February is a great time to highlight the many contributions of African Americans to our country. This is also a perfect time for us to reflect on our understanding of current race issues in America, including our own beliefs and biases, so we can be sure we have the same high level of expectation for all of our students. We need to build strong, trusting relationships with all students, and respect differing points of view. We need to focus on intelligence as malleable and believe that all children can excel. To explore your own possible hidden biases, take the Race IAT (Implicit Association Test) at https://implicit.harvard.edu (go to Demonstration, then scroll down to Race IAT). It's a powerful tool that opens our eyes to the subtleties of racism that exist in ourselves and in our communities, and it's well worth the 10-15 minutes it takes to complete.
3rd-8th grade teachers of reading, check out this link to reading samples to use for ISAT practice. http://teacher.depaul.edu/ExtendedResponse.htm
February's Elementary Edition of Better Teaching includes ideas for helping students listen, choose books, practice empathy, learn from mistakes, and get organized. There are tips for creating a planetarium in your classroom, using bookmarks to track independent reading, using specific praise, and playing a game to practice estimating skills.
February's Secondary Edition of Better Teaching offers ideas for teaching Black History, teaching in a culturally diverse classroom, and increasing reading fluency. There are tips for researching information, learning the language of math, setting high expectations through performance feedback, and motivating students to learn.
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