Podcast Series: Innovations in Education

Explore the full series of eSchool News podcasts hosted by Kevin Hogan—created to keep you on the cutting edge of innovations in education.

Friday 5: How esports engages students

Key points:

Academic esports programs aren’t simply a group of students sitting in a classroom playing video games. Rather, teams and tournaments promote collaboration, critical thinking, communication skills, and offer inclusive environments that welcome students from all backgrounds and with all abilities.

How can schools create esports programs and teams?

Conversations around the benefits of esports have centered on collegiate and secondary levels, but recently, the conversation has expanded to include elementary esports, too. Like any new venture, this is something that takes time to fully understand. The beauty is that there is a room full of experts to journey alongside their teacher. It is incredibly powerful when the classroom is flipped and students have an opportunity to share their passions and expertise with their teacher. Here are 6 tips to start an elementary program.…Read More

4 keys for unlocking student curiosity and critical thinking

Key points:

As an educator, I have always been fascinated by my students’ innate curiosity. From an early age, they have an insatiable desire to learn. Anyone who spends time around young children will find themselves peppered with questions, questions, questions! “Why is the sky blue?”, “Why do my fingers get wrinkly in the water?”, “Why do dogs wag their tails?” This natural inquiry can be a powerful force for education. So, it’s a little disappointing when modern teaching tools and strategies ignore–or subvert–this incredible curiosity.      

Education doesn’t have to be guided by rigid definitions and practices. We can make a transition from linear, hierarchical teaching into a richer, more experiential way of learning.…Read More

5 things you need to know about the science of reading

Key points:

While high-quality literacy instruction has remained a cornerstone of education leaders’ priorities, this year, the science of reading has dominated classrooms and discussions around instructional strategies.

In short, according to the National Center on Improving Literacy, the science of reading is “research, over time, from multiple fields of study using methods that confirm and disconfirm theories on how children best learn to read.”…Read More

How to help students build critical success skills

Key points:

This article was originally published by SREB and is reposted with permission.

Communication, teamwork and problem-solving are clear priorities among success skills that employers seek, according to a new report by the Southern Regional Education Board.  …Read More

Navigating cultural diversity in American education

Key points:

The tapestry of America’s history is arguably woven with threads of multiculturalism, reflecting a nation that has embraced diversity since its inception. In many ways, the history of multicultural education runs parallel with the history of the United States, because we have been an ostensibly multicultural nation from the very beginning.

Within the educational landscape, the concept of Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) has emerged as a multifaceted approach that aims to promote equitable excellence and validate the diverse experiences of students. CRT refers to a student-centered approach that seeks to validate and affirm students’ diverse experiences and contributions. By creating bridges between students’ knowledge and classroom content, educators who employ CRT practices aim to affirm identities and values. Furthermore, educators who employ CRT extend learning beyond the classroom, thereby fostering community engagement and service learning to enhance students’ critical consciousness regarding social justice and racial inequalities.…Read More

An alarming number of educators are jumping ship

Key points:

While finding their work meaningful, a majority of education professionals experience burnout above the national average, according to a recent study. In fact, more than 20 percent plan to switch to a related field and more than 30 percent look to change careers altogether. 

Soliant, a healthcare and educational staffing company, published the report to help the industry better understand and address educator burnout, staffing challenges, and opportunities facing U.S. schools. …Read More

5 things to know about high-dosage tutoring

Key points:

The benefits of high-dosage tutoring can’t be ignored. Research shows that tutoring is one of the most effective ways to increase academic achievement, including among students from lower socio-economic households–one of the groups disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

High-dosage tutoring is a crucial strategy for student advancement regardless of a student’s abilities or where they may struggle academically.…Read More

The exposure gap is blocking students’ ability to envision future careers

Key points:

Students have the aptitudes (or natural talents) for the nation’s most in-demand career fields –including healthcare, manufacturing, technology, and finance– but they are not inclined to pursue those occupations due to a profound lack of exposure, according to The 2024 State of the Future U.S. Workforce Report from tech provider YouScience, which aims to solve the skills gap crisis for students and employers.

The report includes analysis of anonymized data from more than 540,000 YouScience Aptitude & Career Discovery assessments completed by U.S. middle and high school students across all 50 states in 2023.…Read More

How to weave video game principles into the classroom

Key points:

Student engagement is vital for any educator throughout the length of a course. The unfortunate reality is that a great teacher only has control of a student’s environment for a short period of time. When a student goes home, they are inundated with many other potentially more engaging activities. In the last few decades, the main attractor for many students have been video games. Video games have become so mainstream over the years that children are just as engaged watching the games on streaming services like Twitch as playing them. The challenge posed to educators is how to gamify coursework that students can play, enjoy, and learn.

The most successful video games have a stratified reward system that rewards players at spaced intervals while the player works towards a goal. The best way to explain this is by looking at a successful game–let’s use World of Warcraft as an example. Players progress through levels toward the end objective while, along the way, completing objectives and earning in-game equipment. At the same time, the player can work and collaborate with other players to defeat more difficult challenges. This is analogous to the education system on a much more condensed time scale. There is an end goal in mind, achieving the maximum level or graduation. This is completed by working through objectives that, in education, are various courses: algebra, history, English, etc. Students earn grades as they complete objectives and even collaborate with classmates on projects. Understanding how the education system is similar to games is vital to redesigning an education-based learning system that would be more engaging for students.…Read More

Key strategies for education leaders to boost morale

Key points:

In the current educational environment, there seems to be extremely high levels of staff stress, burnout, and generally low morale. In education, where the success of students is intricately linked to the motivation and dedication of faculty and staff to go the extra mile, elevating employees’ well-being is not only a humane thing to do, but a crucial component of improving employee morale.

As a new assistant principal, one of the tasks delegated to me was to manage the staff recognition program. The school had historically recognized one or two faculty for outstanding work at the end of the school year. These faculty were generally nominated by their department chair or one of the assistant principals. There was a need for more widespread recognition.…Read More