Providing students the autonomy and choice to learn when productive struggle becomes unproductive is a core teaching belief in the author's classroom. The author teaches in a multiage classroom where he has 16 first- and second-grade students, ages 6, 7, and 8. Like other educators, he believes in the importance of productive struggle. The author…

In classroom spaces on a daily basis, students are encouraged to express who they are as learners and demonstrate their own understanding of their learning. Students' ability to contribute to their own learning is an essential characteristic of an engaging classroom space and supports high academic achievement. The authors' work highlights one…

Let's face it--teaching can be stressful. In this generation of Common Core Standards and highstakes testing, educators are often left without the time to plan positive behavioral supports or the sanity to cultivate compassionate relationships with their students. Even though they understand the critical relationship between behavior and…

In this article, the author describes how giving first grade students voice and power motivates them to participate in the civic and community life as active, informed citizens of their classroom community. Through discussion and decision making, these students were not only reading about or listening to stories on how government provides for the…

Describes a mathematics early intervention program that involves faculty development to help teachers identify, then assist, first graders at risk of mathematics failure. The program incorporates tools and learning activities based on recent research about children's early numerical learning. The course highlights the benefits of clinical…