3 WAYS MAN AND MACHINES CAN WORK IN HARMONY

Artificial Intelligence, machine learning and cognitive computing are slinking into every nook, cranny and call center of the workplace. But this is not a dystopian future where man is pitted against the evil machine. Instead, the future is much more likely to look like man and machine working in harmony—combining complementary strengths to transform business for the better.

Yes, it would make a lousy sci-fi movie. But if done right, it will make for a great work environment.

In some ways, the future is already here. From Siri and Alexa to self-driving cars, there is technology already capable of mimicking human behavior. Businesses have received the message loud and clear that it\’s time to integrate with technology: The Deloitte Human Capital Trends 2017 report revealed that 38 percent of companies will fully implement robotics and automation in the next five years.

What can HR do to prepare their workforce for the imminent arrival of tomorrow\’s technology?

Create a Liquid Workforce

There are no jobs for life in the digital age, so workers constantly need to reinvent their skills to keep up with business needs. With the pace of change ever quickening, companies need what Accenture calls a “liquid workforce\” of employees—agile enough to perform a range of tasks, who can grow and adapt with the company rather than perform one fixed task.

Josh Bersin, principal and founder of Bersin by Deloitte, talks about the rise of the Hollywood model or a network of teams approach, where people band together for a specific project and then move on when it\’s complete (similar to a film crew and actors work on a movie and then move to a new production).

This should be a good thing for employees, offering them the chance to grow and learn and ultimately do more interesting and varied jobs. It should also keep boredom at bay, which is great for engagement.

If that\’s the future, the role of HR and the rest of the senior team is to identify key areas where AI will have the biggest impact and start putting programs in place to help people learn new skills or widen their learning. It also means HR must hit home the importance of life-long learning, and provide opportunities for employees to constantly upgrade their skills and experiences.

Foster Soft Skills

The ironic consequence of more automation is that our unique human qualities are becoming more important. Soft skills are more in demand than ever: A 2015 LinkedIn survey found that 59 percent of hiring managers found it difficult to hire staff with the soft skills they required.

While machines are better than humans at repetitive tasks, people are good with uncertainty. For the most part, we excel at empathy and dealing productively with other people. HR needs to both recognize and nurture talented employees in these areas, while helping others improve the soft skills they lack.

These people skills will be particularly important in the Bersin work model, where people are continually being asked to join new teams and work with different people across departments.

Prioritize Right-Brain Thinking

HR needs to hire and inspire their workers to do more strategic thinking, aided by technology. Alongside soft skills, creativity is becoming a prized quality in the age of AI and automation. Lateral thinking and the ability to analyze and interpret the cold, hard data that machines provide and turn that into useful insight is a key skill. It\’s the perfect melding of machine and human intelligence.

That means that HR needs to think about hiring people who have creative flair, rather than just a checklist of qualifications. There are many ways HR can identify these people, but a simple way at interview stage is to ask them competency-based questions about how they used creative thinking in previous roles.

The robots are coming, but it isn\’t a threat. It\’s an opportunity for humans to be more creative and productive at work.

Teaching Strategies to Build Student Confidence

Some confident learners know how to speak their minds and, therefore, know how to get their point across.

But other students who aren’t as confident can feel isolated with their lack of self-confidence, and they might find themselves plagued by thoughts of academic insufficiency.

Today on TeachHUB.com, writer Janelle Cox informs us on different tactics we can use to help those students feel more confident and proud of themselves and their accomplishments.

Some strategies Janelle outlines:

Try not to correct every single thing the student says wrong.
Give students the opportunity to choose what they learn.
Encourage students to do better than they did before.

What do you do to help build your students’ self-confidence?

Learn Effective Teaching Strategies to Build Student Self-Confidence>>

Classroom Activities to Honor Veterans Day

Many students are mystified as to the true meaning of Veterans Day. Indeed, many only recognize the day as being a holiday – they don’t acknowledge the sacrifice our American servicemen and servicewomen made nor the valor they displayed in combat.

Today we offer up a couple quick activities and websites teachers can use to pay respect to our soldiers. After all, on Veterans Day, all Americans should reflect on the service and sacrifice of our veterans. Their bravery, their resourcefulness, and their patriotism mark them as our nation’s finest citizens.

Learn Some Time-Honored Ways to Commemorate Veterans Day>>

The Pros & Cons of Common Core State Standards

Designed to give educators in the U.S. a clear and consistent understanding of what students are expected the learn, the Common Core State Standards have instead stirred up a hornet’s nest of controversy within academic circles nationwide.

Some states remain steadfastly in lockstep with the tenets the Common Core State Standards espouses, while others vigorously disagree with them. Indeed, many state educational jurisdictions are abandoning the Common Core State Standards.

Recently on TeachHUB.com, we took a glance at both sides of the Common Core debate, with two seasoned educators examining the for-and-against arguments that the standards have brought about

Curriculum Compacting Teaching Strategies

Although as teachers we often spend our time making sure that everyone can grasp what we’re teaching about, oftentimes we have kids in our classes who have already mastered the curriculum. So what teaching strategies do we use to reach those that already know what we’re instructing?

Today on TeachHUB.com, we examine those teaching strategies we can use to hopefully challenge the gifted kids who are at risk of becoming bored in our classes. Our centerpiece article, penned by frequent contributing writer Janelle Cox, looks at curriculum compacting, or a pace-based method that can engage kids who have already mastered what we’re teaching.

Janelle suggests we first identify kids who are already familiar with our upcoming subject matter. How do we do that? A potential student:

· Finishes tasks quickly.

· Appears bored during instruction.

· Finishes assignments first.

· Is performing high academically in more than one area.

Janelle offers up seven steps that you can use to compact a curriculum, including:

· Identify students who should take the pre-assessment. Use your academic records and class performance to help you determine what student would benefit from this pre-test.

· Use the pre-assessment test to determine mastery of the topic or subject.

Janelle sums up her article like this: “Teachers like using curriculum compacting because it’s an effective teaching strategy that can be used in any grade and in any school district. It’s also flexible enough that teachers find it easy to implement. Just remember that meeting the needs of all learners takes time and patience, so go at a slow pace.”

Have you used curriculum compacting as a means to differentiate instruction with your gifted learners? If so, do you find this an effective form of teaching strategies? Please share your thoughts in the comment section, we would love to hear what you have to day on this topic.

Plan a Memorable Back to School Night

We’ve been covering all you teachers need to know for your inevitable return to the classroom, and today is no different. A staple of the back to school schedule is now Back to school night, in which teachers and parents meet, with or without kids, to discuss and preview the school year. On the discussion docket are generally methodology, grading schemes and tactics, connecting parents, and more.

Today on TeachHUB.com, frequent contributing writer Jacqui Murray, who is a seasoned tech teacher based in Northern California, looks at how you can make back to school night memorable, informative, and fun.

Jacqui’s ideas include:

Make the Invite Engaging

Ask a Volunteer to Take Notes

Introduce the Class Page

And More!

Here’s how Jacqui suggests you create a class webpage, blog, or other electronic method of communication: “At some point during the evening (or in a form you display on one of the class computers), ask what parents would like to find here. Practice accessing it if there\’s time. Have the page available on one of the class computers so parents can try it out before leaving for the evening.”

Jacqui sums up her article like this, in a paragraph entitled Provide a Parent-Child Questionnaire: “Before you wrap up for the evening, have parents fill out a form (with Google Forms) that includes what motivates their child, his/her strengths, parent concerns, and anything else you should know about the child. This too can be available on one of the class computers. It should take only a few minutes to complete. You can also email the link to everyone on the class roster to be completed at their leisure.”

You never have a second chance to make a good first impression. This is as true today as when Will Rogers (was reputed to have) said it. Make parents your partner this school year. Their participation will make a huge difference in the child\’s success. Take advantage of that.

Classroom Games: Winter Brain Breaks

It’s been universally proven that brain breaks, or brief intermissions from coursework often involving physical activity, are great ways to split up a day and are beneficial on the mental front too.

During the winter, like now, in many parts of the world, when freezing conditions make activities like recess impossible, brain breaks are even more crucial to the academic process.

Today on TeachHUB.com, frequent contributing writer Janelle Cox, also a licensed educator, sings the praises of brain breaks this time of year, and outlines some great ideas for classroom games that can serve as brain breaks, including:

Snowball Fight
Winter-Themed Yoga Poses
And More!

All in all, Janelle notes that, “The best way to deal with the student wiggles in the wintertime is to just get your kids up and moving. As soon as you do that you will find that extra pent up energy that they all have will just melt away.”

Do you have any fun winter brain break ideas that students love in your classroom?

Get our ideas for popular winter brain breaks>>

Try Out TeachHUB magazine – for FREE!

TeachHUB magazine is the perfect, award-winning companion to our website, TeachHUB.com, and it offers up useful content that is helpful for all educators.

You’ll get cutting-edge articles, brain-enriching classroom ideas, and reviews of the hottest apps – all updated once a month. Best of all, it’s free!

You’ll also get a monthly dose of classroom humor, easy-tom-make recipes, and more!

Find out how to download TeachHUB Magazine now>>

99 Reasons Teachers Rock

Recently we posted an article designed to give educators a pat on the back: We listed out 99 reasons why educators are so cool.

A sampling:

Teachers can eat their lunch in 4 minutes flat at 10:30 a.m. while keeping order in the hallway without thinking twice.
Teachers can make you feel special, no matter what your age.
In teaching you cannot see the fruit of a day\’s work. It is invisible and remains so, maybe for twenty years.

6 Back to School Tips to Organize Your Classroom

Let our advance worrying become advance thinking and planning”
-Winston Churchill

“If you believe you can, you probably can. If you believe you won’t, you most assuredly won’t. Belief is the ignition switch that gets you off the launching pad.”
-Denis Waitley

In the midst of back-to-school madness, it’s easy to let yourself get overwhelmed with all the planning and prep.

You’ve visited the teacher store, reviewed your curriculum and spent a few nights tossing and turning. Whether you are an experienced teacher or new teacher, these tips can help you organize and plan your time before school starts.

Sneak Peak: Mrs. Mimi\’s 2nd Grade Adventures

Mrs. Mimi has been sharing her second grade adventures with undeniable wit and endearing honesty on her blog It’s Not All Flowers and Sausages for the last two years, but now she\’s gone big time. Her book by the same name hit stores Sept. 1.

Mrs. Mimi and her publishers were kind enough to let us peak inside the first chapter “I Love Naughty Boys.”

Sneak Peak: Mrs. Mimi\’s 2nd Grade Adventures

Mrs. Mimi and her publishers were kind enough to let us peak inside the first chapter “I Love Naughty Boys.”

Sneak Peak: Mrs. Mimi\’s 2nd Grade Adventures

Mrs. Mimi and her publishers were kind enough to let us peak inside the first chapter “I Love Naughty Boys.”

5 Classroom Management Techniques to Handle Teacher Fatigue

f you ask just about any teacher how he or she feels, you’ll probably get some variation on the word “Tired.” Teacher fatigue is real, and it’s a threat to the teaching profession!

But there are some classroom management techniques you can employ to battle fatigue. Today on TeachHUB.com, frequent contributing writer Janelle Cox, who is a seasoned elementary school educator based in Upstate New York, looks at some Classroom Management methodologies you can use to help combat teacher exhaustion.

Janelle’s ideas include:

Listen to Your Body
Take a Technology Time-Out
Make Fewer Decisions
And More!

Janelle sums up her article like this: “You can fight teacher fatigue by planning ahead, listening to your body, getting enough rest, taking a break from technology and by making fewer decisions. When you do all of these things, you will feel better.”

How do you fight teacher fatigue? Do you have any classroom management strategies that work well for you? Please share your ideas and thoughts in the comment section of the actual article, we’d love to hear your thoughts in the topic.

Technology in the Classroom: 22 Must-Have Tools

You all know by now: technology in the classroom is taking over your classrooms. The kids in your class likely love technology in the classroom: they can’t get enough of it at home and at school.

But how do you know which technology in the classroom tools to choose from? There are literally hundreds of apps, pieces of software, and other tools you can pick out, all of which are designed to you make your classroom hum at the speed of a T1 line.

Today on TeachHUB.com, frequent contributing writer Jacqui Murray, herself a technology teacher in Northern California, takes a look at the 22 classroom tools you need to use in class this year.

Jacqui’s recommendations include:

E-mail
Flipped classroom
Google Apps
Journaling
Maps
Online quizzes
Screenshots and screencasts
Video channel
Virtual meetings

Jacqui expounds on each tech recommendation, and rates it as well. She sums up her findings: “This is my list, culled from dozens of conversation with my ed-tech colleagues.”

What do you use that I didn’t mention? Why is it important to your class’s workflow?

Get our list of the technology in the classroom tools you need this year>>

Classroom Management: Handling Sensitive Topics

Classroom discussions (and the curriculum that incites them) often revolve around issues like race, gender, sexuality, politics, and class.

However, many teachers have been trained to leave those sorts of topics out of the classroom, to let the students make up their own minds about such sensitive issues.

Today, frequent TeachHUB.com contributor Jordan Catapano, also an English teacher in a Chicago suburb, intones that there is an inevitable intersection between those hot-button issues and the way they pervade subjects like literature and history.

Jordan also offers up some useful advice for teachers to approach such issues, including:

• Offering no teacher opinions

• Creating class guidelines

• Keep parents informed

• And more!

Remember, the value in approaching such subjects lies in creating an informed student perspective.

5 Ways School Counselors Support You & Your Students

As every teacher knows, standing in front of the classroom can feel like an insane one-man-show (or one-woman-show) in which you\’re juggling far too many concerns and standards for your students. Don\’t fear, there is help out there!

School couselors are an often under-utilized division of the staff. They are there to support the academic achievement, career development, and personal and social well-being of students.

By outlining the five main ways that school counselors support teachers and students, I hope to help you make the most of the services and staff available to you and reach students on every level.

3 WAYS TO MAKE DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION INITIATIVES STICK

Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) is no longer about filling a quota. Today, D&I is recognized as a key way to boost profits and increase innovation. It simply makes business sense.

McKinsey’s 2015 Diversity Matters report revealed a strong correlation between diversity and financial performance. According to the findings, companies in the top quartile for ethnic and racial diversity are 35 percent more likely to perform above the industry median compared to those in the bottom quartile, while gender-heterogeneous companies outperform by 15 percent.

And, in the U.S., every 10 percent increase in racial and ethnic diversity among senior executives leads to a 0.8 percent increase in EBIT (earnings before interest and taxes).

Top of the Priority List

Given this potential to impact business, it’s not surprising that CEOs are taking notice. The 2017 Deloitte Human Capital Trends survey found that the number of executives citing diversity as a top priority had jumped by 32 percent since 2014. This is crucial because although HR plays a key role in implementing D&I changes, long term success requires a cultural and strategic shift.

Like any company-wide push, prioritizing diversity means securing senior buy-in, pinpointing clear objectives, setting targets and measuring results. But in addition to jumping through standard management hoops, there are some specific ways to build successful D&I programs:

Banish Brain Bias

While overt bias against individuals or groups is generally easy to spot, people are sometimes unaware of their own unconscious bias, for example, unwittingly hiring people who are like themselves.

While educating people about unconscious bias and helping them identify it is an obvious first step, it’s not enough.

To overcome bias, organizations must move away from what psychologists call System 1 thinking, where decisions are emotional, instinctive, subconscious and based on gut feelings. Instead, what’s required is System 2 thinking, which is rational, deliberate, rules-based and takes more work.

From a recruitment standpoint, this means having a structured format for interviews during which all candidates are asked similar questions, followed by a an analysis process.

Turn to Technology

To influence change, organizations need to be able assess where they are today and measure results. Earlier in November, for example, Apple shared an update on its efforts with the release of its Diversity and Inclusion Report, which revealed that between July 2016 and July 2017, half of all new hires at the company were from “historically underrepresented groups in tech.” People analytics are a vital tool for spotting these types of improvements, as well as identifying problem areas.

By analyzing data throughout the recruitment process, organizations can identify where people are underrepresented, and plug those holes with new hires. The same principle holds true for all areas of talent management—analytics can uncover patterns in gender or racial bias in performance reviews, compensation and rewards.

Lead From the Front

A diverse organization calls for leaders who are not only from diverse groups themselves, but who are also serious about creating a culture of inclusivity at work.

Deloitte identified six traits that epitomize inclusive leaders: courage, cognizance of bias, curiosity, cultural intelligence, collaboration and commitment. Still, it’s up to HR to recognize and foster these traits.

It’s important to recognize that diversity encompasses differences in cognitive and emotional make-up as well as race, color, sex and sexuality. When it comes to nurturing future leaders, today’s leaders need to resist looking for carbon-copies of themselves. For example, leaders need to be self-aware of their own work style, and accept that they need to collaborate with people that work differently to create a better team.

While D&I is increasingly getting acknowledged as a good business practice, even those making it a strategic priority have a long way to go. The key is ensuring that D&I becomes a standard part of leadership development, and is seen as a core leadership skill.

Effective Teaching Strategies that Employ Passion

Figuring out how to tap into your student’s various passions can go a long way toward motivating students to learn. But how can you adopt this student-centered effective teaching strategy?

Today on TeachHUB.com, frequent contributing writer Janelle Cox, also an East Coast-based educator, tells website visitors how to recognize students’ passions using a technique called Genius Hour.

Genius Hour is a time-honored classroom technique in which students explore their own passions, share them with their classmates, and therefore become that much more invested in the educational process.

Genius Hour does require that students brainstorm their own projects (and generally, there is no due date or deadline). Some sample projects include:

How to throw a football like a quarterback.
How to make a bow for your hair.
How to create a website.
What is makeup made of?
How does a plane fly?

These projects are worked on for approximately one hour per week, until completion (keep in mind the no deadline mandate).

What do you think of Genius Hour? Have you tried in your classroom?

Get our ideas on introducing Genius Hour to your class>>

Creative Literature Projects Students Love

Regardless of whether it’s the best of times or the worst of times, sometimes it’s hard to get students engaged in classic literature. Let’s face it: “The Great Gatsby” simply isn’t great to everyone: Some students will inevitably find the text boring and outdated.

So how does a good English teacher get kids engaged with a book like “The Catcher in the Rye”?

We recently listed out some time-honored tips for engaging kids with classic texts, including:

Throw a “Great Gatsby” party
Make a “Fahreneit 451” mug shot gallery
Have students make “Romeo and Juliet”-type masks to attend a Capulet party
And more!

What do you do to put an extra twist to your assignments and lesson plans?

Technology in the Classroom: 10 Ways to Use Thinglink

If you’re like us, the onslaught of technology in the classroom trends can be overwhelming, and it’s easy to forget about a time-honored technology in the classroom tool when bright, shiny new applications and tools are being unveiled every day.

So today on TeachHUB.com, frequent contributing writer Jacqui Murray, who is a veteran technology teacher in California, takes a look at Thinglink, which she describes thusly: “It is an interactive media platform that allows students to use multimedia content and links to share their knowledge and tell their story by tagging images or videos with hotspots that include additional information.”

Jacqui points out 10 ways that educators can use Thinglink, including:

Create infographics and graphic organizers to visually explain a complex topic.
Design and share interactive digital posters.
Write a digital storybook with a connect-the-dots Thinglink (replace with color-coded hotspots or numbers, which may require an upgrade).
Curate resources for a topic or project and share with students.

Jacqui sums up her article like this: “Thinglink makes differentiation easy, as students select the tools that work best for their communication style.”

Get our ways to use Thinglink as part of your technology in the classroom repertoire>>

Teaching Strategies that Use Sticky Notes

Post-it notes – those square pieces of paper that stick to many surfaces and remind us of what we need to do next – can also be used as helpful classroom devices that can help us further connect with students!

Today on TeachHUB.com, frequent contributing writer Jordan Catapano,, himself an English teacher in the suburbs of Chicago, takes a look at some alternative ways that sticky notes can enhance your classroom experience. His ideas include:

• Annotating books and articles

• Brainstorming

• And more!

Jordan sums up his ideas with this paragraph: “What I love about sticky-notes is that their size, colors, cost, and you-can-put-me-anywhere qualities provide limitless applications. Whether for myself, colleagues, or students, these sticky-notes offer a multitude of easy opportunities to improve thinking and collaboration.”

How do you use post-it notes?

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Create a Liquid Workforce

Foster Soft Skills

Prioritize Right-Brain Thinking

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Top of the Priority List

Banish Brain Bias

Turn to Technology

Lead From the Front

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