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Teacher spends two days as a student and is shocked at what she learns

Teacher spends two days as a student and is shocked at what she learns
A student takes notes at Woodrow Wilson High School in Washington D.C. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak) Do teachers really know what students go through? To find out, one teacher followed two students for two days and was amazed at what she found. Her report is in following post, which appeared on the blog of Grant Wiggins, the co-author of “Understanding by Design” and the author of “Educative Assessment” and numerous articles on education. Wiggins initially posted the piece without revealing the author. By Alexis Wiggins I have made a terrible mistake. I waited 14 years to do something that I should have done my first year of teaching: shadow a student for a day. This is the first year I am working in a school but not teaching my own classes; I am the High School Learning Coach, a new position for the school this year. My class schedules for the day (Note: we have a block schedule; not all classes meet each day): The schedule that day for the 10th grade student: 7:45 – 9:15: Geometry Related:  Inglés

Woman Endures Endless Catcalls During 10 Hour Walk In NYC: Gothamist A woman wearing jeans and a crewneck t-shirt walked around NYC for ten hours with a hidden (to everyone else) camera fixed on her. Below is the result, which features a greatest hits of catcalls, like: "Smile!" and "Hey baby!" On the non-verbal side, there's a cameo by the creepy lingerer who decides to walk right next to you forever like you're on you're on a goddamn first date or something. Take a walk in one woman's all women's shoes: The PSA, highlighting the impact of street harassment, was put together by Rob Bliss and Hollaback—they explain that the woman, Shoshana B. Bliss says he wanted to create this "because I think a lot of men don't understand the collective weight that this harassment causes.

Stop Stealing Dreams What is school for? The economy has changed, probably forever. School hasn't. School was invented to create a constant stream of compliant factory workers to the growing businesses of the 1900s. In this 30,000 word manifesto, I imagine a different set of goals and start (I hope) a discussion about how we can reach them. Our kids are too important to sacrifice to the status quo. [We have a new cover! You can get your copy for free Here are four versions of the manifesto. There are several versions of the manifesto. One is a PDF designed to be read on your screen. The other featured edition is a PDF formatted to be printed on any printer. If you have a Kindle or a Nook or any other device, see below for some links on how to import the PDF to your device.

5 Muhammad Ali Quotes Every Teacher Needs in the Classroom Posted 06/05/2016 8:30AM | Last Commented 06/05/2016 8:30AM As a fan of boxing, it's easy to compare the world of education to this fascinating sport. Educators, regardless of their role, have ringside seats to a main event focused on transforming education. There are always competing initiatives (going toe-to-toe), which can be difficult to navigate. Despite the constant battles, those who want to make a difference never throw in the towel. Teachers and students hit the canvas each day. In celebration of the the greatest, here are five Muhammad Ali quotes that have inspired me as an educator. 1. If failure is always placed in the context of a summative, it is very unlikely that students will feel comfortable taking academic risks. 2. Social-emotional learning is beneficial for students as well as the teachers who work with them each day. 3. How can teachers provide opportunities for students to explore new ideas? 4. Huh?? 5. Students need the why. Continue to be champions of education!

Marina Warner · Diary: Why I Quit · LRB 11 September 2014 The professor from the West Coast stepped out of the taxi and looked around, head tilted back and swivelling from one looming grey tower to another as she assessed the flint-studded concrete ramparts of the library. ‘Oh, wowww!’ she cried, ecstasy lifting her voice above the wind whipping off the marshes. ‘New brutalism! Rarely seen any so pure. That was last summer, and new brutalism in academia was taking on another meaning. When Derek Walcott accepted an invitation to become professor of poetry in 2009, he had a trace memory of this experimental, cosmopolitan place, so surprisingly based in Essex. When I arrived at Essex ten years ago to teach in the department of literature, film and theatre studies, a wholly unexpected rise in the teaching of creative writing was just beginning, and it was led by students who, as ‘customers’, could dictate terms in the new market. Creative writing is a controversial subject, and many who teach it don’t defend it as a proper discipline.

Liz Obert: Dualities looks at the hidden and visible worlds of people living with mental illness (PHOTOS). Liz Obert For many years, Liz Obert woke up, got dressed, went to work, and acted as if everything was fine. Once she returned home, however, she found herself lying around depressed, feeling hopeless and full of dread. Diagnosed in her early 20s with depression, Obert said she tried therapy and medication, but nothing seemed to work until around five years ago when a psychiatrist diagnosed her with bipolar II disorder and put her on mood stabilizers. Although she’s had a few medication tweaks since then—“that’s kind of the life of someone who has bipolar”—Obert said she has for the most part been in a good place. Obert feels the dual life she led for so long isn’t unique for people who suffer from mental illnesses and who “must mask their symptoms in order to function in the outside world.” In 2013, she decided to begin a series that dealt with the realities of what it means to put on a brave face while simultaneously coping with forms of depression.

13-year-old Danny Fitzpatrick kills self, describes being bullied in emotional note NEW YORK-- A 13-year-old Staten Island boy took his own life after what he described as merciless bullying by his classmates at a private Catholic school, according to CBS New York. Danny Fitzpatrick hung himself in the attic of his home on Thursday. The teen left behind a hand-written note describing the alleged abuse by five boys at Holy Angels Catholic Academy in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. "They did it constantly," Danny said in a note, adding that he told his teachers, but they did nothing. "I gave up the teachers ... they didn't do ANYTHING," Danny wrote. Daniel Fitzpatrick, Danny's father, said in an emotional Facebook video that his son "was a kind, gentle little soul" and "didn't have a mean bone in his body." "No child should have to go through what my son went through," Fitzpatrick said. Brooklyn Archdiocese spokeswoman Carolyn Erstad said they take the issue of bullying very seriously. "Daniel's complaints about bullying did not fall upon deaf ears," Erstad said.

Why Making Is Essential to Learning Making is as old as learning itself. While the maker movement may only be about a decade old, the human desire to create dates back to the earliest forms of human activity, from making stone tools to drawing on cave walls (Halverson & Sheridan, 2014; Martinez & Stager, 2014). Thinkers such as Pestalozzi, Montessori, and Papert helped paved the way for the maker movement by stressing the importance of hands-on, student-centered, meaningful learning. More recently, maker education is being used as a way to connect do-it-yourself informal learning to classrooms. The Science of Hands-On Learning At the heart of making is the idea that all students are creators. Hands-on learning plays a key role in maker education. At Albemarle County Public Schools, making fosters student autonomy, ignites student interest, and empowers students to embrace their own learning. Research shows that hands-on learning is an effective way to teach students science. Why is hands-on learning effective? Notes

The first 5 online resources to use when learning to code Even if you think the buzz around "learning how to code" is overkill, you have to admit it's here to stay. Just like it's easier to learn a foreign language if you start in grade school, getting an early grasp on mark-up and programming languages such as HTML, CSS and Java ensures you'll have an idea of what makes our digital lives and devices tick, even if you don't plan on becoming a software developer. Zach Sims, co-founder and CEO of Codecademy, tells Mashable that learning how to code is reasonably easy for beginners, especially people under 18. This year, Codecademy set up initiatives in England, Estonia and Argentina to bring coding education to young students — England and Estonia both added coding to their national curricula. The key, though, is making the learning process interactive. Start off easy with these five online resources, for kids and adults alike, to help on your way to becoming well-versed in code. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. BONUS: Teaching Kids to Code with a Board Game

If you’re lucky enough to earn a living from your art, you’re probably white The paints might be colorful, but the professionals, generally speaking, are not. (Wally Santana/AP Photo) The thing about racial diversity among working artists in America is that it pretty much doesn't exist. Nearly four out of every five people who make a living in the arts in this country are white, according to an analysis of 2012 Census Bureau data by BFAMFAPhD, a collective of artists dedicated to understanding the rising cost of artistry. The study, which surveyed more than 1.4 million people whose primary earnings come from working as an artist, represents a broad population of creative types in the country, and reveals a number of troubling truths. The lack of diversity is, for instance, even more pronounced for those with art school degrees — more than 80 percent of people with undergraduate art school degrees are white, according to the analysis. The racial gap among artists in America isn't, of course, a question of desire, talent, or ability. Roberto A.

In the Presence of a Hero…and How it Challenged Me as an Educator | Thomas C. Murray Rethink classroom and campus spaces, recycle and upcycle materials, tap student ingenuity, attract charitable donors -- and remake and…Pinned: 8 Aug 2016 Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with Andy Marcinek, Chief Open Education Advisor at the US Department of Education (ED), to explore how schools can benefit from Open Educational Resources (OERs) and what is being done in this area nationwide. With support from ED, state leaders, and new platforms for curation and discovery, there has never been a …Pinned: 24 Jun 2016 Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with Andy Marcinek, Chief Open Education Advisor at the US Department of Education (ED), to explore how schools can benefit from Open Educational Resources (OERs) and what is being done in this area nationwide.

Why We Need to Move Away from SMART Goals and Towards New Forms of Classroom Assessment Every new school year breathes new life into my professional career. After a summer of relaxation and self-directed professional development (which is the most important type of PD), I’m ready to return to my classroom to help students discover and refine new skills. While that may be the case again this year, I also find myself becoming increasingly unsettled as my career progresses. My uneasiness is a culmination of years of reflection on my classroom mission. My district has taken on new initiatives the past few years (as all districts do) to solve the well-documented, disconnected nature between high school graduates and workplace preparedness. One emphasis has been allowing teachers to communicate with business professionals in the area, discussing the skills they most want to see in potential employees and focusing on the four C’s (critical thinking, collaboration, creativity and communication). “I’m not anti-measurement. We need to align our purpose.

Best Online Colleges for 2014 If your New Year's resolutions include getting an education, but you're going to need to work around your job and family, an online education could be just what you need to keep your resolve. To compile our list of the best online schools for 2014, we considered levels of programming available and variety of programs. We also researched whether online students had access to library resources, academic advisers and career services, as well as whether the schools had mobile applications, allowing you to attend classes, access course materials and take part in online discussions with your instructors and classmates while on the go. As an added bonus, three of the six schools featured on our 'best of' list - American, Northcentral and Walden universities - were named among G.I. Keep reading to learn about program offerings and other features at our choices for the best online colleges for 2014. American University Ashford University Full Sail University Grand Canyon University Walden University

Whites riot over pumpkins in NH and Twitter turns it into epic lesson about Ferguson Police were forced to descend on Keene, New Hampshire Saturday night after students and outside agitators turned the city’s 24th annual Pumpkin Festival into “a destination for destructive and raucous behavior.” Those words — spoken by Keene State College President Anne Huot to CNN — only begin to describe the scene, which led to dozens of arrests and hospitalizations. One rioter, Steven French, told the Keene Sentinel that he traveled from Haverhill, Massachusetts to attend the festival because he knew it would be “f*cking wicked.” “It’s just like a rush. You’re revolting from the cops,” he continued. The police viewed the behavior of French and his cohorts less favorably, barricading streets and firing tear gas into crowds in an effort to disperse them. Meanwhile, on Twitter, users marveled at how different the police response to these unruly young adults was to another recent event: Of course, some good could come from this: Watch video of the mayhem via the Keene Sentinel below.

How to Take Digital Citizenship Schoolwide During the 2016 17 School Year Since our students are using technology to play, learn, and communicate while at home and at school, they should be learning how to use that technology responsibly. Full integration of digital citizenship (or DigCit) curriculum into every class and every content area—at every grade level—should be the goal to meet this need. Keep in mind that most teacher-prep programs do not incorporate digital citizenship alongside the other elements of teacher education. Step 1: Clear Institution-Wide Communication All stakeholders must have a clear understanding of both the “why” and the “how” of fully integrated digital citizenship. Why is digital citizenship a necessary element in 21st century education, and why is a fully-integrated approach best? Once these questions have been answered, it is time to communicate clear goals and plans to everyone. For teachers, use emails or newsletters and department/team or faculty meeting agendas. Step 2: Digital Citizenship PD Starts with Flipped Learning

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