Shaped

A community-driven blog supporting educators, building lifelong learners,
and shaping the future of education.* 

Latest Posts

6 strategies for building community in the classroom

6 Strategies for Building Community in the Classroom

How do you foster a sense of safety and belonging so students can focus their energy on learning? These strategies for building community in the classroom will help.

Perry Hollins
Fourth-Grade Teacher, Evanston/Skokie School District, Illinois

Accelerated learning techniques for the classroom

Accelerated Learning Techniques for the Classroom

Need to catch kids up or move them forward? Try these research-backed accelerated learning techniques.

Brenda Iasevoli
Shaped Executive Editor

teacher in classroom with students

Social and Emotional Learning Activities and Lesson Plans

Teach students the skills needed for success in and out of the classroom with these social and emotional activities and SEL lesson plans.

Shaped Staff

Teacher with students in classroom

How to Become a Social Emotional Learning Specialist

Learn how to become a social emotional learning specialist. Discover the job responsibilities and requirements for becoming an SEL specialist.

Sara Austin
Shaped Contributor

Morgan Hugoboom
Shaped Contributor

Ryan Crawley
Shaped Contributor

WF1370250 Anti bias Resources HERO

Anti-Bias Resources for the Classroom

Confronting bias in ourselves and in our classrooms is an important ongoing process. Help combat discrimination in all its forms with this collection of resources.

Richard Blankman
Shaped Executive Editor

Ali Habashi
Former Shaped Editor

Hero Banner Yellow

Podcast: Lessons in Language and Loss with Angelica Moreno

Meet Angelica Moreno, a Spanish kindergarten teacher at the Dual Language Academy at Dr. Sue Shook Elementary in El Paso, Texas. This week's discussion includes dual language learnering, the El Paso Walmart shooting, and the school's reaction to losing one of their own to COVID-19.

Ali Habashi
Former Shaped Editor

Two teachers talking with a tablet

How to Create an Effective SEL Professional Development Training for Teachers and Staff

Discover how SEL professional development training can provide the foundational knowledge and initial tools needed to implement SEL in schools.

Morgan Hugoboom
Shaped Contributor

My experience as a teacher during the pandemic hero

How COVID Transformed My Teaching Experience—and Life

David Jamison, also known as “The Dope Educator,” believes love and human interaction are the foundation of any lesson plan. He reflects on the valuable lessons he learned while teaching during the pandemic.

David Jamison II
Fifth-Grade ELA Teacher, Shelby County School District, Tennessee

WF1350300 Venola Student Teacher Relationships HERO

Rebuilding Relationships With Your Students Now and Post-COVID

To rebuild relationships during and after the pandemic, consider reaching out to students' families and consider students' new needs after a challenging year.

Venola Mason
Associate Partner, ICLE and Author, Instructional Excellence, Social and Emotional Learning

SEL Current Events hero

How to Boost Students’ SEL Skills Using Current Events

Fourth-grade teacher Perry Hollins shares tips for teaching current events through an SEL lens.

Perry Hollins
Fourth-Grade Teacher, Evanston/Skokie School District, Illinois

Social and Emotional Learning Strategies

10 Social and Emotional Learning Strategies for Responding to COVID-19

Nurturing students social emotional learning during COVID-19 is essential. Explore key SEL principles that schools and educators can use during the pandemic.

Francie Alexander
Senior Vice President, Efficacy & Consulting Research

Dr. Amy Endo
Education Research Director, Supplemental & Intervention Language & Literacy

research-backed ways to close the COVID learning gap

6 Research-Backed Ways to Close the COVID Learning Gap

These strategies for closing the COVID Learning Gap can support efforts to improve student outcomes and help address the issue of interrupted schooling.

Francie Alexander
Senior Vice President, Efficacy & Consulting Research

students smiling in a classroom

15 Social-Emotional Learning Activities to Empower Students: Teacher’s Guide

SEL activities are designed to help students develop key life skills such as self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.

Kimber Pierich
Shaped Contributor

Microsoft Teams image

Podcast: From Foster Care to State Teacher of the Year with Anthony Swann

Meet Anthony Swann, a fifth grade teacher in Rocky Mount, Virginia. An advocate for hope and empathy when it comes to students contending with trauma, Anthony was named the 2021 Virginia Teacher of the Year.

Ali Habashi
Former Shaped Editor

Summer school admins

Q&A: How Administrators Are Preparing for Summer School Amid the Pandemic

Get expert insights into how school leaders can best address pandemic learning loss this summer and the bold choices they will have to make going forward.

Jordan Friedman
Former Shaped Editor

Brenda Iasevoli
Shaped Executive Editor

Self reflection

The Importance of Student Self-Reflection in K-12 Lesson Design

Highlight the importance of student self-reflection when designing your curriculum by integrating these four teaching tips into your lessons.

Adam Drummond, EdD
Associate Partner, The Center for Model Schools and Author, Instructional Leadership

Sel activities

5 Social-Emotional Learning Activities for High School Students

These five SEL activities for high school students are based on CASEL's core SEL competencies. Help your students become independent and meaningful contributors to society

Sara Buren
Shaped Contributor

Education Trends 2021

8 Education Trends to Watch in 2021

We asked ed leaders from across the country to weigh in on education trends for 2021. Here's what they had to say.

Brenda Iasevoli
Shaped Executive Editor

*The views expressed in our blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of HMH.