Okay, I've taken the leap and started a group on Facebook: Quality K-12 Education: Taking the Next Steps.
Yes, I did "do" some serious thinking about it but in the end, social media is what more students are interested in. Don't believe me? Ask your students how many have a page in Facebook and/or My Space. These outlets are here to stay.
I am thinking it's time to harness a tool like this for teachers to band together. The purpose of my group is to provide information that includes current reports and research, educator feedback, teaching methods and strategies, events, and curriculum in an effort to discover the "best practices" K-12 educators can implement to build a dynamic learning environment in their classroom.
Join me in my group and contribute you wisdom, questions, and ideas. I look forward to participating with you. Click here to go to the group web age in Face Book.
31 August 2008
30 August 2008
Spotlighting Innovative Strategies and Teachers
Technology, Cross Curriculum Learning
Such is life in Whyville, a Web-based virtual world that provides inquiry-based education for middle school students. Created by University of Texas professor Jim Bower -- a former professor at the California Institute of Technology and founder of CalTech's Pre-College Science Initiative -- Whyville looks and feels like a game to the kids who use it. For teachers, it is one more tool for delivering lessons in a package that delights their students.
The EAST Initiative: Students Use Technology to Promote Collaborative Learning
Students helping students and using technology with project based learning. Ready to be inspired? The read this article and watch the video. Yes, the teacher, Tim Stephenson, is to credit for his persistent initiative and commitment.
Kindergarten Goes Virtual
Here are two words I never thought would go together: kindergarten and virtual. The content being offered is across the curriculum and totally interactive. Check it out.
Teacher Magazine (requires free account sign up)
Cindi Rigsbee, North Carolina's 2008 teacher of the year, has spent most of her career working at disadvantaged middle schools and was used to poor teacher morale, but when she switched to a new school before classrooms were even finished, the teachers began to work together in a newly formed professional-learning community. The experience, she says, was transforming: instead of trading woeful classroom tales, educators collaborate to boost student achievement.
Such is life in Whyville, a Web-based virtual world that provides inquiry-based education for middle school students. Created by University of Texas professor Jim Bower -- a former professor at the California Institute of Technology and founder of CalTech's Pre-College Science Initiative -- Whyville looks and feels like a game to the kids who use it. For teachers, it is one more tool for delivering lessons in a package that delights their students.
The EAST Initiative: Students Use Technology to Promote Collaborative Learning
Students helping students and using technology with project based learning. Ready to be inspired? The read this article and watch the video. Yes, the teacher, Tim Stephenson, is to credit for his persistent initiative and commitment.
Kindergarten Goes Virtual
Here are two words I never thought would go together: kindergarten and virtual. The content being offered is across the curriculum and totally interactive. Check it out.
Teacher Magazine (requires free account sign up)
Cindi Rigsbee, North Carolina's 2008 teacher of the year, has spent most of her career working at disadvantaged middle schools and was used to poor teacher morale, but when she switched to a new school before classrooms were even finished, the teachers began to work together in a newly formed professional-learning community. The experience, she says, was transforming: instead of trading woeful classroom tales, educators collaborate to boost student achievement.
28 August 2008
Startling Facts - Real News - On High School Graduation
"If three out of every 10 students in the nation failing to graduate is reason for concern, then the fact that just half of those educated in America’s largest cities are finishing high school truly raises cause for alarm. And the much higher rates of high school completion among their suburban counterparts – who may literally live and attend school right around the corner – place in a particularly harsh and unflattering light the deep undercurrents of inequity that plague American public education."
Cities in Crisis - an Analytic Report on High School Graduation
Published April, 2008
I will say it till I'm blue in the face, lessons have to meaningful to students in order to capture their attention. That means in many classes a reinvention is necessary. What is an ideal instruction model? I think Project Based Learning is as long as the lesson has been connected to students lives outside of class. Why? It is a method of learning that allows students to collaborate with each other, work with their hands, and gives teachers a framework to work with individual students or small groups. Get my free eReport on implementing Project Based Learning when you purchase an annual subscription for $19.95 ..... less than two movie tickets and a box or popcorn.
Cities in Crisis - an Analytic Report on High School Graduation
Published April, 2008
I will say it till I'm blue in the face, lessons have to meaningful to students in order to capture their attention. That means in many classes a reinvention is necessary. What is an ideal instruction model? I think Project Based Learning is as long as the lesson has been connected to students lives outside of class. Why? It is a method of learning that allows students to collaborate with each other, work with their hands, and gives teachers a framework to work with individual students or small groups. Get my free eReport on implementing Project Based Learning when you purchase an annual subscription for $19.95 ..... less than two movie tickets and a box or popcorn.
A Secret to Building an Improved Learning Environment
Students have stimulation form so many sources .... flashy billboards, television shows that carrying four plus character streams per episode, advertisements blitzing volumes of images in barely seconds, and so forth. They have so many choices, that's why as K-12 educators the key to capturing their attention is by relating the lesson material to their life.
To obtain a free eReport with information about using Project Based and Service Based Learning in K-12 classes click here. Check out this current news and research on meaningful and relevant lesson material ....
Ten NYC schools to pilot Core Knowledge literacy curriculum
The pilot program, which will involve about 1,000 children, represents a shift from the Bloomberg administration’s longstanding approach to teaching children to read, known as “balanced literacy.” Under that approach, children are encouraged to select books that interest them, at their own reading levels, from classroom libraries. The theory behind the approach is that it is more important to ensure that young children are truly engaged by books than to dictate that everyone read the same thing. (NY Times)
Why classic literature fails to resonate with modern teens
Teens raised on video games and YouTube have an increasingly rocky relationship with classical literature, and high school English classes are partially to blame, writes high school English teacher Nancy Schnog. If teachers really want to instill a love of reading, they should assign books that resonate with teens before delving into classic literature, she writes. (Washington Post)
New academy aims to hold adolescent girls' attention
Tatshianna Pires, 9, loves school, and a girls' academy set to open next week wants to keep it that way. With no boys, small classes and extra-long school days, the tuition-free academy aims to keep 60 urban girls in the fifth through eighth grades from dropping out and to help them steer clear of truancy and early incidence of pregnancy. (Boston Globe)
To obtain a free eReport with information about using Project Based and Service Based Learning in K-12 classes click here. Check out this current news and research on meaningful and relevant lesson material ....
Ten NYC schools to pilot Core Knowledge literacy curriculum
The pilot program, which will involve about 1,000 children, represents a shift from the Bloomberg administration’s longstanding approach to teaching children to read, known as “balanced literacy.” Under that approach, children are encouraged to select books that interest them, at their own reading levels, from classroom libraries. The theory behind the approach is that it is more important to ensure that young children are truly engaged by books than to dictate that everyone read the same thing. (NY Times)
Why classic literature fails to resonate with modern teens
Teens raised on video games and YouTube have an increasingly rocky relationship with classical literature, and high school English classes are partially to blame, writes high school English teacher Nancy Schnog. If teachers really want to instill a love of reading, they should assign books that resonate with teens before delving into classic literature, she writes. (Washington Post)
New academy aims to hold adolescent girls' attention
Tatshianna Pires, 9, loves school, and a girls' academy set to open next week wants to keep it that way. With no boys, small classes and extra-long school days, the tuition-free academy aims to keep 60 urban girls in the fifth through eighth grades from dropping out and to help them steer clear of truancy and early incidence of pregnancy. (Boston Globe)
Understand Learning Results ...In Less Than 10 Minutes
I think everyone will agree that results are probably the key to understanding how effective K-12 education is or isn't. The question becomes what results need to be analyzed. How can we be sure the examination of performance provides valid and reliable data? That is to say, will the examination measure the same data each year again and do all participants have an equal opportunity?
Here is a site, Measuring Up, that provides result data on every state for K-12 over a number of years on a variety of topics. It also allows you to compare state results using different topics. For example, you can compare AZ, CA, and NY on subjects within participation, achievement, and affordability. Perhaps the best stat here is being able to see the number of students going on to two or four colleges, after all isn't that the ultimate goal of high school? Sure a high school diploma is great, but if you don't go to a technical school, college or university to get some skills you're bound to be part of the service sector working for minimum wage.
Check out Measuring Up and tell me what you think.
Here is a site, Measuring Up, that provides result data on every state for K-12 over a number of years on a variety of topics. It also allows you to compare state results using different topics. For example, you can compare AZ, CA, and NY on subjects within participation, achievement, and affordability. Perhaps the best stat here is being able to see the number of students going on to two or four colleges, after all isn't that the ultimate goal of high school? Sure a high school diploma is great, but if you don't go to a technical school, college or university to get some skills you're bound to be part of the service sector working for minimum wage.
Check out Measuring Up and tell me what you think.
17 August 2008
The Power of Education
High school must include teaching academic skills with life skills to students. But how does that translate to college? Well, take a gander at the links below. Herein lies the evidence that just having academic skills won’t cut it. Sure, they are a good start, but being successful in the projects described below means a student brings some quality life skills too.
Examine Killer Bugs
Students work in state-of-the-art labs to learn about infectious diseases.
Working with Monkeys
Work here has created significant breakthroughs in biomedical and behavioral research.
SETI
This program uses idle PCs, you can hook yours in to SETI, thus creating a supercomputer to analyze data from radio telescopes.
Create Video Games
An Ivy League school that offers a degree in game design to support academic studies, including artificial intelligence and computer animation.
Examine Killer Bugs
Students work in state-of-the-art labs to learn about infectious diseases.
Working with Monkeys
Work here has created significant breakthroughs in biomedical and behavioral research.
SETI
This program uses idle PCs, you can hook yours in to SETI, thus creating a supercomputer to analyze data from radio telescopes.
Create Video Games
An Ivy League school that offers a degree in game design to support academic studies, including artificial intelligence and computer animation.
11 August 2008
Books & Laptops - tools that keep on giving
As a former educator from an inner city high school, where students of less privilege are the majority, I have learned more about myself in four short years than I knew possible. At the same time, I discovered acres about smart kids in bad circumstances, the power of hope, along with streams about what to hang onto and what to let go of....
This last week I finished reading A Hope in the Unseen by Ron Suskind. A truly remarkable story of a remarkable student ... particular poignant for me as it brought those subtle issues I dealt with in my classes - every day- to the surface .... ahhhh, so there are people "in the know" that recognize the issues ... but so little seems to be accomplished with all the talk .... I guess - as usual - it rests on the shoulders of classroom teachers to accomplish learning since teacher are the front line of education.
Laptops for less that $200 provide an opening for those of less privilege. Check out the the program at One Laptop Per Child. You can donate or request laptops here. This is the right program to provide useful technology where it can do the most good - in a classroom full of creative and energtic minds.
If you know of a classroom in need of these excellent tools let me know.
This last week I finished reading A Hope in the Unseen by Ron Suskind. A truly remarkable story of a remarkable student ... particular poignant for me as it brought those subtle issues I dealt with in my classes - every day- to the surface .... ahhhh, so there are people "in the know" that recognize the issues ... but so little seems to be accomplished with all the talk .... I guess - as usual - it rests on the shoulders of classroom teachers to accomplish learning since teacher are the front line of education.
Laptops for less that $200 provide an opening for those of less privilege. Check out the the program at One Laptop Per Child. You can donate or request laptops here. This is the right program to provide useful technology where it can do the most good - in a classroom full of creative and energtic minds.
If you know of a classroom in need of these excellent tools let me know.
30 July 2008
Quality Teaching - Everyone Knows It Must Be So
What makes a quality teacher?
Surely, this teacher type accomplishes learning objectives ... meaning students are excelling in academics ... but how?
Experts will say they know the material they teach, they practice proficient classroom management skills, they must have decent organizational skills, and to some degree they must get along withe their teacher peers on the campus.
From my teaching days, besides knowing the material, I would say the most important skill is having a stage presence in class. With that presence a quality teacher can discipline students fairly and equitably ... along with rewarding students ..... BUT most importantly, with that presence the teacher builds a learning environment where students feel safe. When that safety is in place, students WILL engage themselves by participating while also acting respectful.
There is a bunch of essential information one doesn't get taught about quality teaching during the process procuring an education and passing subject matter exams to secure a teaching certificate. Honestly, I'm not a fan of having young people come barreling out of college and head into teaching. Why? They don't have the depth of social skills required to handle the velocity of teenagers today. Sure, maybe they can be effective in the primary grades as those students will interact with them as adults. But in high school, I think older people should be teaching. And when I saw older, I mean people who have been out in the world working in careers and are ready a career change BUT not ready for retirement. I might as well say it, I have also seen some very old teachers that should be retired.
Where am I going with this? Peer review. I think teachers should be evaluated by peer review to keep their jobs. Administrators have too much going on and by letting teachers evaluate teachers there is a process in place that is on a level playing field. Here is an excellent article and audio file from NPR on a current peer process in place in Ohio that seems to be working well.
Peer Review System for Teachers Spreads
Surely, this teacher type accomplishes learning objectives ... meaning students are excelling in academics ... but how?
Experts will say they know the material they teach, they practice proficient classroom management skills, they must have decent organizational skills, and to some degree they must get along withe their teacher peers on the campus.
From my teaching days, besides knowing the material, I would say the most important skill is having a stage presence in class. With that presence a quality teacher can discipline students fairly and equitably ... along with rewarding students ..... BUT most importantly, with that presence the teacher builds a learning environment where students feel safe. When that safety is in place, students WILL engage themselves by participating while also acting respectful.
There is a bunch of essential information one doesn't get taught about quality teaching during the process procuring an education and passing subject matter exams to secure a teaching certificate. Honestly, I'm not a fan of having young people come barreling out of college and head into teaching. Why? They don't have the depth of social skills required to handle the velocity of teenagers today. Sure, maybe they can be effective in the primary grades as those students will interact with them as adults. But in high school, I think older people should be teaching. And when I saw older, I mean people who have been out in the world working in careers and are ready a career change BUT not ready for retirement. I might as well say it, I have also seen some very old teachers that should be retired.
Where am I going with this? Peer review. I think teachers should be evaluated by peer review to keep their jobs. Administrators have too much going on and by letting teachers evaluate teachers there is a process in place that is on a level playing field. Here is an excellent article and audio file from NPR on a current peer process in place in Ohio that seems to be working well.
Peer Review System for Teachers Spreads
29 July 2008
Back to School Time - Who's Prepared?
The summer is rolling to an end over the next few weeks. K-12 students around the world will be trading in days filled with couches, beaches, and bicycles for desks, chairs, and fluorescent lighting ... and hopefully a meaningful nine months filled with a quality education.
Perhaps the biggest benefit of education is providing students with skills - life skills - preparing them to be successful global citizens. Yet, I'm not sure we are getting that done ... or even if it can be done given the structure of K-12 public education. Did you ever stop to think that there are 52 education systems in the USA (one for each state, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico). While, the federal government shares legislative authority over education, administrative control rests with states and is the responsibility of state boards of education and local districts.As I wondered more about this I began searching for the national policy or the mission of public education. All those people, organizations, and ensuing politics seem like a recipe making chaos.
Well, my research produced a USA national education policy called NCLB which was signed into law effective 2002. It's based on four main principles: accountability based on results; increased flexibility and local control for state use of federal funding; more choice for parents; targeted funding for education methods proven to work.
There are many ways to measure if NCLB is working or not. That will take me houndreds of blog pages to examine. Some perspective, in 1983, the national report, A Nation At Risk, delivered a wake up call for our education system. It described stark realities like a significant number of functionally illiterate high schoolers, plummeting student performance, and international competitors breathing down our necks. It was a warning, a reproach, and a call to arms. Have we learned our lessons ... is NCLB and/or previous education reform improving K-12 education?
One example, a study done to look at if students are prepared for education. Students were considered unprepared if they came to school without 1) books; 2) paper, pencil or pen; and/or 3) homework. The results showed in 2002 there were more unprepared students that in 1980 or 1990. This begs the question, what does it mean for a student to be prepared in 2008 and beyond ?
I know from my teaching days .... sure it's great if students have a pencil but they don't - no biggie - I was prepared with spares they could borrow . No paper - no problem. I had paper for students to use too - I was prepared. Whatever material we needed for class I made sure to have in the classroom, my students didn't need to bring a book. Who uses a textbook in class anymore? Boring. Going to read? Teachers - please - use an article from current research or news to teach the learning objective. Bottom line for me ... I know, without a doubt, that a majority of students who didn't have a book, paper, or pencil/pen were still prepared to learn.
To me, being prepared to learn means being open to thinking, discussing, ready to analyze, and ready to listen to the teacher/students ... ready to do the class work. I think, evaluating a student's preparedness for education based on outdated criteria comes from using an outdated approach to defining education and thus produces an unrealistic image of what learning really is.
As we get ready to start this new school year, let's hope that the educators and teachers are ready to deal with students freshly using methods that integrate 21st Century learning opportunities. I know that many will be prepared to engage students and thus set the stage for a educational school year.
Perhaps the biggest benefit of education is providing students with skills - life skills - preparing them to be successful global citizens. Yet, I'm not sure we are getting that done ... or even if it can be done given the structure of K-12 public education. Did you ever stop to think that there are 52 education systems in the USA (one for each state, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico). While, the federal government shares legislative authority over education, administrative control rests with states and is the responsibility of state boards of education and local districts.As I wondered more about this I began searching for the national policy or the mission of public education. All those people, organizations, and ensuing politics seem like a recipe making chaos.
Well, my research produced a USA national education policy called NCLB which was signed into law effective 2002. It's based on four main principles: accountability based on results; increased flexibility and local control for state use of federal funding; more choice for parents; targeted funding for education methods proven to work.
There are many ways to measure if NCLB is working or not. That will take me houndreds of blog pages to examine. Some perspective, in 1983, the national report, A Nation At Risk, delivered a wake up call for our education system. It described stark realities like a significant number of functionally illiterate high schoolers, plummeting student performance, and international competitors breathing down our necks. It was a warning, a reproach, and a call to arms. Have we learned our lessons ... is NCLB and/or previous education reform improving K-12 education?
One example, a study done to look at if students are prepared for education. Students were considered unprepared if they came to school without 1) books; 2) paper, pencil or pen; and/or 3) homework. The results showed in 2002 there were more unprepared students that in 1980 or 1990. This begs the question, what does it mean for a student to be prepared in 2008 and beyond ?
I know from my teaching days .... sure it's great if students have a pencil but they don't - no biggie - I was prepared with spares they could borrow . No paper - no problem. I had paper for students to use too - I was prepared. Whatever material we needed for class I made sure to have in the classroom, my students didn't need to bring a book. Who uses a textbook in class anymore? Boring. Going to read? Teachers - please - use an article from current research or news to teach the learning objective. Bottom line for me ... I know, without a doubt, that a majority of students who didn't have a book, paper, or pencil/pen were still prepared to learn.
To me, being prepared to learn means being open to thinking, discussing, ready to analyze, and ready to listen to the teacher/students ... ready to do the class work. I think, evaluating a student's preparedness for education based on outdated criteria comes from using an outdated approach to defining education and thus produces an unrealistic image of what learning really is.
As we get ready to start this new school year, let's hope that the educators and teachers are ready to deal with students freshly using methods that integrate 21st Century learning opportunities. I know that many will be prepared to engage students and thus set the stage for a educational school year.
25 March 2008
Cutting edge of project learning - robotics
Early this morning, driving to work I heard this incredible story about high school students beating MIT, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in a competition - TWICE, four years ago. Today, that team is being interviewed on NPR, the students and the teacher, because they have an all girls team in regional robotics competition at LA. This robotics team is project based learning in its' finest.
The students drive their own efforts to build the robot, plus they work with feeder (middle) schools to train the students there in building and operating robotics, plus they raise funds to be able to travel to the competitions. The teacher, Fredi Lajvardi, puts in tons of hours after school and on weekends - the majority of which is volunteer - he doesn't get paid by the school district for his club work. I think the key here on the project learning aspect is this - the students are willingly 100% responsible for all the work done by their club.
Naturally, in the course of this participation students learn science and math. They also build incredible social skills. As a side benefit, students get prepared to be engineers and many of the team participants have gone on to a university with scholarship money. The training they provide to the students in middle schools is their volunteer work, which pays off when those middle schoolers understand more about math and science plus they're ready when they arrive at high school for robotics.
Kudos to Fredi and his determination to make all this available to his robotics team!
Click here for radio interview and slides at NPR.
Click here for the Falcon robotics web site.
The students drive their own efforts to build the robot, plus they work with feeder (middle) schools to train the students there in building and operating robotics, plus they raise funds to be able to travel to the competitions. The teacher, Fredi Lajvardi, puts in tons of hours after school and on weekends - the majority of which is volunteer - he doesn't get paid by the school district for his club work. I think the key here on the project learning aspect is this - the students are willingly 100% responsible for all the work done by their club.
Naturally, in the course of this participation students learn science and math. They also build incredible social skills. As a side benefit, students get prepared to be engineers and many of the team participants have gone on to a university with scholarship money. The training they provide to the students in middle schools is their volunteer work, which pays off when those middle schoolers understand more about math and science plus they're ready when they arrive at high school for robotics.
Kudos to Fredi and his determination to make all this available to his robotics team!
Click here for radio interview and slides at NPR.
Click here for the Falcon robotics web site.
24 March 2008
Service learning and the environment
I find planning for service learning doesn’t need to be exotic. When I think about it, the elements of project based learning are present in the current project we are working on: 1) students performing construction activities, 2) students are applying prior knowledge to learn, and 3) peer to peer collaboration is present. The one addition for service learning is that the students are helping others or helping the community with the effort being made.
In the barrel project discussed yesterday the students are helping others become aware of the environment. When the colorful barrels are placed around the zoo they will naturally draw the attention of visitors to the zoo. That attention alone is subtlety supporting those seeing the barrels to take care of the environment. Lastly, the essay that club members will collaborate to produce seals the effort to promote behaviors of recycling and reusing.
- This work involves the entire community as high school students around AZ have an opportunity to become involved and make a difference at one of Arizona’s most important cultural, educational, and environmental organizations.
- This project involves student and visitor education ... students learn about recycling, conservation, wildlife, and habitats as they create the barrel designs. Plus, visitors are visually reminded to recycle by the student art work.
- The barrels being used are actually being re-used so the work is doing what the end result is promoting.
Service learning can be fun, educational, and support the community. Have any good ideas for a service learning class effort?
23 March 2008
Project Learning and Earth Day
One activity I'm doing with a club I sponsor after school, the Blue Planet Society, involves the Phoenix Zoo. The zoo has invited high schools to paint barrels with an environmental theme, which will then be placed around the zoo as containers for recyclable items. On Earth Day the zoo staff will judge the essays submitted with the barrels in the Environmental Connections Essay Contest. The schools/groups that win the Favorite Barrel Contest and Environmental Connections Contest will receive a free Zoo-To-You Outreach program of their choice.
The students are having a blast in the painting and the essay is coming along. I am enjoying watching them arrive at what to paint. They split into two groups and each group has really struggled with the "right" thing to paint. There's a lot of social dynamics occurring that I didn't anticipate. Then we had to move into who was going to paint and we ended up asking a very talented student, who's not in the club. to help us. The essay effort is being headed by three students and we will have a draft later this week.
Besides the social stuff, everyone is learning some painting concepts. Plus, everyone is participating in the ideas we all present in the essay. There is that, what I call, "project richness" that takes place when you have students exchanging ideas, challenging each other, asking questions, and trying to fit in with each other ..... a very active project indeed. I am asking students to write a two paragraph summary about what they learned by participating in the project.
We need to submit the completed barrels and essay in two weeks. One thing, no matter how well we planned, we are getting jammed with running out of time. But, the students are committed to getting it done so I'm sure we will. Click here to see the Phoenix Zoo site about the project in general.
I will keep you posted on our progress. Here are some photos of the work we are doing....
Business meeting to make a plan.
Putting on the primer.
Adding the design work.
The students are having a blast in the painting and the essay is coming along. I am enjoying watching them arrive at what to paint. They split into two groups and each group has really struggled with the "right" thing to paint. There's a lot of social dynamics occurring that I didn't anticipate. Then we had to move into who was going to paint and we ended up asking a very talented student, who's not in the club. to help us. The essay effort is being headed by three students and we will have a draft later this week.
Besides the social stuff, everyone is learning some painting concepts. Plus, everyone is participating in the ideas we all present in the essay. There is that, what I call, "project richness" that takes place when you have students exchanging ideas, challenging each other, asking questions, and trying to fit in with each other ..... a very active project indeed. I am asking students to write a two paragraph summary about what they learned by participating in the project.
We need to submit the completed barrels and essay in two weeks. One thing, no matter how well we planned, we are getting jammed with running out of time. But, the students are committed to getting it done so I'm sure we will. Click here to see the Phoenix Zoo site about the project in general.
I will keep you posted on our progress. Here are some photos of the work we are doing....
Business meeting to make a plan.
Putting on the primer.
Adding the design work.
16 March 2008
Do pedagogy and inpsiration mix?
Well, I kept asking myself what inspiration has to do with project based learning and service learning ... and I didn't have any answers. Ever been drawn to something without understanding why? I was drawn to a Tony Robbins video on TED.
After watching it, I was clear - so glad I don't always need a reason "to do" something. This video clip is 20 minutes well worth your time - for the quality of your life and thus the quality of your teaching. Everything he discusses relates to pedagogy.
What did I learn? Well, too much to mention here but I did grasp that learning/teaching are heavily dependent on unseen forces. In my role as an educator, I think all teachers have made a plan for achieving what we want to deliver in our personal effort to fulfill students' education - either consciously or unconsciously. Mine is conscious choice at this juncture.
During the drive of our teaching career we are going to make some "decisions of destiny" and each choice we make will bring into view certain choices ... those choices are what we end up focusing on and thus shaping our world.
What I find most interesting are his six traits - so to speak - that each of us contain. Yes, we use them all but use some more than others. The one we choose at any time will drives us in that period .... and they are: certainty, variety, significance, connection, growth, contribution.
I can see how different students in different classes are driven by those at one time or another... sometimes all the time. Like the class clowns are the "significance" since they disrupt the class to get 100% attention. The students who "aren't doing a drawing unless I get a ruler" would be "certainty." Another is "variety" which is those students who are asking more and more questions about the same subject but in different ways or on related topics.
This is the first time I've seen Tony, although I've heard of him for years. If you take the time, I think you 'll be pleased and find this a meaningful talk for yourself and your students. I'm going to show it to mine this week.
Tell me what you think.
After watching it, I was clear - so glad I don't always need a reason "to do" something. This video clip is 20 minutes well worth your time - for the quality of your life and thus the quality of your teaching. Everything he discusses relates to pedagogy.
What did I learn? Well, too much to mention here but I did grasp that learning/teaching are heavily dependent on unseen forces. In my role as an educator, I think all teachers have made a plan for achieving what we want to deliver in our personal effort to fulfill students' education - either consciously or unconsciously. Mine is conscious choice at this juncture.
During the drive of our teaching career we are going to make some "decisions of destiny" and each choice we make will bring into view certain choices ... those choices are what we end up focusing on and thus shaping our world.
What I find most interesting are his six traits - so to speak - that each of us contain. Yes, we use them all but use some more than others. The one we choose at any time will drives us in that period .... and they are: certainty, variety, significance, connection, growth, contribution.
I can see how different students in different classes are driven by those at one time or another... sometimes all the time. Like the class clowns are the "significance" since they disrupt the class to get 100% attention. The students who "aren't doing a drawing unless I get a ruler" would be "certainty." Another is "variety" which is those students who are asking more and more questions about the same subject but in different ways or on related topics.
This is the first time I've seen Tony, although I've heard of him for years. If you take the time, I think you 'll be pleased and find this a meaningful talk for yourself and your students. I'm going to show it to mine this week.
Tell me what you think.
14 March 2008
Research on service learning in public schools
Service-learning in K-12 schools works for teacher because it integrates classroom instruction with service by students. That service can go across the curriculum, touching more than one subject area. Because service learning is working on issues in the community it provides opportunities for students to enhance utilize critical thinking skills. It must have clearly stated learning objectives, meet real community needs, and include time for students to reflection.
In a study done by W. K. Kellogg Foundation, participating youths explained their benefits in service learning programs in personal and social responsibility, self-efficacy, motivation to learn, improved academic skills, leadership skills, avoidance of risk behavior, interpersonal skills, and connection with heritage. Read the report
Schools can implement service-learning programs in a number of different ways. They range from school-wide service learning, which involves every student in the school, to grade-wide service-learning, which involves all students in one or more grades, to service-learning as part of an individual course.
Interesting teacher facts on service learning…
- Nationwide, 83 percent of public schools with service-learning offered some type of support to teachers interested in integrating service-learning into the curriculum
- The most common types of support provided to teachers included support for attending service-learning training or conferences outside of the school (66 percent), financial support for costs associated with service-learning projects or programs (58 percent), and mini-grants for service-learning programs or curriculum development (45 percent)
Why do public schools participate in service learning?
The top three responses were as follows:
- 53 percent of schools said that they encouraged student involvement in service-learning to help students become more active members of the community.
- The other most frequently cited reasons were increasing student knowledge and understanding of the community (51 percent)
- meeting real community needs and/ or fostering relationships between the school and surrounding community (48 percent)
Information for this blog was obtained from http://nces.ed.gov.
11 March 2008
Get ready, set and go to digital learning materials - for free
Hey, what if we got rid of the textbooks and allowed teachers to share digital texts and course materials? Then any teacher can modify/translate/contextualize that material for their class ... oh yeah, it's all free to do this. Would you use it? I would in a heart beat. This video below, Richard Baraniuk, shows this has already begun around the world ... it's being realized right now in an effort called Connexions.
Earth Hour - a global blessing
Originating in Sydney in 2007, the Earth Hour campaign has now gained global attention. As a result, on 8pm March 29, 2008 millions of people in some of the world’s major capital cities will unite and switch off for Earth Hour. See what is happening in your city and how you can get involved.
This is an awesome way to support the Earth and help educate our students by getting them to participate in a simple action. Yet and still, this promises an opportunity where they can behave to demonstrate their understanding of being a global citizen.
Get involved and learn more at the Earth Hour website.
This is an awesome way to support the Earth and help educate our students by getting them to participate in a simple action. Yet and still, this promises an opportunity where they can behave to demonstrate their understanding of being a global citizen.
Get involved and learn more at the Earth Hour website.
09 March 2008
Cool, free tech stuff for learning tools
Technology is here to stay and as educators we have to learn it and, if we are lucky, keep up with it. Here are some tools you can use for free, each has a different level of skill requirements.
Get "Pro" version of Google Earth for free.
Read how and learn about how to apply it in your lessons here.
Productivity: documents, presentations, file storage, database, and more
Zoho is a suite of online applications (services) used from an online server. The applications are free for individuals and some have a subscription fee for organizations.
Virtual World
Quest Atlantis (QA) is an international learning and teaching project that uses a 3D multi-user environment to immerse children, ages 9-15, in educational tasks. QA combines strategies used in the commercial gaming environment with lessons from educational research on learning and motivation.
Chat Rooms
1. Yaplet: a simple idea: Add anonymous, no-registration chat to any Web site. Yaplet is a browser sidebar that can also be popped out as its own browser window.
2. ChatMaker: make your own chat room.
3. Chatzy: make your own chat room
Presentation – Collaboration
1. Multiple people can work on a document at the same time: Just 2 Easy, Zoho Writer, Solodox.
2. White board that allows multiple online users – up to five – at the same time: Scriblink.
3. White board that allows multiple online users and you can paste in other docs too: Skrbl.
4. Squeak is a "media authoring tool"-- software that you can download to your computer and then use to create your own media or share and play with others. It is free and downloadable here.
Webquests
1. A web-based software for creating WebQuests in a short time. When you use zWebquest, you will not need any of writing HTML code or using any web editor software. zWebquest creates all the necessary files and puts them on the server automatically.
2. Filamentality is a free fill-in-the-blank tool that guides you through picking a topic, searching the Internet, gathering good Internet links, and turning them into online learning activities.
Provided by Education Reporting, Inc website for reports, trends, and news on K-12 education.
Educator summer fun and learning too
Walden Woods Project
Application are being accepted for Approaching Walden, a professional development summer seminar for high school educators and graduate students. This six-day workshop is professionally as well as personally enriching, and provides teachers with the skills needed to lead their students in a study of their home community. This place-based, interdisciplinary workshop uses Henry David Thoreau's ethic and his experience at Walden Woods as a model.
National Parks Seek Teacher Rangers
The Teacher to Ranger to Teacher (TRT) Program links National Park units with teachers from low income school districts. Under this program, selected teachers spend the summer working as park rangers, often living in the park. They perform various duties depending on their interests and the needs of the park, including developing and presenting interpretive programs for the general public, staffing the visitor center desk, developing curriculum-based materials for the park, or taking on special projects.
Wild Studies Summer Science Adventures
Dive, hike, and explore endangered environments in the Bahamas, Costa Rica, and Baja Mexico with Wild Studies. Learn about local environmental issues, earn graduate credit, and participate in data collection for conservation organizations. Teachers travel and participate free with just 7 or 8 students, travel with 4 students for just $300.
Have a summer opportunity for teachers? Le me know and I'll post it here.
Application are being accepted for Approaching Walden, a professional development summer seminar for high school educators and graduate students. This six-day workshop is professionally as well as personally enriching, and provides teachers with the skills needed to lead their students in a study of their home community. This place-based, interdisciplinary workshop uses Henry David Thoreau's ethic and his experience at Walden Woods as a model.
National Parks Seek Teacher Rangers
The Teacher to Ranger to Teacher (TRT) Program links National Park units with teachers from low income school districts. Under this program, selected teachers spend the summer working as park rangers, often living in the park. They perform various duties depending on their interests and the needs of the park, including developing and presenting interpretive programs for the general public, staffing the visitor center desk, developing curriculum-based materials for the park, or taking on special projects.
Wild Studies Summer Science Adventures
Dive, hike, and explore endangered environments in the Bahamas, Costa Rica, and Baja Mexico with Wild Studies. Learn about local environmental issues, earn graduate credit, and participate in data collection for conservation organizations. Teachers travel and participate free with just 7 or 8 students, travel with 4 students for just $300.
Have a summer opportunity for teachers? Le me know and I'll post it here.
08 March 2008
Top Three: Project Based Learning Research Sources
It seems there are more and more educators and education focused groups talking about the benefits of project based education these days. Here are my top three sites for reputable research on the benefits of using project based learning in class:
3. Research Supporting Student-Directed Project-Based Learning
This reports provides research on the brain, constructivism, best practices in learning, student motivation, learning environments, learning communities, and assessment. Well worth your time to read and worth keeping for reference.
2. This report is one of several reports being prepared for The Road Ahead, a program of the National Foundation for the Improvement of Education (NFIE), a nonprofit foundation of the National Education Association (NEA). The Road Ahead is funded by Bill Gates, co-founder and CEO of Microsoft Corporation, from proceeds from his book by the same name.
1. PBL Research Summary: Studies Validate Project-Based Learning
Multiple research sources show the efficacy of an authentic form of education that expects students to immerse themselves in a topic and meaningfully demonstrate acquisition of skills and knowledge.
What are your best resource sources for project based learning?
06 March 2008
Service learning - in action
Here are three sites with examples of existing service learning projects that students created and implemented. A good read for teachers and students!
1. Environmental Clean-up Day
2. Connecting with the Community
3. GreenWorks! Great Ideas
Service Learning Projects and Lessons
Complete manual that can be downloaded to review and implement the entire picture of “how to” use service learning.
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