Group items tagged

Students get used to giving and taking critique daily with each other and hearing it from educators as well. Their ease with it comes from practice and with the awareness that feedback isn’t the end of the process, it’s a part of improving their work.

When evaluating student work, frame feedback in terms of the learner’s goals instead of referring to the standards. “Goals are more motivating for students to hear,”

Students want projects to be integrated across subjects, not separated by discipline.

High Tech Middle Chula Vista seventh grader Ana de Almeida Amaral described an integrated humanities and math/science project, when students read Sherlock Holmes, wrote their own versions, and became experts in one aspect of forensics.

Together they created a crime scene in their classroom and then taught everyone assembled about a part of the forensics process through a stop animation video.

“I love when projects are integrated so you can find so many different aspects,”

“If teachers give broad guidelines for the project and then have students do something they’re interested in it will bring students along the whole time,” said Gramann. “Treat students like adults. If the students feel like they’re worth it they’ll act more like adults.”

Authentic choice is one aspect of allowing that to happen. Students on the panel described real choices they make about their education on a daily basis, from which book they’ll read in Humanities to the different topics they want to research.

“Teachers tend to give projects and benchmarks and create topics around things that students don’t really connect to.” He was adamant that learning how to connect a topic to oneself is the key to learning. “Throughout middle school you have to develop skills of how things connect to yourself,” he said.

“Collaborating productively is a leadership skill at this school,” said Dora Aguilar, a junior at City Arts and Tech, part of the Envision network. She says that while it can be hard, it can also be very rewarding because working with other people allows her to see the project through the eyes of her peers.

Other students talked about difficult collaborations too, emphasizing that it runs more smoothly if one group member agrees to keep everyone on track.

specify times that they can and can’t use the computer.

Do they know, for example, how to ensure that only their friends can see what they’ve posted on Facebook? Do they understand that tweets live on in cyberspace forever?

One popular idea is to change the Wi-Fi password for your home network daily, and only give it to your kids when they’ve earned it via whatever rules you’ve determined.

ar too many parents don’t bother to check on what their kids are doing online—and the results can be disastrous.

Don’t let your teens sleep with their phones or computers

keeping desktop computers out of bedrooms.

The key to this is that Mom and Dad also have to follow the rules, because kids will always do as you do, not as you say. Try establishing a daily device-free time of just 10 or 15 minutes at the breakfast or dinner table, and see if you feel it has a positive impact on your family.

Moreover, most of the benefits we observed are significantly larger for minority students, low-income students and students from rural schools — typically two to three times larger than for white, middle-class, suburban students — owing perhaps to the fact that the tour was the first time they had visited an art museum.

Clearly, however, we can conclude that visiting an art museum exposes students to a diversity of ideas that challenge them with different perspectives on the human condition. Expanding access to art, whether through programs in schools or through visits to area museums and galleries, should be a central part of any school’s curriculum. <img src="http://meter-svc.nytimes.com/meter.gif"/> Brian Kisida is a senior research associate and Jay P. Greene is a professor of education reform at the University of Arkansas. Daniel H. Bowen is a postdoctoral fellow at the Kinder Institute of Rice University.

high verbatim note content was associated with lower retention of the lecture material

transcription fails to promote a meaningful understanding or application of the information

Because students can use these posted materials to access lecture content with a mere click, there is no need to organize, synthesize or summarize in their own words.

those who took longhand notes outperformed laptop participants.  Because longhand notes contain students’ own words and handwriting, they may serve as more effective memory cues by recreating the context (e.g., thought processes, emotions, conclusions) as well as content (e.g., individual facts) from the original learning session.

evidence suggests that when college students use laptops, they spend 40% of class time using applications unrelated to coursework, are more likely to fall off task, and are less satisfied with their education

even when technology allows us to do more in less time, it does not always foster learning.  Learning involves more than the receipt and the regurgitation of information

When it comes to taking notes, students need fewer gigs, more brain power.

15. Did I take advantage of spontaneous learning opportunities when students’ interests had obviously shifted, or did I maintain an inflexible mindset and vow to never deviate from an archaic lesson plan?

17. Was our class set up to promote creativity and collaboration or memorization and silence?

19. Were 21st Century skills embedded within daily assignments?

22. Did I gain professional wisdom by speaking to my collegial mentor?

25. Did I avoid professional negativity by declining to gossip at work?

24. Was the technology in my classroom used in an authentic manner? (Shannon Reed)

26. Did I manage my stress level by enjoying time with my family and friends, by exercising several times a week, by zoning out while engaged in a hobby, and by simply chilling out every once in a while?

28. Did I laugh often with students and colleagues?

31. Did I allow students to co-write their own project-based, learning contracts?

34. How many colleagues did I observe in-action in their classrooms this past school year?

did I remember the names of all co-workers?

39. How balanced were the assignments this year in terms of requiring creativity, practical thinking, and analysis? (Adam Johnson)

40. Did I participate in a professional learning community outside of my school via Twitter?

46. Did I consistently blog as a form of professional self-reflection?

47. Am I a stronger teacher today than when I first stepped into the classroom at the beginning of the school year?

Add in the possibility that they they’ll have to present to the entire class, or post their creation online, and they’re even more focused

the activities are challenging and expectations high

it’s more like: “This is hard. And I’m not going to show you how to do it. But I expect what you create will be excellent.

Tell students you’re going to present their work at a conference, or submit it to a state publication, and then watch the heightened focus in their eyes

Teacher lectures impart useful information and explanations, and they can be lively and engaging.

Delaying gratification is an important non-cognitive skill and one that research has shown enhances life outcomes

But it takes teachers to design better homework (which can include no homework at all on some nights), parents to not see hours of homework as a measure of school quality, and students to reflect on their current homework strategies while applying new, research-backed ones.

Spend some time when you are not thinking about the classroom, and stay connected to your support group of friends and family

One of the easiest ways to burn out as a teacher is to get stuck in the same routine and practices year after year. Keep it fresh by reading new research on teaching, and by learning, talking, and collaborating with peers inside and outside of your school building

Give teachers opportunities to connect with each other about their teaching. When they don't have time or opportunities to connect, share, and plan together during the day, they start feeling isolated.

knowing what others are doing in their classrooms, and seeing how your work fits into the bigger picture is motivating, inspiring, and increases feelings of self-worth

Incorporate humor and laughter into your classroom

we know that great attention must be paid to how a meeting is designed.

Frame the purpose and desired outcomes for the meeting and review agenda.

planning reflects an awareness of how power dynamics and systemic oppression may manifest in this group and seeks to interrupt these dynamics

We want to ensure that all will voices will be heard and will have equal access to decision-making and input.

Articulate the role participants will play in the meeting

Name any decision-making points and processes that will be used Identify the structures or activities that will be used in this meeting and how they'll connect to the desired outcomes

Articulate expectations for behavior or procedures

anticipates the emotional, cognitive and energy needs of the participants

Use a variety of listening strategies including paraphrasing and active listening

Determine structures to hold members accountable (self-monitoring and reflection, use of process observer, use of a team process rubric)

Use data gathered in the moment to modify and inform facilitation

Protect time for reflection and feedback within the established time

use various strategies to help a group a recover from a breakdown

Hold team members accountable to agreements, goals, structures, and protocols

Read the group's emotional and energetic state and adjust accordingly

Hold the expectation that members will learn, think creatively, and push each others' thinking

Show up as a grounded, calm presence that believes in the capacity of team members

The information gleaned from this survey allows me to carefully craft a personalized learning experience for our attendees by steering clear of familiar apps, providing a deeper focus on a particular skill, or discovering solutions for grouping attendees to achieve optimal collaboration within the day.

As educators, we frown upon one-size-fits-all education and preach personalized learning, yet we still deliver canned in-services and seminars time and time again, never addressing the needs of a specific audience of learners