Here's a conversation I've had multiple times with my students in response to art.
“Today’s [youth] are more knowledgeable and informed than any other generation before them,” says Preeti Shrikhande, founder and CEO of Vivensity. “Yet, there’s been a rapid increase in anxiety, depression, and sadly, a 33% increase in suicide.”
Each year more educators become familiar with the growing research that shows a direct link between the quality of instructional materials in classrooms and student achievement.1 The findings are pretty compelling drawing attention to the fact that merely shifting from poor quality to higher quality materials can be a “game changer” for some students.2 Providing professional learning for using such materials is equally powerful and important.3 Getting higher quality instructional materials into the hands of all teachers and providing them the support essential to implement them well and appropriate for their students is one critical way to address equity issues in schools today.
We are all looking forward to a fall where most students are expected to return to traditional schooling. However, the mark of blended learning has already been imprinted- and it’s highly probable that features of remote and hybrid instruction are here to stay.
“When little people are overwhelmed by big emotions, it’s our job to share our calm. Not join their chaos.” L.R. Knost
