Shaped

A community-driven blog supporting educators, building lifelong learners,
and shaping the future of education.* 

Latest Posts

WF1301354 How Teachers Are Handling Remote In Person Back to School Hero1

What It's Like to Be a Teacher in the COVID–19 Era

We talked with educators across the country about the challenges they’re facing in this unusual school year and the lessons they’ve learned so far. Here's what they had to say.

Brenda Iasevoli
Shaped Executive Editor

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Are Teachers Satisfied With Their Jobs During COVID-19? Here's What Our Data Says

During the ongoing pandemic, are teachers satisfied with their jobs given the challenges being thrown their way? Our annual survey explores educators' areas of optimism and concern.

Jordan Friedman
Former Shaped Editor

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7 Culturally Responsive Teaching Strategies and Instructional Practices

Implement these culturally responsive teaching strategies and instruction practices in the classroom to help students feel included, validated, valued, and safe.

Dr. Tyrone C. Howard
Professor, UCLA; Senior Fellow, The Center for Model Schools; HMH Learning Sciences & Research Advisory Board

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10 Virtual Classroom Management Strategies

When teaching is happening in an online classroom, classroom management looks very different. Need tips to make your online classroom a success? Try these 10 virtual classroom management strategies.

Richard Blankman
Shaped Executive Editor

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Podcast: A Seat at the Peace Table with Karen Johnston

Meet Karen Johnston, an elementary school teacher at Harriet Tubman Montessori in New Orleans, Louisiana. Karen helps build a comfortable and open learning environment for her students by utilizing student-directed activities in mixed grade level classes.

Ali Habashi
Former Shaped Editor

Just-in-time versus just-in-case scaffolding: how to foster productive perseverance

Just-in-Time vs. Just-in-Case Scaffolding: How to Foster Productive Perseverance

Dr. Juli K. Dixon
Professor of Mathematics Education; Elementary, Middle, Secondary, and Post-Secondary Mathematics Education

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7 Kwanzaa Activities for Elementary Students

Joyous Kwanzaa! Introduce your students to the principles, symbols, and traditions this holiday has to offer with these Kwanzaa activities and lesson plans for elementary students.

Ali Habashi
Former Shaped Editor

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Fun 3rd Grade Math Games & Activities for the Classroom

Try these fun 3rd grade math games and activities in your classroom! These 8 games, activities, and puzzles will help your students love learning math and see how 3rd grade math ideas show up in the real world.

Richard Blankman
Shaped Executive Editor

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4 Ways to Align Reading Instruction to a Remote Learning Environment

In remote learning, the context in which educators are teaching reading has changed, but the underlying principles of learning have not.

Kathleen Richards
Former HMH Senior Learning Scientist, ELA and Humanities

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Why Is Differentiated Instruction Important During COVID-19?

Research says targeted, differentiated instruction is a powerful way to address learning loss and teach new material—even in a remote classroom setting.

Rachel L. Schechter, PhD
VP Learning Sciences, Learning Sciences and Research Advisory Board Chair

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Perceptions of the State of Teaching: Our 6th Annual Educator Confidence Report

Our annual report brings to the forefront educators' views on the state of K–12 education, their profession, and what their students need.

John "Jack" Lynch
President, Chief Executive Officer, and Director, HMH

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The Latest Trends in Educational Technology

Explore eight of the latest trends in educational technology—including differentiation, the use of big data, and virtual reality—as digital tools become more important than ever in K-12 education.

Jordan Friedman
Former Shaped Editor

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Why and How This School Changed Its Mission Statement During COVID-19

An elementary school principal discusses how he worked to ensure that the words in his school's mission statement reflected his staff's actions during the transition to remote learning.

David Huber
Principal, South Side Elementary School, Connecticut

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Don't Just Teach About Cultures—Teach Culturally. Here's the Difference

Teaching culturally means that the educator acts as a guide for students and is actively learning alongside them in their understanding of the content.

David J. O’Connor
American Indian Studies Consultant, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

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Creating Equity in Math: Q&A with Dr. Adrian Mims, Founder of The Calculus Project

Dr. Adrian Mims is the founder of The Calculus Project, an initiative to increase equity in mathematics and get students of color in a calculus class before finishing high school. Mims shares his convictions on access to mathematics and equity in math education, along with his efforts that were responsible for his success in college and founding The Calculus Project.

Richard Blankman
Shaped Executive Editor

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Overwhelmed by News: Helping Students See the Bigger Picture

In an era of information overload, follow these tips to help your students prepare for reading and analyzing the news.

Erik Palmer
Program Consultant, Into Reading and Into Literature

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Teachers, the Shaped Community Wants to Hear from You!

We value your thoughts on what we should be covering to improve your experience in the classroom, whether that's virtual or in person this year.

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Podcast: Retiring During COVID-19 with Karl Grubaugh

Meet Karl Grubaugh, a former AP economics teacher and advanced journalism advisor at Granite Bay High School in California. A journalist and editor himself, Karl advised for the award-winning student newspaper The Granite Bay Gazette, and retired in 2020 after almost 40 years as an educator.

Ali Habashi
Former Shaped Editor

*The views expressed in our blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of HMH.