Karen Griffin

The 10 Most Significant Education Studies of 2025 We’re back with our roundup of the most insightful studies of the year, from the power of brain breaks to groundbreaking research on AI, cell phones, and handwriting in the classroom.

It's my favorite time of year! @edutopia.org 's 10 significant educational studies- because what we do and hlhow we adapdt and change our practices in education should always be backed by research.

The 10 Most Significant Education Studies of 2025 www.edutopia.org/visual-essay...

Communicating With Parents About the Value of Play in Preschool Practical tips for helping families understand what their kids are learning amid the seeming chaos of a preschool classroom.

To flip a powerful phrase from the article-
Build curiosity, rather than compliance.

Side Note- Seesaw is a great way to "Post pictures of children working with clear, intentional captions" 😉

Communicating With Parents About the Value of Play in Preschool
www.edutopia.org/article/lear...

8 Small But Impactful Classroom Management Shifts How using subtle gestures, spatial awareness, and tone of voice can nudge your classroom toward smoother operations.

This should be required reading for all new teachers (and even a helpful reminder for veterans). If you struggle to effectively manage your classroom, learning won't happen to the level you expect.

8 Small But Impactful Classroom Management Shifts www.edutopia.org/article/smal...

How to Make the Most of Loose Parts Play in Preschool From counting and classifying to literacy lessons, teacher-tested learning opportunities that encourage autonomy and creativity.

"New to me" ideas from this article: using a besheet outdoors as a gathering or sorting spot for natural objects and the "junk drawer" storytelling concept.

How to Make the Most of Loose Parts Play in Preschool www.edutopia.org/article/how-...

Teaching Students to Use Failures Productively in Pre-K These strategies help young students think about failure as a learning tool instead of a disappointment.

I really appreciated the "6 Strategies for Teaching Failure as a Skill in Preschool" in the article and how
@edutopia.org AI at the end of the article recommended picture books that celebrate failure.

Teaching Students to Use Failures Productively in Pre-K www.edutopia.org/article/fail...

Teach Like A Hummingbird (Not a Helicopter) Giving preschoolers freedom to choose what they learn, and how they learn it, fosters curiosity and independence in the classroom.

Teach Like A Hummingbird (Not a Helicopter) www.edutopia.org/article/chil...

Assessing the Child-Centeredness of Your Teaching in 6 Steps Early childhood teachers can use these strategies to align their teaching to students’ needs for optimal engagement and growth.

Great breakdown of strategies including reflective questions to consider for each.
Assessing the Child-Centeredness of Your Teaching in 6 Steps www.edutopia.org/article/ensu...

Ditch That Textbook Digital Summit A free, online conference for teachers. Sessions on technology, pedagogy and more. Offered annually in December. Hosted by DitchThatTextbook.com.

I'm signed up for #DitchSummit, a free online conference for teachers. You can, too, at ... ditchsummit.com via @ditchthattextbook.com

After reading Edutopia's 10 Remarkable Picture Books of 2024, I looked up The First Week of School. May I say that this is a very realistic teacher moment. Has anyone else found a similar teacher moment in a picture book?

Fidelity to a Program Requires Teachers Who Can Adapt By making informed instructional decisions, teachers can maintain fidelity to their curriculum while supporting and engaging their students.

Fidelity to a Program Requires Teachers Who Can Adapt www.edutopia.org/article/fide...

Sparking Joy with @lisalynk1.bsky.social at the @edgeubadges.bsky.social Booth at #VSTE2024
Stop#1 of the Edge-U Badge Dash!

With all the starter packs out there, if you're curious what lists you've been added to, check out clearsky.app. Just type your username (or someone else's) and it will give you a list of lists. #EduSky #bsky

Promoting Playful Learning With Technology Mitchel Resnick—creator of Scratch and OctoStudio—shares how teachers can maximize students’ use of tech for creative purposes.

"Mitchel Resnick, professor of learning research at MIT, argued that 'computers will not live up to their potential until we start to think of them less like televisions and more like paintbrushes' ” 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Promoting Playful Learning With Technology www.edutopia.org/article/usin...

6 Tips From a Tech Coach and Teacher Educators can balance innovative and traditional methods of teaching to mindfully include technology in the classroom.

This is a great read and a reminder to always keep my eye on the reality of teaching when in my role as a coach.

6 Tips From a Tech Coach and Teacher www.edutopia.org/article/comb...

How a New Approach to Early Childhood Could Avert a ‘Public Policy Catastrophe’ - EdSurge News The biggest crisis in early childhood education is a crisis of understanding, Dan Wuori argues in his new book, “The Daycare Myth.”

How a New Approach to Early Childhood Could Avert a ‘Public Policy Catastrophe’ www.edsurge.com/news/2024-11... via @edsurge.bsky.social

I'd love to be added as well. Thanks!

Promotional graphic for a presenter at #VSTE24. The title reads 'I'M PRESENTING AT #VSTE24!' Below, it invites attendees to join the presenter for sessions. Session details include: Sunday, December 8: 'Deep Dive into DLI: Navigating the Digital Learning Integration Standards' at 2:15 pm in Room 3D. Tuesday, December 10: 'Giving Multilingual Students a Voice with Book Creator' at 8:30 am in Room 4E. A professional headshot of the presenter is displayed on the right. At the bottom, a VSTE logo with the text 'Anchored in Innovation, December 8-10, 2024' is shown. Additional text encourages attendees to ask about: Virginia DLI Standards Coaching in Early Childhood EdTech tools like iPads, Seesaw, and Book Creator.

I'm presenting at 2 sessions next week at @vste.org
#VSTE24. Can't wait to see and connect with educators in VA Beach!

"Duolingo 2024 Year in Review graphic. The text at the top reads '2024 Year in Review' with the Duolingo owl perched on the number '2024' in the center. Below, it states, 'I'm a top 2% learner on Duolingo!' Four statistics are displayed: 'Top 2% rank,' '1066 longest streak,' '44241 total XP,' and '1997 minutes spent.' The background features a light blue gradient with small stars for decoration."

I started studying German on #Duolingo for a trip to Austria in 2023 and kept it up. Then I sprinkled in some Norwegian in 2024 and am currently learning Greek for a trip in 2025.

VA educators… who’s going to #VSTE24? Let’s be friends. 😊 #weareinourVSTEera

VSTE is not yet on BlueSky. Passing on some #VSTE24 info… #weareinourVSTEera

Are you attending and/or presenting at #VSTE24? If so, let me know and I can add you! Wouldn’t it be great if we had a #EduSky meetup there?
go.bsky.app/Nc3AtV5

I'm also attending and presenting at #VSTE24. 😁

Digital Foundations: It’s Elementary! Icons and “edurubricons” can make digital learning more approachable.

Check out my article from this month's #ASCD #EducationalLeadership Magazine: It shows how using “edurubricons”—rubrics infused with icons—can build student agency, as well as their digital literacy skills. #edusky ascd.org/el/articles/...

Not sure if it's user error, but I'd like the app notifications to open up to the actual notification (post or profile) instead of having to search for it. Every. Single. Time.

An information card about Tamara Letter's #vste24 session presentation titled, "Empowering Creative Communicators with Digital Publishing in the Elementary Classroom." She is presenting 12/9 at 9:45 AM in Room 5-C.

Are you attending the VSTE Conference? Join me Monday 12/9 at 9:45 AM to learn more about empowering your elementary students to be creative communicators through digital publishing! Let's learn and grow together! #vste24 #edtechchat #EduSky

Screenshot of a Google Docs interface showing a suggestion box with the text 'tab to replace with Session 2: Google Docs.' A yellow document icon appears next to the suggested text.

I also love that you'll be prompted to create a smart chip when adding any Google url to a Google doc.

Prompt Library — AI for Education

What’s your big 3 for AI??? Mine is Brisk Teaching, Gemini and Magic School AI. What’s yours?? And my favorite prompt creator is www.aiforeducation.io/prompt-library

This article made my day. I feel I'm on the right track as many of these challenges my teachers are facing and the strategies I'm using as an #educoach are here.
#edtech #edusky #eduskyprimary

Nothing makes me happier than an edit button. I'm constantly finding typos after I hit send/post.🤔

What an awesome engineering challenge alternative- especially for those with food allergies. I wonder how this can be adpated for our Preschool Unit on Buildings?