Use it or lose it!

Summer is here already! As students leave for the summer, educators must be wary of students losing what they have learned over the long break. I suggest blogging as an exercise in writing, maintaining the relationships, and continuing the conversation of learning.

My research on blogging as an instructional practice is nearly complete. I have found that teachers who have maintained a blog with their students are produce students who are deepening their love for learning and even digging deeper for insight through this communication. Maintaining this blogging relationship over the summer could help in the fall by preventing the “learning lag” teachers usually experience in presenting new information because of the need to re-teach previous instruction.

This is especially true of students from a lower socioeconomic status. The Center for Summer Learning at Johns Hopkins University reports that “On average, children from low-income families lose nearly three months of grade-level equivalency during the summer months each year, compared to an average of one month lost by middle-income children when reading and math performance are combined.” Because of this, the failure of students to maintain their learning over the summer contributes to the achievement gap for children of low-income families.

Give it a try!