Resources for Teachers

Engage in joyful, student-centered learning while meeting goals and aligning with standards.

Since our founding in 1995, Center for Inspired Teaching has taught thousands of educators how to transform their classrooms and schools — moving away from compliance toward authentic engagement — while addressing standards and meeting goals. All of our activities, lessons, and tools are designed to help you build a practice where students are empowered to be empathetic critical thinkers, prepared to tackle the complex issues of today and tomorrow. While change is never easy, bringing our proven approach to your classroom is. Learn more about Inspired Teaching’s resources for teachers below or by exploring our menu.

Learn more about the Inspired Teaching Approach.

New to teaching? Find the resources to help you get started here.

Center for Inspired Teaching offers the below tools and resources at no cost to teachers, made possible by our corporate, foundational, and individual supporters.

Hands-On Professional Development

People learn best when they learn with their whole selves. That’s why Inspired Teaching’s professional development programs are hands-on, interactive learning experiences! Inspired Teaching Institutes are monthly professional development workshops founded on the principles of improv, where participants explore unique approaches to common classroom issues — and have fun. We also offer customized experiences — in-person or online — for groups of teachers, administrators, parents, or whole school communities.

Ready-to-Go Lessons & Activities

a colorful lightbulb with mutlicolor pencils above it, next to blue text that reads "#Inspired2Learn," which are activities and resources for parents

Developing and implementing novel lessons and activities that not only align with standards, but also empower students as active participants in their education can be difficult and time-consuming. Inspired Teaching has translated nearly 30 years of insights and experience into collections –of lessons, assessment tools, and challenges — that provide teachers with ready-to-implement resources; the first steps toward creating an engaging classroom can be as simple as the click of a mouse.

Expert Insights & Timely Topics

an orange sun on a blue background above text that reads "Hooray For Monday," a weekly resource for parents

When you need a framework for inspiration and motivation for the week ahead, Hooray For Monday has you covered. A weekly collection of insights, resources, and tools for discussing the latest current events, or assessing yourself or your classroom, or nurturing your student’s SEL, and more, Hooray For Monday has what you need to get excited for Monday mornings. Inspired Teaching also offers seasonal and topic-specific guidebooks and toolkits with everything you need to start the new school year or build respectful dialogue between your students.

Learn More About Inspired Teaching

Watch the below video for more insight into Center for Inspired Teaching’s Approach, our resources for teachers and school leaders, and a peek into an Inspired Teaching Institute.

For more than a decade the Inspired Teaching Residency brought many incredible new educators to schools throughout Washington, DC. Read more about our past programming here.

Teachers are the most creative problems solvers on the planet. We adapt continuously to new curricula and standards; we incorporate best practices as research uncovers them; and we recalibrate lessons and strategies in real time based on our students’ changing needs and understanding.

— Aleta Margolis

AUTONOMY

"I want to have a say in what happens to me."

Autonomy is the need for independence; the ability to make choices, to create, to explore, and to express oneself freely; to have sufficient space, to move around, and to feel unrestricted with opportunities to exercise free will.

Brady Maiden

Outreach Coordinator

As the Outreach Coordinator, Brady helps maintain Inspired Teaching’s social media presence and supports the organization’s mission to connect with DC community leaders, educators, and parents. Brady has her Master’s in Public Policy from George Mason University and her BS in Political Science from Northern Arizona University. She is passionate about community, equity, and coalition building recognizing that learning and growing with the community at large is how we continue to be impactful.

What brings you joy in life?

I find joy in spending time with my friends and family and meeting new people. I like going to concerts and festivals, and finding new books to read.

The Learner’s Cycle, Wonder-Experiment-Learn, and the Teacher’s Cycle, Observe-Plan-Instigate, comprise Inspired Teaching’s approach to engaging students in inquiry-based learning.

When they are engaged in the Wonder-Experiment-Learn Cycle, students are immersed in learning. They take the lead in designing authentic learning experiences around their own interests and their school’s standards of learning. Each discovery leads to a new question which in turn leads to more wondering and more learning. In the Wonder-Experiment-Learn Cycle, Learn is not a destination or an endpoint; it is a deeper understanding, leading to a deeper wondering and new possibilities that create new entry points to further exploration. The cycle continues because what students have learned generates more wonderings that require more experiments that foster more learning – and on and on.

The Observe-Plan-Instigate Cycle is the work of an Inspired Teacher. While a student is expected to follow the Wonder-Experiment-Learn Cycle, the teacher joins them on the learning journey while following their own cycle of Observe-Plan-Instigate. This cycle ultimately serves to ensure an inquiry-based atmosphere is at play in the classroom.

Jaqueta Abbey

Teaching and Learning Specialist

Jaqueta is the Teaching and Learning Specialist for Inspired Teaching. In addition to her current role with Inspired Teaching, Jaqueta is a first-grade teaching assistant. Her background features a variety of traditional and non-traditional experiences in the field of education, including working as an adjunct professor, teaching summer reading programs to children and adults, and tutoring children in the foster care system. Jaqueta earned a B.A. in Communication Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and an M.A. in Interactive Media from Elon University.

What brings you joy in life?

Creative self-expression! In addition to my passion for storytelling, I love dancing of all kinds. I've studied belly dance, bachata, and Brazilian Zouk among other styles. I also enjoy glass fusing, crocheting, photography, and cross stitching. These art forms allow me to express myself and build connections with other people at the same time. I think life would be a lot less vibrant without artists and storytellers!

Michelle Welk

Communication & Marketing Specialist

As Communications and Marketing Specialist, Michelle is responsible for finding and creating new ways to highlight Inspired Teaching and promote its programs in order to expand and deepen the organization's impact. Michelle has worked in communications in an array of settings, from creative agencies to state politics to national nonprofits. She has a BA in Journalism from Temple University in Philadelphia and is passionate about education, access, and equity.

What brings you joy in life?

My son, the beach, making a persuasive argument and good food!

Max Peterson

Real World History Assistant Teacher

Max received his Bachelor’s degree in History and African American Studies from Boston University in May 2016. He has worked in museum curation at the Museum of the White Mountains in New Hampshire and the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Max has worked with young people of varying ages from young children to young adults transitioning to college.

Feedback and Accountability

We grow through feedback and an understanding that the quality of our work is a reflection of what we are learning, but the shift to remote learning this spring disrupted a lot of the tools teachers were used to using to evaluate student growth. How might we do things differently this fall? Participants in this workshop will explore ways to bring meaningful assessment into the virtual and/or socially-distanced classroom and approaches to student feedback that strengthen motivation, and build relationships and achievement.