Thomas Courtney, a sixth-grade humanities teacher, shares strategies for maintaining a peaceful classroom before winter break. He suggests using calming music to start classes, allowing longer transition times and maintaining clear accountability for students.

Cedarville University in Ohio held its annual Geography Day, transforming learning for third-graders from Cedarville Elementary School into a Wild West adventure. Led by adjunct Professor Candace Nelson, the event featured eight interactive stations based on the state's geography standards, giving the university's education majors hands-on teaching experience.

Educator Ryan Burns emphasizes the importance of effective professional learning for teachers, recounting experiences with ineffective professional development sessions that are often lecture-heavy and compliance-driven. Burns highlights the need for professional learning that is engaging, relevant and respectful of teachers' time and expertise, citing positive experiences with Edcamp and the Rhode Island Writing Project as examples of impactful professional learning.

Scott Silver-Bonito, a teacher and technology integration specialist in Connecticut, has transitioned from traditional study guides to AI-powered interactive study spaces. This approach has improved student engagement and feedback, allowing students to practice skills with immediate feedback and personalized learning, writes Silver-Bonito, who also advises caution due to possible inaccuracies in AI-generated content.

Teachers can promote deep thinking and learning without extra preparation by reusing presentation slides in innovative ways. Teacher Rob McEntarffer suggests adding blank slides after key points to encourage students to reflect before taking notes, incorporating old slides to connect past and current lessons, and creating reflection slides for all students to make their thinking visible.

University of Southern Maine's Osher Map Library and Smith Center for Cartographic Education features maps and globes dating to 1475. The library stands out as one of the largest publicly accessible map collections in the country with half a million maps and historical artifacts available for hands-on learning and public engagement, and as many as 13,000 students -- K-12 and university -- visiting each year.

Fifth-grade students at Alfred Lima Elementary School in Providence, R.I., are challenging negative perceptions of local public schools through a bilingual news program, Lima News. The program, led by school librarian Tasha White, covers school events and issues such as media literacy, and has featured interviews with notable figures including Gov. Daniel McKee and Mayor Brett Smiley.