#PSP2012 VIDEO – KR Sir Ken Robinson concludes the morning sessions of “Teaching and Learning at Home and at School” by inviting educators and parents to collaborate in the design of a covenant of shared principles to transform our schools. First, Robinson identifies an agenda of issues on which we need to focus as we move forward: vexing economic, cultural, and personal challenges with which our education system has not caught up. Then, Robinson asserts that our current system is incapable of dealing properly with these challenges, owing to a ‘command and control mentality’ among political leaders, and invites stakeholders at the grassroots level — in our classrooms, and in our homes — to create an agenda not just for reform, but for transformation. Further information and related resources are provided below the embedded video. To advance the presentation to key transitions, drag the slider to the indicated timeframes:
The greatest creative writing activity ever UPDATE: This post was awarded the British Council’s Teaching English blog award for February, 2013. Thanks to all those who voted for my work, you’re awesome. This post is a response to a question posed on the British Council’s Teaching English page on Facebook: ‘Have you got a favourite lesson plan or class activity that you come back to and use again and again? Ok, let me dive straight into it. First, I’ll describe the activity, and then I’ll tell you why it’s great. 1. How long have you been on the planet? 2. You are going to write a paragraph that tells a story.Your paragraph will be a response to these questions.Any sentence you write is OK, but you must follow the sequence of questions.You can ask me for help while you are writing. 3. What kind of language might we use to answer the first question? 4. Twenty minutes is long enough for most to finish. 5. This keeps the early finishers busy, while the slower writers aren’t disturbed and can get on with their writing. 1. Passive structures
Cynicism Is Contagious; So Is Hope In my last post, I promised readers a special post on a topic of great importance to me. Fighting cynicism is that topic. It is one of the most important issues for me and needs to be one of the most important goals for all schools. I once gave a speech to a large number of educators in the Chicago area at an event that required attendance of the district's teachers. Six Symptoms of Serious Cynicism I've found six ways to tell if an educator is dangerously close to hopeless cynicism. First, the symptoms: You check your watch before your first cup of coffee or before nine AM to see how much longer until you can go home.What you teach becomes more important than who you teach.You begin believing that nothing works with "these" kids, that they are beyond hope.Every day feels the same.You often wonder why no one is doing anything to make life better for you.You have lost your own love of learning. Five Strategies to Help Teachers Stop Cynical Feelings see more see less
Radio Rookies: Radio Rookies - Resources for Educators If you would like to receive a copy of Radio Rookies: Teaching True Stories Curriculum Guide, please let us know a bit more about yourself: and we will email you a PDF. Youth produced radio documentaries are valuable curriculum resources because youth voices are too often excluded from mainstream teaching materials. The Radio Rookies approach places youth voice at the center of issues-oriented instructional programs. Radio documentaries foster academic engagement by capturing the interest of students and inspiring them to question and share their beliefs and perspectives about contemporary issues. Students are pushed to ask themselves: What do I think about this issue? Integrating Radio Rookies documentaries into educational programs allows youth to do more than simply hear the opinions and viewpoints of other teens. The N-Word: It Represents Hatred Wednesday, December 13, 2006 ListenAddDownload Coming Out in The Age of Lady Gaga Guns
Best Education-Related Videos of 2013 I love end of year “best of” lists. My own list is what I found to be the most powerful education related videos of 2013. They all, in some way, address the mind, heart, and spirit of education. Rita Pierson: Every kid needs a champion Favorite Quote: Every child deserves a champion – an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection, and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be. Ken Robinson: How to escape education’s death valley Governments decide they know best and they’re going to tell you what to do. Sugata Mitra: Build a School in the Cloud We need a curriculum of big questions, examinations where children can talk, share and use the Internet, and new, peer assessment systems. Malala Yousafzai United Nations Speech 2013 Dear brothers and sisters, we want schools and education for every child’s bright future. Hackschooling makes me happy If students designed their own schools… “To This Day” … for the bullied and beautiful Quote: Like this:
9 Tools to Create E-magazines and Newspapers for Your Class 1- Uniflip UniFlip converts your magazine, brochure or catalog from its original PDF format into an exciting, professional multi-media digital format with pages that flip. 2-Joomag Joomag is a web tool that lets you create your own magazines using a simple online editor. 3- Scribd Scribd is known for being a reading library where you can search for and find ebooks and slides but it is also a magazine creator which allows users to upload their own content and turn it into a magazine 4- Issuu This is like Scribd above. 5- Zinepal This tools lets you create an ebook or magazine from posts and articles of a blog. 6- Build A Newspaper This one is a professional platform that provides teacher based templates to create mazagines. 7- Fodey This is most simple of all the tools mentioned here. 8- Open Zine This is another web tool that allows users to create their own magazines without any need for advanced tech knowledge. 9- Calameo
Le leadership pédagogique Depuis que je suis sortie de l'université et que j'enseigne, je profite du fait d'être contractuelle pour apprendre de la variété de collègues avec lesquels je travaille. Pour moi, certains enseignants sont plus inspirants que d'autres. En fait, les enseignants les plus inspirants pour moi sont ceux qui ont une vision et des valeurs pédagogiques semblables aux miennes ou cohérentes à mes yeux, mais qui ont une expérience ou des forces que j'observe et admire. Ce sont des gens de qui je peux apprendre de leurs forces et de leur expérience. Que ce soit la direction, la conseillère pédagogique, l'éducateur de l'école, d'autres enseignants, j'ai toujours aimé m'inspirer des gens que je considérais comme des leaders pédagogiques. Inspirant, non?! Je pense que cette année, j'ai la chance de travailler avec des collègues qui ont aussi cette vision. Et si un leadership pédagogique sommeillait au fond de chacun de nous? Je suis curieuse de savoir si vous vivez une telle culture.
English Language Development (ELD) Standards WIDA's 2012 Amplification of the ELD Standards The 2012 Amplification of the English Language Development Standards was developed with input from leaders in the field and educators in WIDA Consortium member states. This process was also informed by the latest developments in both English language development research and states' content standards for college and career readiness. The 2012 Amplification of the ELD Standards, Kindergarten–Grade 12 is available for free download or for purchase as a spiral-bound booklet. Order Now Here are some suggestions for how you might organize your review of the standards publication: Review our 2012 Amplification Overview Tutorial. The WIDA Standards Framework and its Theoretical Foundations WIDA draws on multiple theories and approaches in an effort to describe language use in academic contexts; this is the language that language learners must acquire and negotiate to participate successfully in school. Essential Actions Handbook Resource Guide
John Hattie – Why Are So Many Of Our Teachers And Schools So Successful? John Hattie – Why Are So Many Of Our Teachers And Schools So Successful? I wanted to sit on this until the holidays were finished to make sure that people noticed. I’ve spoke about John Hattie on several occasions on this blog. Simply put, Hattie has done more research into the factors that can lead to student achievement than any other scholar. You see, Hattie’s research is clearly at odds with the dominant narrative of educational reformers in the United States. If you’re not familiar with Hattie’s larger body of work, I would recommend you review these two videos. If you haven’t had enough, I would recommend this interview… Or this keynote speech that he gave. Now how to we get politicians and policymakers to pay attention to this kind of research, as opposed to the ideologically-biased stuff that dominants the American conversation? Other entries I have posted above Hattie: Like this: Like Loading...