Games not only provide fun distractions from the stressors of the pandemic but also can be useful tools for online learning.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced students and teachers to change their routines drastically and quickly as they shifted to online learning. They could no longer sit in a circle and read a book, jump up to the front of the classroom to recite a poem or work with a partner to share dialogue in a language class.

Paper aeroplanes fly across the room. Students race between desks. You can’t get a word in, as they yell over you.

It doesn’t have to be this dramatic, like a movie scene you’d watch in a media literacy lesson, but poor classroom management will almost assuredly elevate your stress and burnout rates.

Unfortunately, 2006 research indicates that teachers overwhelmingly report a lack of professional development support in improving classroom management.

It’s one of the most underrated professions in the world – most people assume that you don’t need any special skills to be a teacher, yet few realize that it takes a great deal of effort and ability to handle a classroom full of students.

If curriculum is the what of teaching, and learning models are the how, assessment is the puzzled “Hmmmm”–as in, I assumed this and this about student learning, but after giving this assessment, well….”Hmmmmm.”

So what are the different types of assessment of learning?

Choosing to get more involved in their community and beyond can pay dividends for educators and their students.

For educators who work in Title I schools and teach in populations that primarily consist of students of colour, it should be no secret that being an educator entails more than just teaching curriculum in your content area and grading papers.