The same website that spawns smut scandals, petty arguing, and mysterious, unlocked safes can also help shape the minds of the next generation.
While Reddit may seem like the last place on Earth to seek out education tips, in reality, there exist a number of subreddits devoted exclusively to the industry. If you are in—or plan to join—the teaching profession, the following subreddits may be just what you need to become an exceptional leader in the classroom.
1) r/teaching
5,900+ subscribers
If Reddit were run exclusively by teachers, it may look like r/teaching. The subreddit is home to both standard and controversial news and reflections on teaching. Teachers will also share everything from teaching methods to day-to-day tips to even interview suggestions. Finally, if you need a safe place to vent about the many frustrations that come with the profession—or simply to share funny stories—r/teaching is your virtual bar.
2) r/teachers
7,900+ subscribers
While r/teachers may seem virtually identical to r/teaching, it is actually a lot more discussion-oriented than its counterpart. Subscribers to r/teachers tend to focus much more on such aspects as classroom management, resource sharing, and professional development than on education news or anecdotes.
The r/teachers subreddit will also point redditors to a series of subreddits designed for specific subjects and areas of study, such as r/scienceteachers and r/highereducation.
3) r/education
24,200+ subscribers
Unlike the teaching-specific subreddits available, the rather popular r/education collects a wealth of information on the news and politics of the teaching profession both in the United States and throughout the world. Subscribers who gather in r/education swap articles and discussion posts that cover everything from the plight of poorer schools to the effectiveness of online education.
4) r/teachingresources
230 subscribers
Slightly less populated—and submitted to—than r/teachers and r/teaching, r/teachingresources is nevertheless an interesting source of strictly that: teaching resources. Teachers will post content such as links to engaging YouTube videos for students and other external sites designed to aid in student development and progression. What’s more, the content is helpfully arranged through a series of colorful tags for quicker browsing.
5) r/HomeworkHelp
7,300+ subscribers
Who says you can’t occasionally cheat, teachers?
While r/HomeworkHelp is renowned throughout the younger Reddit community as a place to solicit assistance—and perhaps answers—with assignments, it can also be an effective tool for teachers. Browsing through the many submissions posted to r/HomeworkHelp, it is relatively easy to unearth challenging assignment ideas for the classroom.
6) r/EdTech
253 subscribers
Let’s face it: the classroom you enter as a teacher is not the same classroom you entered as a student. With more and more students possessing a basic understanding of advanced technology as early as kindergarten, teachers of course need to keep up.
In r/EdTech, teachers can read up on the latest trends and advancements in teaching-related technology, as well as stories detailing how technology affects the classroom environment.
7) r/AskAcademia
7,200+ subscribers
Like r/HomeweorkHelp, r/AskAcademia is geared more toward the student body than toward teachers and professionals. Nevertheless, the subreddit serves as a key source in highlighting the thoughts, hopes, and fears of today’s student as well as discussions on pertinent education issues of the day.
8) r/DataIsBeautiful
67,200+ subscribers
It’s no secret that all people, be they students or not, learn better through visualizations. The popular subreddit r/dataisbeautiful firmly grasped the reins of this notion and ran with it at top speeds. Truly stunning displays of data on everything from the circulation of paper money throughout the United States to the number of asteroids found since 1980 abound in the subreddit. In accessing r/dataisbeautiful, teachers can easily find a subject—or even series of subjects—that will visually engage their students and help them grasp concepts more effectively.
9) r/AskReddit
3,200,000+ subscribers
Yes, we all know that default subreddit AskReddit is, more often than not, overflowing with utter garbage and hypothetical nonsense. That being said, the subreddit, which sees hundreds of submissions each and every day, does occasionally produce a gem in the form of a truly thought-provoking, or at least engaging, query. Search r/AskReddit for keywords related to your subject or lesson and leave with an interesting, and hopefully discussion-inspiring, question.
Photo via www.audio-luci-store.it/Flickr