edutopia I remember how, as a new teacher, I would attend a professional development and feel inundated with new strategies. (I wanted to get back to the classroom and try them all!) After the magic of that day wore off, I reflected on the many strategies and would often think, "Lots of great stuff, but I'm not sure it's worth the time it would take to implement it all." We teachers are always looking to innovate, so, yes, it's essential that we try new things to add to our pedagogical bag of tricks. But it's important to focus on purpose and intentionality -- and not on quantity. So what really matters more than "always trying something new" is the reason behind why we do what we do. What Research Says This leads me to educational researcher John Hattie, who wrote Visible Learning for Teachers: Maximizing Impact on Learning. Hattie has spent more than 15 years researching the influences on achievement of K-12 children. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Collaborating with Colleagues
Explore the world without leaving your classroom | Teaching in the Primary Years Article written for Education Today Classrooms in the 21st Century should not be confined by its four walls. Technology allows teachers to create learning experiences for their students that enable them to be immersed in locations all over the world, all without leaving their school. These experiences bring learning to life, engaging and motivating our students to inquire and wonder about the world in which we live. We live in a world that is continuing to be flattened by the accessibility the internet and technology brings. As teachers, we converse with our students about locations and landmarks from all around the world. Google has created a variety of technologies that enhance teaching and learning by allowing students to explore and have experiences all around the world. My favourite tools include; Google HangoutsGoogle Maps (Google Views) Google MyMapsGoogle Art Project Google Expeditions Google Hangouts Google Hangouts are fantastic. Google Hangouts on Air record your Google Hangout.
Video: Evolving Education Evolving Education: Learning in the 21st Century Evolving Education: Learning in the 21st Century is a three-part video series that presents viewers with compelling questions about the way we educate students and offers successful, if provocative, answers. The series celebrates three case studies that reflect the ideas of John Abbott, an advocate of cognitive apprenticeship. Drawing on a wealth of research from cognitive science and human brain theory and evolutionary biology, John Abbott tells an engaging story of how the human brain learns and what the practical implications for schools might be. From an urban inner city school in Saskatchewan, to a remote Island community in British Columbia, the series presents practical and functional alternatives in education that are quietly revolutionizing our ideas about education. Discussion guide for teachers Watch the Video Series Other video series by the 21st Century Learning Initiative (Canada): Top
Empowering Student Relationships With Media Debates over children and media use are nothing new, but the technologies by which children primarily interact with media have changed significantly. Most guidelines related to "screen time" were developed when television was the dominant media, but new technologies are making us question the value of older research. In its most recent report on the subject, the American Academy of Pediatrics makes reference to "important positive and prosocial effects of media use," and a call for expanding media education programs in schools. While more dedicated media education in schools would be great, it is little more than a pipe dream in the current climate of low budgets and high-stake tests. It is therefore incumbent on individual educators to help students interact with media in ways that are critical and empowering. A New Taxonomy Image Credit: Josh Weisgrau Consume At the lowest level, we have consumption. Curate This is followed by curation, or "Why are you watching this?” Create Critique
Study Skills Guide: Improve Reading Comprehension Skills Good reading comprehension comes only with practice. The basic aspects of reading, such as word recognition, phonetics and fluence, can be mastered in just a few years. However, throughout this process reading comprehension must be emphasized. Students may be able to eloquently repeat the words that the see on a page all day, but without reading comprehension skills, they're unable to fully understand the content, predict what will happen next, recognize characters, gain insight or understanding to build upon, or relate what they're reading to their own life's experience. Sadly, classrooms across the United States have students who struggle with reading comprehension. Students frequently enter college without understanding how necessary good reading comprehension skills are for academic success. Pre-reading survey Before reading a text, complete a pre-reading survey for a brief summary of it. Define your purpose Read the text Take notes or highlight important concepts Post-reading review
7 Inspiring TED Talks on the 21st Century Curriculum 1- Dan Meyer: Math class needs a makeover A high-school math teacher, Dan Meyer says the experience of teaching within the set curriculum is like “[selling] a product to a market that doesn’t want it, but is forced by law to buy it.” His students don’t learn how to retain information, but instead, how to decode a textbook. The key, for him, lies in trusting in students’ ability to problem-solve. In this talk from TEDxNYED, he imagines lessons where kids are involved in the formulation of problems. 2- Mae Jemison on teaching arts and sciences together At TED2002, astronaut and designer Mae Jemison points out a false dichotomy: that the arts and sciences are mutually exclusive. 3- Liz Coleman’s call to reinvent liberal arts education The president of Bennington College, Liz Coleman posits at TED2009 that modern liberal arts education pushes students towards a single discipline with an exclusive viewpoint with an aversion to social values. 5- Geoff Mulgan: A short intro to the Studio School
A Teacher's Guide to Differentiating Instruction Introduction Does effectively teaching 30 students in one classroom require teachers to develop 30 lessons, one tailor-made for each student? Or should teachers “aim for the middle” and hope to reach most students in a given lesson? The answer is not simple. While most would agree it is impractical to try to individualize every lesson for every child, research has shown that teaching to the middle is ineffective. It ignores the needs of advanced students, often leaving them unchallenged and bored, while it intimidates and confuses lower functioning learners. What is Differentiation? Simply stated, differentiation is modified instruction that helps students with diverse academic needs and learning styles master the same challenging academic content. How to Start Four planning steps set the stage for effective differentiated instruction. Vary Materials Nonfiction and fiction, written at a variety of reading levels. Vary Process Vary Assessment Conclusion References Good, M. View Full Article
Pearson Prentice Hall: eTeach: Strategies for Improving Reading Comprehension by Patricia Babbitt Introduction Most Effective Strategies Practical Applications of Reading Strategies Summary Resources Remember the adventures that lived and breathed between the pages of a really good book when, as a young reader, you slipped away undiscovered into your own magical world? But surprise need not lead to a permanent state of frustration. Theoretically speaking, if the daily reading curriculum uses research-proven methods, students should develop skills for comprehending the text. Comprehension monitoring Cooperative learning Graphic organizers Story structure Question answering Question generating Summarization Multiple Strategy Comprehension monitoring Reading activities can be divided into three categories, depending on when they take place: pre-reading, reading, and post-reading. Pre-reading: Collecting and defining vocabulary terms from the text will assist students in understanding words that otherwise may interrupt their reading. Cooperative learning Explain why….