Unlocking the Potential of STEM in the Kindergarten Classroom

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Written by Amanda M. Lewig

As I walk around the classroom, four separate groups of six 6-year-olds are working at various, rather complex tasks. I overhear a group that has been assigned an engineering task communicating and problem solving as they realize their original design is not holding up. They work together, solve the problem, and at the end of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) class, come to me with a two-and-a-half foot tall self-supporting, paper snowman. This is a typical Friday STEM class in my kindergarten. Continue reading →

21st-Century Music Education — How Luther’s Views Are Still Beneficial for Today

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Written by Miles Wurster

It is no small secret that of all the scholarly pursuits, Luther held music as one of the crown jewels of learning, second only to that of Scripture. “Music is a fair, glorious gift of God; and it lies very near to theology. I would not part with my small faculty of music for vast possessions. We should practice the young continually in this art, for it will make able and polished men of them” (Eby & Luther, 1931, p.71). This short sentence implies much—the importance Luther placed on music in the church and in the education curriculum, the emphasis on training highly qualified music and classroom teachers, and how music has a profound and beneficial impact on those who study and surround themselves with it. Continue reading →

Is Your School Failing Boys?

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Written by Adam Glodowski

I started thinking about boys in school when my first son was entering kindergarten. He was a very active child who preferred running around outside to sitting and coloring. He would rather play with his Hot Wheels® than sit still and write on paper. It seemed he would rather do anything than sit still! Sound like any young boys you know?

The following figures (Gurian & Stevens, 2004) do not tell an encouraging story for the boys in American schools: Continue reading →

Five Tips to Help Your Struggling Student

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Written by Nicole Lehman

Do you have a student who struggles to pay attention? Who struggles to sit still? Who struggles to grasp a concept because they just can’t concentrate? Do you have more than one of these students in your classroom?

According to the U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 4.5% of students have a diagnosed learning disability (Fast Facts, 2016). To help them succeed academically, school districts provide 504 Plans or IEPs. What about the students who struggle, yet don’t qualify these plans? What can teachers do to help them succeed without reducing their learning expectations? Continue reading →

The Dreaded Teacher Evaluation: Is There a Better Way?

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Written by Dr. Jeff Wiechman

Where are we?
Evaluations are stressful…for the one being evaluated and for the one doing the evaluating! What’s more, we struggle in our circles to do something useful with the data we collect. And yet these don’t have to be a waste of time. Educators and researchers have lots to say on the topic.

The role of the principal as supervisor of instruction can at times be understood in a very narrow sense: an educational leader observing another teacher’s lessons and meeting with the teacher to discuss observations and offer suggestions for improvement. I’d like us to build this definition upon a much broader understanding of supervision of instruction. Continue reading →

Make the Most of Your Short-Term Mission Trip

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Written by Rev. John Boeder

“I needed this trip. Gotta go to Greek first hour and the wind hurts my face. Then you go to New York and see all those people who want to hear about Jesus. This trip charges the batteries.” [1]

Academic life on a college campus can be a grind. Ministry can seem so far away. A short-term mission (STM) like the one mentioned by the student above can provide a necessary motivational boost. Based on student reflections, this STM did more than charge the participants’ batteries. Planning for ministry helped students see the need for flexibility and team work. Going door to door opened student eyes to the desperate need for the gospel. Doing ministry helped students see what gifts they had, the gifts others had, and how those gifts mixed to produce a successful mission project. Continue reading →

Brain Rules

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Written by Professor Mark Tacke

One of the best research-based workshops I have ever attended took place at Seattle Pacific University in July of 2010. The audience contained both educators and business people. The lunch was an amazing buffet that included Pacific Northwest salmon. The presenter was the author of Brain Rules, John Medina.

John Medina’s Brain Rules is a book that outlines and expands on 12 rules for surviving and thriving at work, home, and school. (A second edition has come out since I attended this workshop.) I am not going to write about all 12 rules, but I’m going to cherry-pick and write about those rules especially apropos for educators. Continue reading →

What Does Jesus Have to Do with Economics?

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Written by Prof. Jeffrey Schone

Lutheran schools serve students from every socio-economic level because Christians of all means want their children to learn about God’s love for them in Christ. Should Lutheran teachers ignore issues of economic advantage or disadvantage, or should they advocate for economic justice as their peers in public school systems do? Continue reading →

Are WELS Educators Assessing Student Learning in the Best Possible Way?

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Written by Richard Muchka

For decades, WELS teachers have used the same general grading scale (A, B, C, D, and F). But what do these letters exactly mean? According to traditional grading, an A designates a superior understanding of subject matter, a B correlates with above average, a C is average, a D is below average, and an F denotes a failure to understand the particular subject matter. But how are parents to know exactly what their son or daughter knows or doesn’t know? Is there a more accurate model? Many supporters of standards-based grading would suggest this new model can provide a more accurate assessment of student learning. Continue reading →