New Jersey Alternate Route candidates specializing in Science Education recently recommended free web resources that they’ve consulted when preparing lessons and engaging, relevant activities for students. Their suggested resources are a part of our blog series featuring go-to-websites, blogs, and other online teaching and reference materials for helping our state’s youth achieve the NJ Student Learning Standards. More than 300 teachers participated in this professional swap and share, with many contributing lesser-known resources that even seasoned educators will be excited to discover. Read why our science educators love the resources they recommend.

LGBTQ+ History Month is meaningful to us because it was founded by a teacher. Missouri history teacher Rodney Wilson was the first openly gay public school teacher in the state. He chose October to represent LGBTQ+ history because the first and second LGBTQ+ marches on Washington happened during the month.
Since its founding by Wilson, LGBTQ+ History Month has spread to school districts, with LGBTQ+ history now being required in New Jersey curriculums. This requirement is a big deal because it helps LGBTQ+ students and teachers feel seen and welcome to live as who they really are.

Rutgers Alternate Route is proud to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month by highlighting our teachers of Hispanic and Latin American descent and their evident impact on the lives of the students they serve.  We reaffirm the invaluable ways that people of Hispanic and Latin American descent enrich the American tapestry of resilience, advancement, and excellence and express gratitude for their empowering presence in New Jersey's classroom. 

September 15 kicks off Hispanic Heritage Month, which recognizes the achievements and contributions of Hispanic Americans. According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, 20.9 percent of New Jerseyans identify as Hispanic or Latinx (the gender-neutral term for Latino/a), making up a sizable portion of our state’s population. 

As done in previous years, to help teachers and leaders save time finding these organizations, Rutgers Alternate Route has formulated a list of exciting PD opportunities for the fall. These events are hosted by state-based professional associations, local universities and grassroots education groups. These conferences and trainings include many free opportunities and, for those who missed in-person events, there are plenty of options within New Jersey. And, for those educators that enjoy a fun road trip here and there, we’ve incorporated a few national options.

We challenged our teachers to part ways with overused review formats like Jeopardy and Kahoot. Each game is customized for different subjects and grades but can be adapted for any content. Not to mention, most of them require no technology. These free, accessible games use exciting, fresh methods to encourage information recall.
Read on to browse each teacher-designed game and access instructions!

For students to excel on assessments weeks or months removed from the lesson, it's important that teachers shift from short-term memory tactics and find ways to make what they teach stick. To stimulate long-term memory, engage students with fun and challenging learning experiences. Make learning fun by reintroducing play in the classroom and incorporating games that reinforce content from lessons. This will help strengthen students' retention skills and increase their chances at excelling. 

How do we know this? Research proves it! Gameplay has a positive function in learning, thanks to the ability of games to motivate and engage, with “winning” - or, retrieving the most retained information - the reward. 

Fortunately for students of our new teachers, this important teaching detail has not been lost on those facilitating their learning. It appears our Rutgers Alternate Route teachers are on the right track and ensuring that every student’s experience in school is fun and interactive.

Diversifying the teaching workforce is a priority for the New Jersey Department of Education, and the Alternate Route program at the Rutgers Graduate School of Education is doing its part to address teacher diversity. Alternate Route candidates bring varying backgrounds, ages and experiences to the classroom, which helps students expand their perspectives.

To help new candidates gain real-life teaching skills, Rutgers Alternate Route requires them to complete a pre-professional experience that consists of planning and delivering guest lessons. This requirement allows candidates to apply their textbook knowledge to classroom situations, grow from the challenges, and expand their instructional strategies.