Have You Heard of Learning Lifeguards?

Save the Day:

Be a Learning Lifeguard for Struggling Students!

Part of this text is taken from Learning Lifeguards by Sherri Nelson.

Ok, admit it: when you read the word “lifeguard,” what is the first image that popped in your head? How many recalled a super-cool character from one of the iterations of the TV cult classic Baywatch?

Well, as cool as Jason Momoa, Zac Efron and Carmen Electra are, an even more important type of lifeguard is emerging in schools: Learning Lifeguards.

We’d like to introduce Sherri Nelson, founder of the Learning Lifeguards movement.

As educators, when we see students in danger of academic drowning, struggling with challenges that threaten their educational success, do we turn away, or do we collaboratively use our resources and every skill we have to prevent them from drowning?

Sherri’s answer: form a team of lifeguards to closely monitor students and dive in when learners need academic assistance.

One of the big problems – which we’ve all experienced – is that the students who struggle academically are often the ones who resist lifeguard support. There can be several reasons for this:

Students fear being judged by their peers.
Some of them don’t realize they need help.
Many students, especially adolescents, believe they can fix the problem on their own.
These same kids may underestimate the severity of the situation or overestimate their abilities to solve the problem.
Last, for some it’s a matter of pride and a desire to maintain a particular image in front of both their peers and adults in their world.

In her book Learning Lifeguards, Sherri points out, “The ability to help students who need extra support takes understanding, patience, and a customized approach. No two students’ needs are the same.”

So … how do you tackle this issue, amid everything else going on in your classroom and school? Glad you asked!

Is There a Way to Make Group Work Fun?

Connie Hamilton Says Yes!

There’s no better way to engage students in active learning than through collaboration. But (let’s admit it) facilitating group work has its challenges.

In this Overthrowing Education podcast interview, education leader, author, and speaker Connie Hamilton shares some great ideas, practical tips and hard-earned wisdom to design successful student collaborations.

Listen to the Podcast