teams, departments, and schools
In Support of Student Learning
- Reflect individual differences and rates of learning
- Address the unique needs of special populations of students
- Make adjustments for transitional periods (including elementary to middle and middle to high)
- Encourage students to take an active role in setting goals and assessing programs
- Foster a positive self-image for the student
- Promote practices that encourage continuous engagement in learning
- Provide parents and students ongoing, credible, and useful feedback in a timely manner