How to Use Hexagonal Thinking in Any Content Area This engaging activity supports students in organizing their thoughts in a multidimensional way, helping to cement their understanding.

In a world of instant answers, hexagonal thinking supports deep learning. 🧠

It also builds students’ problem-solving, resilience, focus, and communication skills.

This hexagonal web activity—which works across grade levels and subjects—can help you get started:

🧵1/6

This Is A VERY Interesting & Useful Study On The Use Of Collaborative Writing In An ELL Classroom AND I Think It’s Findings Can Be Applicable With English-Proficient Students, Too I’m a big fan of having students do collaborative writing – especially if they can choose their own partners (see The Best Sites For Collaborative Storytelling). A new study out …

This Is A VERY Interesting & Useful Study On The Use Of Collaborative Writing In An ELL Classroom AND I Think It’s Findings Can Be Applicable With English-Proficient Students, Too larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2026/04/01/t...

Blue fabric with a Velcro strip, featuring the text "A student who has been velcroed to a paraprofessional has not been included." Logo in the corner.

👥 A #student who is velcroed to a paraprofessional all day has not been included. Exclusion can happen even when sharing the same room. LRE is a low bar. #LeadInclusion #EduSky #UDL #InclusiveEd #EdLeaders

Diffit.me for Hexagonal Thinking YouTube video by Cammie Kannekens

Reminded this week about the power of Hexagonal Thinking, especially in Social Studies. Check out this quick overview for making cards in @diffitapp.bsky.social -a great way to help students practice conceptual understanding of terms. #EduCoach #EduSkyAI #EduSku
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BCp...

How to Use Hexagonal Thinking in Any Content Area This engaging activity supports students in organizing their thoughts in a multidimensional way, helping to cement their understanding.

Hexagonal thinking provides a fun, engaging, interactive way for students to explore deeper relationships, connections, and higher-order thinking! 💭

#EduSky

How to Use Hexagonal Thinking in Any Content Area This engaging activity supports students in organizing their thoughts in a multidimensional way, helping to cement their understanding.

“To take your students from recall of recited information to an application of a deeper understanding, hexagonal thinking may just be the activity that you were looking for,” @manningtechtalk.bsky.social writes in her latest article for Edutopia. 💭

#EduSky

Grade Retention: The Debate Had Its Day, Now End It! - Nancy Bailey's Education Website The permanency of retention and the message it sends students may have long-term effects on self-esteem and school attachment that may override even short-term academic benefits (1995). ~Melissa Roder...

"Third graders who had to repeat a grade in Texas were far less likely to graduate from high school or earn a good living as young adults, nearly two decades later. The harmful effects were quite large and came despite initial improvements in test scores." nancyebailey.com/2026/03/21/g...

Middle school is notoriously tough! With just a few minutes, these brain break activities can help lift the mood and foster connection 🫶🏽

#MiddleSchool #EduSky #BrainBreaks

Oh, this is something that I could have written.

Project Zero, One Of My Favorite Teaching Resources, Unveils Spiffy New Website Project Zero at Harvard is one of my favorite teaching resources, and I’m sure that sentiment is shared by countless other educators. THE BEST RESOURCES FOR LEARNING ABOUT PROJECT ZERO…

Project Zero, One Of My Favorite Teaching Resources, Unveils Spiffy New Website larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2026/03/17/p...

Using your own gif? Power move! Well
Done!!

Doctor on How Screen Time Hurts Kids' Cognitive Development YouTube video by C-SPAN

I showed this to my students - correlating the decline in cognitive development in Gen Z to schools' adoption of one-to-one technology in classrooms, and students were all: yep. And AI is scary.

And yet schools and universities continue to push AI.

Profits > Data

youtube.com/watch?v=Fd-_...

Strategies to Help Students Transition Into the Week Teachers can intentionally plan their Mondays to create classrooms that students feel drawn back into, not pressured by.

"When we treat the beginning of the week as a reset, we create classrooms that students feel drawn back into, not pressured by. And that shift alone can change the trajectory of learning for the whole week."
Clementina Jose via @edutopia.org
www.edutopia.org/article/help...

Making Instructional Coaching Standard for Every Teacher Instructional coaching works best when it is normalized as part of everyday professional life, not positioned as a corrective measure.

“In our experience, coaching works best when it is normalized as part of everyday professional life, not positioned as a corrective measure.”

Here’s how schools can reframe instructional coaching as collaborative problem-solving. 🤝

#InstructionalCoach #EduSky

Literally had this conversation with a student earlier today.

Yesterday morning kids were sent running from their bus stop in panic because ICE showed up. This guy at today’s ICE Out of Lindenwold protest is a must watch 😭. @maddow.bsky.social

Thank you for your immense contributions to education!

The Research on Protecting Teacher Well-Being Laurie Santos, host of the popular podcast The Happiness Lab, on how our minds deceive us, why "time affluence" matters, and what we can do to reset our parasympathetic nervous system.

And for more from Laurie Santos about what school leaders can do to better protect teacher well-being, and the evidence-based strategies that can help educators navigate the daily challenges of the job, read the interview here:
edut.to/4agNnK9

7/7

From Challenge to Triumph: The Learning Pit Concept Explained %

This explanation of "the Learning Pit" from the author, James Nottingham, is so helpful.

How ICE Already Knows Who Minneapolis Protesters Are

A Minnesota woman observing ICE agents in her car was cornered on one-way streets. An agent approached, called her by name—citing facial recognition. Days later, her Global Entry and TSA privileges were revoked, with no explanation.

7 Attention-Getters to Use Instead of Raising Your Voice These visual and audio cues can help middle and high school teachers quickly get students back on track.

Here’s a toolbox of strategies for grabbing older students’ attention (none of them involve raising your voice)! 🔊🌟

#EduSky

A graphic titled "Free Lessons" detailing the contents of sequential lesson units. The text lists resources including 5 animated self-regulation videos, English and Spanish versions, a Calm Corner classroom poster, a mindful practice coloring sheet, and a treasure chest prize. Illustrations show a breathing exercise card, a coloring sheet, and an overflowing treasure chest.

RecessReset has 3 free SEL units that take just minutes a day:

Unit 1 → Mindful Breathing
Unit 2 → Body Scan
Unit 3 → Gratitude

Each includes a poster, coloring sheet, and daily videos. #EduSky #Teaching #SEL

www.recessreset.com/free-lessons

“As educators, the more we know about who we teach, the more effective we will be with what we teach. Taking time to get to know our students isn’t fluff time, it’s academic time.” —Dr. Justin Tarte

a man wearing a chicago bears jacket and hat is sitting at a table in a bar . ALT: a man wearing a chicago bears jacket and hat is sitting at a table in a bar .

The best Bears season in long time. It was wonderful. Maybe a little too cardiac for a city full of fans known for doing self-CPR.
#Da_Bears

Thanks!

Join us in Bakersfield for the famous CMC-Central Symposium on March 13 & 14, 2026. Game Night will be epic this year. Information & registration: https://web.cvent.com/event/64508313-27b3-4253-9cce-f00f664d7d3b/summary @cmcmath.bsky.social @CAMathCouncil #iTeachMath

Join us in Bakersfield for the famous CMC-Central Symposium on March 13 & 14, 2026. Game Night will be epic this year.

Information & registration: web.cvent.com/event/...

@cmcmath.bsky.social @CAMathCouncil #iTeachMath

Join Me Dec. 16th At A Free Webinar On How To Support ELLs In Content Classes I’ll be co-hosting a short free webinar on how to support ELLs in content classes. It will take place on Dec. 16th at 3:30 PM Pacific Time, and you can register for it here. Carol Salv…

Join Me Dec. 16th At A Free Webinar On How To Support ELLs In Content Classes larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2025/11/28/j...