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"Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day…" - 5 new articles
Today Is Arbor Day – Here Are Teaching & Learning Resources Tama66 / Pixabay
Today is Arbor Day in the United States. You might be interested in The Best Sites To Learn About Trees.      Sentences Of The Week geralt / Pixabay
I thought readers might, or might not, find this new regular post useful. Each week, I highlight several sentences, with links to their sources, that I find interesting/concerning/useful. And they may, or may not, be directly connected to education. I may also include my own comments or related links. This regular post will join my other regular ones on teaching ELLs, education policy, Artificial Intelligence, infographics, and Pinterest highlights, not to mention sharing of my regular Education Week posts. Here are this week’s sentences: But among public school parents, more than half (57%) said schools are headed in the right direction. Researchers at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and the University of Arizona estimated that the amount of speaking is declining by about 300 daily words per year. Tennessee is one of three states where policymakers are currently proposing action to limit undocumented students’ access to a free, public education by challenging tenets of the 1982 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Plyler v. Doe, which granted these students that right. In an era of misinformation, the brain’s urge to resolve questions as soon as possible can lead us towards flawed conclusions unless we actively engage our critical thinking. “McMahon has played the role,” he writes, “of a friendly grandmother wielding a hatchet.” We found only 7% of parents thought their teens were using AI for schoolwork multiple times a week or more, but 27% of teens said they were (itself surely an undercount). Fear may produce short-term compliance, but it rarely produces sustained excellence. Immordino-Yang told me that the ultimate goal of any school assignment is not the finished project itself but the experience of having done it—an experience that A.I. tools are intended to abbreviate or obviate. Majorities of educators indicated on the EdWeek Research Center survey that students’ use of technology for school-related purposes has a negative impact on their social-emotional skills, classroom behavior, and physical and mental health. The problem there is that those [standardized] tests are anything but objective; the more colleges rely on them, the more the uncredited work of expensive tutors or test prep classes can distort the profile of the incoming class. “If you ask tobacco companies to help write your school’s policy on cigarettes,” Garrett quipped, “you’re going to end up with guidance on how to smoke responsibly in school.” But building strong relationships with students remains the most critical teaching skill for Smith, a veteran educator and basketball coach for more than 20 years. Children from low-income families have roughly $80,000 less invested in their development, well-being, and education relative to their peers from high-income households, according to a new study. But [AI] falls short of the experience that accompanies real patience: not just material support, but the feeling you are worth someone else’s while. If policymakers truly want schools to operate more effectively, the conversation shouldn’t start with comparing them to businesses The resolution asks teachers to “encourage the use of paper and pen assignments” and also contemplates banning student access to YouTube as well as the gaming platforms Roblox and “Fortnite.”
 Around The Web In ESL/EFL/ELL
Eight years ago I began this regular feature where I share a few posts and resources from around the Web related to ESL/EFL or to language in general that have caught my attention. You might also be interested in all my Best lists on teaching ELLs. Also, check out A Collection Of My Best Resources On Teaching English Language Learners. In addition, look for our latest book on teaching ELLs, The ELL Teacher’s Toolbox 2.0. Here are this week’s choices:
ELL students can watch this video and then talk/write about what they saw:  Teaching grammar through listening is from The Language Gym. Here’s another video ELL students can talk/write about:
Integrating Drama Techniques into Everyday Teaching is from TESL Blog. I’m adding it to The Best Resources On Using Drama In The Classroom. How Much Is Too Much L1 Use? is from Reflections on Teaching Multilingual Learners. I’m adding it to The Best Resources Explaining Why We Need To Support The Home Language Of ELLs. ELL students could watch this video and talk/write about what they saw, including what message they think the movie is trying to communicate: 
These Maps Reveal Gaps in Special Education, English-Learner Teacher Supply is from Ed Week. Here’s another video ELL students can watch:  The Secret Ingredient in Listening We Never Teach: Prosody and Chunking is from The Language Gym.  Research Studies Of The Week Mohamed_hassan / Pixabay I often write about research studies from various fields and how they can be applied to the classroom. I write individual posts about ones that I think are especially significant, and will continue to do so. However, so many studies are published that it’s hard to keep up. So I’ve started writing a “round-up” of some of them each week or every other week as a regular feature. You can see all my “Best” lists related to education research here. Here are some new useful studies (and related resources):
PERCEPTIONS OF ESL STUDENTS ON THE INTEGRATION OF AI-POWERED TECHNOLOGIES FOR ENHANCING ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY is a study worth checking out.
THE IMPACT OF TEACHER-STUDENT INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS ON LANGUAGE LEARNING ACHIEVEMENT is from ELTE Journal. I’m adding it to The Best Resources On The Importance Of Building Positive Relationships With Students.
Results from TALIS 2024 The State of Teaching  Here’s A List Of “Interactive Teaching Methods” A New Study Has Found Effective In Social Studies Classes
A new study (not behind a paywall) has come out: Effectiveness of Interactive Teaching Methods in Improving Student Engagement with History and Social Studies. It’s not a meta-analysis. Instead, it’s based on a “systematic literature review.” Don’t ask me what the difference is… The big issue is studies like this about interactive teaching or “active learning” is knowing how they define it. Here’s the summary of the study, via ChatGPT and doublechecked by me, along with a one-page handout created by ChatGPT: Based on a close review of the study Effectiveness of Interactive Teaching Methods in Improving Student Engagement with History and Social Studies (Lawal, 2025), here is a clean, study-grounded list of the interactive teaching methods it explicitly recommends and synthesizes evidence for. I’m grouping them the way the article itself does across the literature review, methods, and results sections. Interactive Teaching Methods Recommended in the Study 1. Role-Playing Students take on the roles of historical figures or groups and make decisions within historical contexts. Used to develop historical empathy, perspective-taking, and contextual understanding Strong effects on student engagement and discussion quality Particularly effective for disengaged and lower-achieving students
2. Simulations Structured reenactments of historical events or processes where students experience consequences of decisions. Often paired with role-playing Improves reasoning skills, participation, and understanding of causation Produces large gains in engagement when sustained over time
3. Structured Debates Students research historical positions and argue claims using evidence. Strong impact on critical thinking, argumentation, and historical writing One of the few interactive methods that also showed gains in subject knowledge Requires careful preparation and clear structure
4. Collaborative Learning / Group Work Students work in pairs or small groups to analyze content, solve problems, or construct arguments. Increases participation, especially for students anxious about whole-class discussion Particularly beneficial for English language learners and mixed-ability classrooms Effectiveness depends on task design and teacher guidance
5. Collaborative Argumentation Students jointly build, critique, and refine historical arguments. Promotes deeper conceptual understanding and reasoning Learning often continues beyond the lesson as students reflect independently Often paired with debate or inquiry activities
6. Inquiry-Based Learning Students investigate historical questions by examining evidence rather than receiving information directly. Emphasizes questioning, evidence evaluation, and interpretation Produces strong gains in historical thinking skills Moderate but consistent effects on engagement
7. Use of Primary Historical Sources Students analyze original documents, artifacts, images, or records. Improves source evaluation, contextualization, and critical analysis Most effective when embedded in inquiry-based lessons Helps students understand how historical knowledge is constructed
8. Project-Based Learning (PBL) Extended projects requiring research, collaboration, and presentation. Supports sustained engagement over longer periods Outcomes depend heavily on duration and teacher training Often combined with inquiry and collaborative work
9. Class Discussions (Structured & Whole-Class) Guided discussions that follow small-group or inquiry activities. Reinforces learning through reflection and synthesis Improves quality of student responses and historical reasoning Most effective after students have prepared ideas collaboratively
10. Problem-Based Learning Students work through historical or civic problems requiring analysis and decision-making. Encourages application of knowledge rather than memorization Supports autonomy and motivation Benefits increase when used consistently over time
Big Takeaway from the Study The review concludes that interactive teaching is most effective when: Used consistently for 8+ weeks Supported by teacher training and coaching Aligned with historical thinking goals, not just engagement  More Recent Articles
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