Some teachers are tapping virtual reality in classroom lessons. Three educators show how they are using virtual reality, including a high-school teacher who takes students on virtual field trips and another who introduced a virtual-reality lab.
After they sat down at their desks at Montour Elementary School, the students quickly dove in and adjusted their characters and settings within their personal Minecraft accounts.
Rich, focused discussions don't just spring from seating arrangements. To close the skill gap that limits academic conversations in the classroom, teachers must explicitly teach the communication skills that create productive discussion and prepare students for collaborative work. Here are three things to keep in mind as you build a culture of collaborative conversation.
When principals have to play the "bad guy" role, the respect and authority of the classroom teacher is undermined, and students see school leaders as an adversary, rather than an ally. To break negative stereotypes, this principal follows four tips for turning discipline referrals into opportunities to connect.