VARconnection

Teaching Secondary Students to Write Effectively

According to an extensive study by the Australian Education Research Organization (AERO) there has been a decline in children’s writing skills over the last seven years. From 2011 to 2021 AERO analyzed 10 million NAPLAN writing results. The key findings demonstrate a dramatic drop in children’s writing abilities and serious long-term implications. The unnerving results … Continue reading →

Tips to Beat Writer’s Block

Most writers experience writer’s block at some point in their life, at various stages of the writing process. Writer’s block can be caused by fear, stress, or lack of self-confidence. Often a solution can be found by speaking with your instructor (if you are a student) or a writing tutor. But there’s ways to combat … Continue reading →

Prepare Students for College Writing Courses

While a strong writing skill set is pivotal to an individual’s success not only in college, but in the workplace, many students find themselves overwhelmed by the rigor of college-level writing. There are a variety of ways that English teachers can approach preparing high school students for the demands of college-level writing. Emphasize reading the … Continue reading →

Pros and Cons of STEM Contests

STEM competitions allow for individual or student teams to solve a specific challenge or problem through science, technology, engineering, or mathematics. Many of these challenges are rooted in real-world issues, encouraging participants to use creativity and critical thinking to come up with innovative solutions. Competition can bring out a new side to people, showing passion and strive, … Continue reading →

STEM Education Inequities

According to a 2021 NSF Diversity and STEM research, even though there has been an increase in a representation of women (34%) and minorities within STEM over the last ten years, there still exists a large gap needing to be filled. In 2021, women represented nearly two-thirds (65%) of workers in S&E-related occupations, though had … Continue reading →

How to Evaluate Edtech

Since the shift to remote and hybrid learning due to Covid-19, educators have been exploring different teaching methods and digital tools. Even with the many advances and benefits technology has brought, it can be overwhelming to decipher which edtech solution is the best fit for schools. With too many options, teachers can lose instructional time … Continue reading →

5 Ways to Celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day 2023

Indigenous Peoples Day in the U.S. is a time to honor and celebrate Native American peoples. Therefore, many people use the day as an opportunity to uplift and celebrate Native American culture, history, and teachings. While Indigenous Peoples Day is not yet a national holiday, there is a growing movement to declare it a federal … Continue reading →

DEI Month Wrap-Up

With an English teacher as a mother, LeVar Buton learned from a very early age how to read. His early childhood lead Buton to believe in the magic of storytelling – that no matter the subject or information if used in a storytelling method it could turn the educational crisis around. Read more about LeVar … Continue reading →

How to Assess Digital Literacy

While educators are long accustomed to developing curriculum around core subjects like reading, writing, math, and science, digital literacy is now also coming to the forefront as an area that must be addressed. With data and information available everywhere online, digital literacy is needed to circulate through conflicting and confusing data to find the right … Continue reading →

Digital Literacy the New Reading Literacy?

In the early days of the pandemic, various sources circulated sometimes confusing, often conflicting guidelines about how to adjust our behaviors as conditions changed. Finding out the right information became necessary and important to infer meaningful data. Today’s students should be equipped with the skills to understand where data like this comes from and how … Continue reading →