Allow and Encourage Students to Work Cooperatively. It is often stated that any teacher who argues against encouraging students to work cooperatively has never encouraged students to work cooperatively. Life is about cooperation. We simply cannot expect students to come to us possessing all of the skills they need in order to work cooperatively with others. That’s why they need us! We’re here to teach them.

Much research has been conducted on the power of cooperative learning. The results have been consistent...

The following guest post was written by Rebekah Stathakis, author of A Good Start: 147 Warm-Up Activities for Spanish Class.

Right now, all over the country, teachers are analyzing videos of themselves teaching, evaluating student work, reflecting on their contributions to the profession, completing numerous forms, and packing all of this information in a large blue box. Why? They are applying for National Board Certification. I understand what they are going through because five years ago I went through this process when I became a National Board Certified Teacher.

The following post was written by Christine Oberdorf and Jennifer Taylor-Cox. To read more newsworthy blog posts from Eye On Education, subscribe to our Insights eNewsletters.

Formative assessment drives mathematics instruction and is a key component in successfully implementing the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics and Response to Intervention. Without formative assessment, lesson planning is focused solely on curriculum, with little regard for students’ explicit academic needs.

Last week, Eye On Education hosted its premier online conference, Eye On School Success. The conference provided teachers and school leaders with a wealth of practical ideas for their own professional development. One of our expert presenters, Pete Hall, led the popular session Motivational Leadership. In this tip, you will learn one of Pete's key strategies for professional development: prioritization.

The Common Core State Standards require that students "engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions…building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly" (The Common Core State Standards, p. 49). Students should learn how acknowledge information presented by others, synthesize multiple perspectives, and adjust their own views if necessary. Students need to learn these discussion skills now, since they will be required to use them in college and in 21st century careers. The jobs of the future will require collaboration, discussion, and problem-solving as never before.

Making Good Teaching Great: Everyday Strategies for Teaching with Impact by Annette Breaux, and Todd Whitaker, is filled with 180 daily activities and strategies designed to integrate seamlessly into any day of the school year. This tip, from Day 126, is designed to answer the question, "Why do we have to know this?" before your students even ask.

In The Learning Leader: Reflecting, Modeling, and Sharing, principals, principals-in-training, and other school leaders get practical, easy-to-implement strategies for professional growth, strengthening relationships with faculty and staff, and making the necessary changes to improve K-12 learning environments. WIth the tip below, authors Jacqueline E. Jacobs and Kevin L. O'Gorman provide insight into replacing outmoded faculty meeting announcements and managing discussions.

In The School Leader's Guide to Social Media, Ronald Williamson and Howard Johnston discuss how social media can be used to increase productivity, aid professional development, and improve communication with students, families, and the greater community. For example, some schools use Facebook and Twitter to spread the word about school news and upcoming events. Others host blogs or wikis to share information about particular classes or school projects. However, before embracing any form of social media, the authors stress the importance of planning ahead.

We have asked the members of our panel:
How do you currently use social media in your school? What tips would you give to other school leaders looking to apply social media tools to their school communities?

Engaging Mathematics Students Using Cooperative Learning, by John Strebe, offers a wide selection of student engagement strategies for math teachers in grades K-12. This tip provides a strategy for teachers to keep their students engaged in a lesson, even when the bulk of that lesson is delivered as a lecture.

March is "Music in Our Schools Month," and it provides the opportunity for reflection on what music means in the lives of young people. In an age of high-stakes testing, that which is not on the test tends to get squeezed out of the day…and out of the lives of children.

As a student of a small, quirky private school in southern California, I took it for granted that I was able to go on regular class or whole-school field trips. I have fond memories of visiting the local history museum, going to the beach to learn about conserving native plant and animal species, and touring historic missions. Once we even visited a wastewater treatment plant.

However, as many educators know, it is often difficult for public schools to find the time and resources for field trips.

Just published from Eye On Education: Rigor Made Easy: Getting Started by Barbara Blackburn. In the video below, Barbara introduces the new title and teaches what rigor looks like in the classroom, as well as helps readers understand what it means for your students and get the keys to successful implementation.

The following post was written by Sherrel Bergmann and Judith Brough. To read more newsworthy blog posts from Eye On Education, subscribe to our Insights eNewsletters.

Why are some students labeled at risk instead of at promise? Why do some able students fail while other succeed? Teacher and administrators have asked these questions throughout the history of teaching and learning.

In our monthly E-News, we bring you the latest education news, resources, and classroom ideas from the Eye On Education Blog and other blogs we read. Click below for our favorite educational blog posts from the past month.

This blog post was written by Lauren Hathaway, a member of Eye On Education's editorial staff.

Every year on March 14, students throughout the world take a break from their normal class routines to celebrate a special day in the world of math: Pi Day!