Take5: Grading Made Easier, Underfunded Public Schools in Pictures, Design Thinking, How Librarians are Leading the Way and More.

This week's Take5 is all over the map (in a good way). We've got strategies for improving your grading practice. Seriously, it doesn't have to suck out the essence of your soul. We've got practical ideas for using Design Thinking in your classroom to stretch kids into problem solving as well as the BAAR strategy for creating a safety net for kids at the secondary level. We also focus on the news of the day, recent teacher strikes by taking a closer look at the have-nots in public education. Far too many of our schools and buildings are falling apart. The proof is in the pictures. Lastly, to end on a positive note - a powerful infographic about the multifaceted work of school librarians, because well, librarians rock.  Happy Tuesday. 

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​In 7 Strategies to Make Grading Easier, Susan Barber and Adrian Nester talk grading hacks.  For any readers out there like me, if you find grading the most time consuming and tough part of our job, definitely check it out. My favorite is using the glow and grow strategy for feedback.

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This article hurt my heart. 25-Year Old Textbooks and Holes in the Ceiling: Inside America's Public Schools. As someone who works in a very well funded school district, this one was eye-opening and underscores the importance of collectively advocating for school funding across the country. 

I attended a professional development on Design Thinking last year as ASCD Empower17 and it blew me away. This article, Design Thinking Adds to the What and How of Learning provides a step by step guide for implementing design thinking in your classroom. I'll be using this model later in the year to help students address discrimination as part of our Civil Rights Unit.

Evidence shows that connecting with students helps increase achievement. The BAAR program is designed to do that in a systematic way and keep kids from falling through the cracks and walking out the door. Read more about it here.

I came across this infographic about librarians and absolutely loved it.  Based on our school's library program I am a big librarian cheerleader (who knew there was such a thing) and this infographic demonstrates all of the things that school librarians are getting right. So if you aren't collaborating with yours, well, you should be. 

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-Corey

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