Shaped

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

Latest Posts

Covid challenges

5 Challenges Teachers Will Face This Fall—and How to Address Them

In the new school year, teachers will face challenges surrounding social and emotional learning and potentially continued remote learning for some students.

Rachel Swartz
Sixth Grade Teacher, Riverdale Kingsbridge Academy (MS/HS 141), Bronx, New York

Accelerated learning techniques for the classroom

Accelerated Learning Techniques for the Classroom

Need to catch kids up or move them forward? Try these research-backed accelerated learning techniques.

Brenda Iasevoli
Shaped Executive Editor

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How Can Technology Improve Education?

How can technology improve education? Explore 6 ways technology can help improve education for students, parents, and teachers.

Casey Brown
Shaped Contributor

Virtual Academy

Creating a Virtual Academy in Your District? Here Are 6 Things to Consider

Some kids are benefitting from our experiment with online learning during the pandemic, and districts across the country are building virtual academies to meet their needs.

Dr. Robert Dillon
School Designer, Author, Educator

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Podcast: Creating Classroom Content Worth Watching with CJ Reynolds

Meet CJ Reynolds, a high school teacher in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. By creating the teacher YouTube channel Real Rap with Reynolds, he has discovered that what might be ordinary for his classroom, may be someone else's extraordinary.

Ali Habashi
Former Shaped Editor

Education Trends 2021

8 Education Trends to Watch in 2021

We asked ed leaders from across the country to weigh in on education trends for 2021. Here's what they had to say.

Brenda Iasevoli
Shaped Executive Editor

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11 Most-Read Shaped Blogs of 2020

Before we say goodbye to 2020, we want to highlight the most-read Shaped blogs, written with you in mind as you navigated this most unusual year.

Christine Condon
Shaped Editor-in-Chief

Live online class

5 Tips for Teaching Online Classes Live

Use these tips for teaching online to ensure students stay engaged in the virtual classroom. When live teaching online, set expectations for students and leverage your colleagues as a resource.

Adam Drummond, EdD
Associate Partner, The Center for Model Schools and Author, Instructional Leadership

Teachers satisfied jobs

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

EdTech trends

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

Jacks Blog Image

Welcome to the Connected Era: Digital Learning Comes of Age

Whereas “blended” teaching and learning was the 2010s, “connected” teaching and learning will be the 2020s. The coronavirus was the forcing function that made it so.

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

Remote Learning

Navigating the Journey to Remote Learning: Tips for School Districts

ICLE Senior Fellow Eric Sheninger shares tips with education leaders on transitioning their district to remote learning while schools are closed during the coronavirus outbreak.

Eric Sheninger
Senior Fellow, the Center for Model Schools; Aspire Change EDU; Keynote Speaker; Author

How To Calculate Social Media Engagement

How to Calculate Social Media Engagement: A Math Activity

Download these free math activities for students to teach them how to calculate the engagement of both real and fictional Instagram users.

Ally Zmijeski
Associate Learning Architect, Math

Boolean Math

Boolean Algebra and Getting Logical in the Math Classroom

Learn the basic ideas of what Boolean algebra is, along with some history and examples. Use the free activity to have high school students practice evaluating logical Boolean expressions.

Fernando J. Castillo

Cellphones In Schools

4 Mistakes Educators Make Trying to Manage Cellphones in Schools

Explore suggestions for what you can do differently to achieve a better result when it comes to managing student use of cellphones in classrooms.

Weston Kieschnick
Associate Partner, ICLE

Teaching How To Write An Email

You've Got Mail: How to Teach Email Writing to Students

Learn how to teach email writing to students and focus on proper email etiquette so they can ask questions and send greetings to teachers, school staff, and even parents.

Sally Doulton
Teacher, Manhasset Secondary School, New York

Using Social Media For Teacher Professional Development

Using Social Media for Teacher Professional Development

Start using social media for teacher professional development to network with other educators, follow trends, and share resources. The value of social media for professional growth should not be understated.

Jordan Friedman
Former Shaped Editor

Best Of Shaped

A Year in Review: Most-Read Shaped Blogs of 2019

In this selection of the most-read blog posts of 2019, we hear from middle school teachers, literacy and math experts, and a parent.

Christine Condon
Shaped Editor-in-Chief

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