Author: sanjay

Yes, Susannah Keneda really pays her students to come to class. OK, not with real money, but her program, called Keneda Ka$h, is a big hit in her classroom. It started as a way for her to make consumer math more relevant, and it’s since grown into a full classroom economy.  Students earn “cash” for attendance and can get bonuses for things like bringing in extra Kleenex or attending college night at school. She has even figured out an easy way to tax students for their earnings—it should mimic the real world after all—before they can spend it. We asked…

What better way to ring in the new year than with a bunch of terrific fresh reads? We’ve scoured the reviews, and these are the new books for January 2026 we’re most excited to check out. FREE PRINTABLE January Reading Log Download this free printable to help students keep track of their reading progress throughout the month of January! Just follow the link at the button below to get yours. We Are Teachers New Fiction Picture Books in January 2026 Amazon How Many Animals Can Fit in This Book? by Natalia Yaskina According to Ant, this book is perfectly sized…

Food webs and food chains are key science topics that pop up across the elementary and middle school grades every year. But what are they, and what is the difference between the two? A food chain is a direct line of who eats whom. Food webs are more complex, involving many food chains connected together. We’ve rounded up our favorite food chain and food web activities and resources to help you introduce key vocabulary in the classroom, while building background knowledge about different ecosystems. Kids will gain an understanding of how both are necessary for the survival of all life…

by TeachThought Staff What is learned helplessness? Definition Learned helplessness is a psychological condition in which a person, after repeated failures or negative experiences, believes they have no control over situations’ outcomes and stops trying to improve or change them. Below is an example of Learned Helplessness in the classroom. Instructor: The biggest fear for an adolescent, written throughout this text, is not fitting in. Jesse, you talked about acceptance. Now, to understand how this happens, how it looks, and what it feels like, we’re going to do an activity. This is an on-your-own activity, and it’s not meant to…

Learning–real, informal, authentic, and lifelong learning–can ‘begin’ with just about anything. In that way, this is obviously not an exhaustive list. Nor am I implying that these are ‘the best’ starting points or that they would be in every case effective in your classroom. There are simply too many variables. What I hope to accomplish with this post is to help you begin to think about what ’causes’ learning–and more specifically, where and how that happens. What Causes Learning? In the real world, learning never stops but it’s not always clear that it’s happening. Or at least we think of…

When you decided to become a teacher, no doubt it felt like exactly the right move. Somewhere along the way, though, things changed. After all, teachers experience burnout at an incredibly high rate—nearly 40% say they’re very often or always burned out, and 77% report high levels of stress. In fact, according to a 2025 report from Educators for Excellence, only 19% of teachers would recommend a teaching career to others. It’s no surprise many teachers are ready to move on. So how do you go about finding companies that hire former teachers? Teachers looking to leave the classroom can…

Teachers, is your Christmas list a little more closet-oriented this year? Whether you want to refresh your work wardrobe or invest in a new evening ensemble, Steve Madden‘s collection might be right up your alley. And hey, after another calendar year of classroom chaos and lesson planning, you deserve to take advantage of the brand’s educator-exclusive discount, too. Steve Madden got his foot in the fashion door with shoe designs, but his brand has since expanded into handbags, clothing, and even trendy items for kids. No matter the apparel you’re interested in, you can get it for less before the…

Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy: cognitive process dimension Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy changed the original 1956 framework by updating the level names to verbs, reordering the top levels, and adding a second dimension for types of knowledge. The revision clarifies what students do cognitively and how those actions interact with factual, conceptual, procedural, and metacognitive knowledge. How Bloom’s Taxonomy Changed Nouns to verbs: levels reframed as cognitive actions: Remember, Understand, Apply, Analyze, Evaluate, Create. Top-level reorder: Create placed above Evaluate to reflect generative thinking. Two dimensions: pair the Cognitive Process with the Knowledge Dimension (Factual, Conceptual, Procedural, Metacognitive). Clearer alignment: objectives, instruction, and…

Online learning has reshaped how people pursue higher education. Some value its flexibility. Others prefer the structure and social presence of classrooms. What often gets missed is how online study affects wellbeing. Depending on routines, habits, and workloads, it can help or hinder. Positive Effects Online study can offer meaningful benefits for mental health. Builds Perseverance Studying from home requires persistence. Students organise their own time, push through distractions, and continue even when motivation fades. This kind of resilience often transfers to work settings and personal problem solving. For example, students learn to prioritise tasks, finish work without supervision, and…

Want to help your students make strong connections with subject material? Ensure you’re using all six levels of cognitive thinking as laid out in Bloom’s Taxonomy. Lower-order thinking questions encourage students to remember, understand, and apply knowledge. This builds the foundation for higher-order thinking questions, which challenge them to analyze, evaluate, and create. New to higher-order thinking? Learn all about it here. Then use the lower-order and higher-order thinking questions and stems listed here to inspire your students to examine subject material on a variety of levels. Jump to: We Are Teachers FREE PRINTABLE Lower- and Higher-Order Thinking Questions Get…