Educational Research to Use in the Classroom: January 2022

Monday, January 31, 2022

Ask Your Direct Reports These 5 Questions in Your Next Check In

Ask Your Direct Reports These 5 Questions in Your Next Check In

From HBR: Here are five key questions to ask your direct reports at your next one-on-one to ensure that they feel seen and valued — before it’s too late.

How would you like to grow within this organization? Identify the career development opportunities they need — whether that’s coaching, mentoring, increased visibility, or more challenging projects. They’re more likely to stay if they feel like they’re growing.
Do you feel a sense of purpose in your job? Tap into what’s meaningful to them — and connect it with the values of the organization.
What do you need from me to do your best work? Be prepared to devote more time and resources to help your employee feel fulfilled.
What are we currently not doing as a company that you feel we should do? Asking what they feel the company could be doing better — what market opportunities it might be overlooking, how to leverage resources more effectively, etc. — conveys that their thoughts and opinions matter.
Are you able to do your best work every day? This allows you to determine whether they’re optimizing their strengths. You might follow up with, “What part of your job would you eliminate if you could?” Don’t make promises but knowing which aspects of their job are least and most enjoyable will help you make any necessary changes to ensure they stick around.

Tuesday, January 25, 2022

Parent Email and Response

Good morning!

I'm writing with fantastic news (maybe Ryan already told you)! This fall, in English 2 Honors, we spent time writing personal narrative essays, studying the elements of personal nonfiction and memoir. Students submitted their essays to The New York Times' Annual Personal Narrative Essay Contest.

Out of more than 11,000 entries, Ryan's charming and hilarious personal narrative, "The Pyrotechnician" was selected as a Runner Up, in the top 30 essays in the country! You can see his name published in the Runner Up category at the bottom of the winner's page: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/20/learning/the-winners-of-our-3rd-annual-personal-narrative-essay-contest-for-students.html

We are bursting with pride! Such great writing! Congratulations to Ryan!

Susie

Thank you so much for letting us know about this wonderful news. Ryan had informed us about this achievement a few days back but hearing it directly from his teacher really makes us extra proud.. He is a blessed child with such great teachers like you.

Thanks for motivating Ryan and his continued endeavors in the subject.

Friday, January 21, 2022

Personal Narrative NYT Essay Winners

For a third year, we invited students from 11 to 19 to tell us short, powerful stories about a meaningful life experience for our Personal Narrative Writing Contest. And for a third year, we heard from young people across the globe about the moments, big and small, that have shaped them into who they are today: a first kiss that failed to meet expectations, a school assignment that led to self-acceptance, an incident at airport security that made the world look much less sweet, and more.

You can read the eight winning essays here.