The Turtle Art project, and the concept of “doing” or “making” before any explicit instruction has been given, is part of the school’s attempt to shake up its teaching. Lighthouse Community Charter has to cover the same standard curriculum as district schools, so teachers have to choose carefully the times when they’ll spend a little more time and creativity on a difficult subject.
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ScratchEd - 0 views
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This is an online community built to help support educators who want to teach Scratch.
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How to Incubate Creativity in School Through Making and Discovery | MindShift | KQED News - 0 views
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MakerSpace makered making maker MindShift innovation STEAM STEM
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“The concept of the coaching is that if we help someone with one or two projects, they may do more on their own.”
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“I would much rather push for this kind of curriculum in schools serving low-income communities than in other schools because I think it will help students to gain their own voice, and a lot of the kind of character-building aspects that are intrinsic in this, but also to be exposed to new possibilities for the future,” Vanderwerff said.
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In Lighthouse robotics and making classes, students work on the same project for six months. They naturally encounter obstacles, develop solutions and keep working. The class also gives students some hands-on experience with concepts they’d otherwise only learn about more traditionally.
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Student should stumble around a little bit noticing patterns and eventually walk away with some basics
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When Tech Teaches, What Do Teachers Do? | Tech Learning - 0 views
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o when tech is doing the things teachers did, what do teachers do? Here are some ideas. Relationships: When technology provides the on demand lecture and feedback, teachers have more time to develop relationships with students. Students want to be seen, heard, and known. Technology enables teachers to better know their students for who they are as a whole as well as their talents, interests, and areas where they want to grow. Guidance: Young people need and want guidance. Teachers can spend more time guiding and supporting students. Tutoring: When whole class instruction can be done using technology, teachers are freed up to do small group and one-on-one tutoring. Digital Literacy: Teachers can play an important role in helping to support students in being responsible and respectful digital citizens. Learning Network Development: Connections are key and with technology we can help students safely make local and global connections. What if we found a mentor for every student that could support them digitally and/or face-to-face. Cheerleader: Students love knowing you know their accomplishments. More time to notice what students have accomplished. Discuss what that means and give them support.
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Why Daydreaming is Critical to Effective Learning | MindShift | KQED News - 1 views
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daydreaming creativity brain breaks multitasking learning
shared by Jill Bergeron on 15 Sep 17
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It’s never too early to learn smart strategies to focus in on priorities and tune out what’s not immediately necessary.
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Neuroscience has shown that multitasking — the process of doing more than one thing at the same time — doesn’t exist.
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Multitasking is also stressful for the body. When people try to do several things at once, like drive and text, the brain uses up oxygenated glucose at a much faster rate and releases the stress hormone cortisol.
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Rather than trying to do everything at the same time, the most productive people prioritize and block off their schedules to focus on one task at a time.
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the basic principle of focusing in on one task at a time holds true for anyone.
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“When they’re doing something, they’re really doing it,” Levitin said. “They get more done because their brain isn’t half somewhere else.”
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“People who take regular breaks — and naps even — end up being more productive and more creative in their work,” Levitin said.
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“You need to give your brain time to consolidate all the information that’s come in, to toss it and turn it.”
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The brain has a natural way of giving itself a break — it’s called daydreaming. “It allows you to refresh and release all those neural circuits that get all bound up when you’re focused,”
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“Children shouldn’t be overly scheduled,” Levitin said. “They should have blocks of time to promote spontaneity and creativity.”
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Daydreaming and playing are crucial to develop the kind of creativity many say should be a focal point of a modern education system.
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The world has changed much more quickly than the genome can keep up with, which means schools have a responsibility to help kids develop the skills to sift through the overwhelming stimuli.
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It can be hard to focus on one thing when there’s a long, nagging list of things that need to get done in a day, both personal and professional. Levitin recommends writing all those things down on notecards, externalizing the memories into digestible bits that can be shuffled as priorities change. “My brain knows I’ve written it down and it stops nagging me,” Levitin said of his method.
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he hyperactive child might be able to help develop a more creative set of ideas, while the more focused child knows how to take that idea
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to fruition.
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Article may be four years old, but its emphasis clearly supports more current discussion surrounding cognitive consolidation.
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Game Jam Guide - ETC Press - 0 views
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Free Game Jam Guide that features over 20 lessons and activities that can be used to help students learn about real-world issues.
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Alexa Helps With Homework, But Problem-Solving Skills Are Key : NPR - 0 views
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Still, he agrees that this debate is about much more than knowing what 5 minus 3 is. It's also about developing the patience to solve problems. "That ability to stay focused," he says, "particularly when something is not interesting, is one of the most important developmental skills that children acquire." In other words, it's not just about having the answers. It's about the work you put in to get them.
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Onward: Stories and Resources to Cultivate Emotional Resilience - 0 views
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Resources to help support teachers in their work while preventing burnout.
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Do schools share too much with parents? - CNN.com - 0 views
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Do SMS systems like Whipple Hill help or hurt students as they try to become responsible individuals?
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Why do people get so anxious about math? - Orly Rubinsten - YouTube - 0 views
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This TED Talk posits that math anxiety is a real disorder and that overcoming it can be helped by breathing techniques, physical exercise, play and a growth mindset.
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Can Teaching Kids Mindfulness Replace Discipline? - 0 views
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Mindfulness is the awareness that arises through purposefully paying attention to the present moment in a non-judgemental way,
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As we practice mindfulness, we begin to understand our mind-body connection better and learn not to be so reactive to thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations.
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With mindfulness, we develop a quality of attention that can be present no matter what is happening around us. This helps us feel more peace, ease, and balance in our lives and we develop more empathy, compassion, and love.
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Several studies demonstrate that meditation can help children reduce stress and anxiety, increase attention and focus, and improve academic performance. Scientists have actually witnessed individual’s brains thicken in areas in charge of decision-making, emotional flexibility, and empathy during meditative practices.
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shared by Jill Bergeron on 18 Apr 17
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The Marshall Memo Admin - Issues - 0 views
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21st century skills critical thinking problem solving PLC program evaluation pd professional development reading literacy vocabulary bullying bullying prevention art arts education creativity character education movement
shared by Jill Bergeron on 18 Apr 17
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students who have four years of art score 91 points higher on the SAT than students who don’t.
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Danny Gregory applauds the arguments made for the importance of art and music in schools: they improve motor, spatial, and language skills; they enhance peer collaboration; they strengthen ties to the community; they keep at-risk students in school and improve their chances of ultimately graduating from college; and
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In middle school, the majority start to lose their passion for making stuff and instead learn the price of making mistakes.
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In short, every child starts out with a natural interest in art, but for most it is slowly drained away until all that’s left is a handful of teens in eyeliner and black clothing whose parents worry they’ll never move out of the basement.”
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As of 2015, only 26.2 percent of African-American students have access to art classes.
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Gregory has a startling suggestion: take the “art” out of art education and replace it with creativity education. Why? Because creativity is something that almost everyone agrees is vital to success.
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Solving problems, using tools, collaborating, expressing our ideas clearly, being entrepreneurial and resourceful – these are the skills that matter in the 21st century, post-corporate labor market. Instead of being defensive about art, instead of talking about culture and self-expression, we have to focus on the power of creativity and the skills required to develop it. A great artist is also a problem solver, a presenter, an entrepreneur, a fabricator, and more.”
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We need to make sure that the kids of today (who will need to be the creative problem solvers of tomorrow) realize their creative potential and have the tools to use it.
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A total of 21 percent of students said they had been bullied in the following ways: 13 percent made fun of, called names, or insulted; 12 percent subject of rumors; 5 percent pushed, shoved, tripped, or spat on; 4 percent threatened with harm; 5 percent purposefully excluded from activities; 2.5 percent told to do things they didn’t want to do; and 2 percent had their property purposefully destroyed. Girls reported more online harassment (16 percent) than boys (6 percent). These were the locations where students said the bullying occurred: - 42 percent in hallways or stairwells (similar for boys and girls); - 34 percent in classrooms (perhaps mainly during entry, transitions, and exit); - 22 percent in cafeterias; - 19 percent outside on school grounds; - 12 percent online or by text; - 10 percent on school buses; - 9 percent in bathrooms/locker rooms.
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hallways and stairwells, taken together, are nearly twice as likely to be the source of the problem as the cafeteria, playground, or buses and bathrooms. Supervision and vigilance in those fluid spaces between classes is likely to benefit vulnerable students disproportionately.”
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dance, gesture, and other forms of movement can improve motivation, engagement, and learning.
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students in classrooms that integrated movement were “significantly more excited by, engaged in, and focused on the lessons” than they were with conventional teaching methods.
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Dancing to memorize information
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Moving among stations
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Applying movement to assessments
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Forming lines, rows, or other groupings – Each student gets a card with a punctuation mark or a word and students silently arrange themselves to form a complete sentence.
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Representing terms or ideas with actions – After reading a book about emotions, students stand and act out furious, satisfied, courageous, and other words.
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– The teacher gives each group of students sets of fraction cards and they take turns moving to another group in search of equivalent fractions, bringing possible matches back to their group to see if they’re correct.
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– To test knowledge of synonyms and antonyms, pairs of students jump straight up and down three times, then choose to land on either their right or left foot; if both land on the same foot, they must come up with synonyms for a word on the board; if they land on opposite feet, they must name antonyms.
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– Doing a dance skip-counting numbers (5, 10, 15, 20…) to the “Macarena.”
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Many teachers assigned tasks with complex instructions and procedures, but little higher-level thinking was required of students
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How many of these do schools teach? Just three, say the authors, even in schools where students get high state test scores: application, recall, and (sometimes) analysis.
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a synthesis of the skills they believe adults need for successful lives: Cognitive skills: - Recall - Application - Analysis - Evaluation - Creative thinking Interpersonal skills: - Communication - Cooperation - Empathy - Trust building - Service orientation - Conflict resolution - Negotiation - Responsibility - Assertiveness - Advocacy Intrapersonal skills: - Flexibility - Adaptability - Appreciation of diversity - Valuing learning - Cultural appreciation - Curiosity - Forethought - Self-regulation - Self-monitoring - Self-evaluation
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Most teachers presented students with complex content, but the tasks students were asked to perform were simple recall and application
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interpersonal and intrapersonal skills almost never showed up.
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These exceptional instructors created “a harmonious environment,” say the researchers, “demonstrating an understanding that doing so is a prerequisite to academic learning.”
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It was the teacher, not the subject. This level of intellectual and affective demand cropped up in different subjects, grades, and classes with different student achievement levels. The variable was the teacher.
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In a 10th-grade honors humanities class, for example, students were asked to invent questions to guide their study of Western imperialism in China (having just finished a unit on the colonization of Africa). Guided by the teacher, students brainstormed possible questions, decided which were most important, and edited questions until the questions were intellectually stimulating and open-ended.
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These outliers managed to weave rigorous instruction of content across the cognitive, interpersonal, and intrapersonal domains, putting to rest the notion that content- and skill-focused instruction precludes higher-order thinking – and vice-versa.
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Teachers adapted their teaching to the moment.
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to teach a deep and broad range of skills while also addressing disciplinary knowledge – requires intelligence and years of practice.”
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Instruction was tied to complex assessments. Often designed by the teachers themselves, these checks for understanding stood in contrast to the test-prep oriented assessments in other classrooms.
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Teachers built strong relationships with students.
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First, Nehring, Charner-Laird, and Szczesiul suggest that schools need complex, high-level assessments to make all classrooms accountable for teaching the full range of adult skills. Second, “excellence requires highly skilled teachers with finely tuned radar and improvisational ability.” And third, “good teaching is about caring relationships, a parental affection that gives and receives, that honors the fundamentally human nature of our work as educators.
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Thomas Guskey (University of Kentucky) stresses the importance of professional development starting with clear outcomes.
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“In education, getting better generally means having a more positive influence on the learning of our students and helping more students learn well,” says Guskey. “Knowing our destination provides the basis for determining the effectiveness of our efforts.”
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Polly details the 5E approach, in which students spend most of a lesson exploring mathematical tasks with limited support from the teacher, and some students get individual or small-group support: - Engage – The class is given a math task or activity. - Explore – Students have time to work on the task with their partner or a small group, with the teacher giving only instructions and circulating, sometimes posing questions to support students’ exploration. - Explain – The class comes together to discuss the problem and how different students solved it. The teacher facilitates the discussion, perhaps choosing a main focus based on what was observed during the work time, and provides direct instruction as needed. - Elaborate/extend – For the rest of the class, the teacher gets students working on activities, math games, and small-group activities that deepen understanding of the concept and zeros in on students who seem confused or off track. - Evaluate – Students solve a final task or participate in a discussion of concepts, allowing the teacher to assess learning and plan for future lessons.
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“Looking beyond the intended goals to the broader array of possible outcomes is an important aspect of evaluation and vital to judging effectiveness,”
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What sparks robust discussions in PLCs is looking at variations in students’ responses to individual items on common assessments and writing prompts.
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“The primary purpose of this collaborative data analysis,” says Guskey, “is to guide these teachers’ professional learning experiences so they can improve the quality of their instruction and help all students learn well.”
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One additional cautionary note: PLCs tend to jump into “debating new ideas, techniques, innovations, programs, and instructional issues,” says Guskey. “While these are important issues, we must remember that they are means to an important end that must be determined first. Our journey always begins by deciding our destination… Ninety percent of essential questions in any evaluation are addressed in the planning process, before the journey begins.”
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“When a teacher models and provides direct instruction at the start of a lesson, it rarely enables students to explore mathematical tasks or engage in productive struggle,” says Drew Polly (University of North Carolina/Charlotte) in this article in Teaching Children Mathematics.
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researchers have found that if students grapple with a task before the teacher explains and models it (and receive appropriate follow-up), they’re more engaged and learn better.
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What student learning outcomes do we aim to accomplish? - What evidence will tell us if we met the goal? (ideally more than one source of data) - What unintended consequences might occur, positive or negative?
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“[T]he size of a person’s vocabulary is one of the strongest predictors of his or her reading comprehension,” say Tanya Wright (Michigan State University/East Lansing) and Gina Cervetti ((University of Michigan/Ann Arbor) in this article in Reading Research Quarterly.
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Students who enter school knowing fewer words are likely to continue with relatively small vocabularies and struggle with text comprehension throughout school. Students who start with larger vocabularies, on the other hand, have broader general knowledge, need to spend less time accessing memory of words (which frees up working memory to grasp the meaning of a text), read and enjoy their reading more, and build stronger vocabularies – a reciprocal relationship that tends to widen the achievement gap.
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Teaching word meanings almost always improved comprehension of texts containing the words taught. • Teaching word meanings doesn’t seem to improve comprehension of texts that don’t contain the target words. • Instruction involving students in some active processing was more effective than dictionary and definition work at improving comprehension of texts containing the words taught. One caveat: researchers don’t know how much active processing is enough. • Teaching one or two strategies (e.g., context clues or morphology) for solving word meanings doesn’t seem to improve generalized reading comprehension.
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How to Help Middle and High School Students Develop the Skills They Need to Complete Ho... - 0 views
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How to Design Better Tests, Based on the Research | Edutopia - 0 views
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To help address test anxiety, researchers recommend setting aside a little time for simple writing or self-talk exercises before the test—they allow students to shore up their confidence, recall their test-taking strategies, and put the exam into perspective.
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Students who study moderately should get roughly 70 to 80 percent of the questions correct.
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Don’t start a test with challenging questions; let students ease into a test. Asking difficult questions to probe for deep knowledge is important, but remember that confidence and mindset can dramatically affect outcomes—and therefore muddy the waters of your assessment.
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Consider the mix of your testing formats: Combine traditional testing formats—multiple choice, short answer, and essay questions—with creative, open-ended assessments that can elicit different strengths and interests.
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Tests aren’t just tools to evaluate learning; they can also alter a student’s understanding of a topic.
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Instead of a single high-stakes test, consider breaking it into smaller low-stakes tests that you can spread throughout the school year.
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When students take high-stakes tests, their cortisol levels—a biological marker for stress—rise dramatically, impeding their ability to concentrate and artificially lowering test scores
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Time limits are unavoidable, but you can mitigate their pernicious effects on anxiety levels. “Evidence strongly suggests that timed tests cause the early onset of math anxiety for students across the achievement range,”
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ask students to write their own test questions.
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Beyond test design, there’s the important question of what happens after a test. All too often, students receive a test, glance at the grade, and move on. But that deprives them, and the teacher, of a valuable opportunity to address misconceptions and gaps in knowledge. Don’t think of tests as an endpoint to learning. Follow up with feedback, and consider strategies like “exam wrappers”— short metacognitive writing activities that ask students to review their performance on the test and think about ways they could improve in future testing scenarios.
How Kids Can Overcome the Awkwardness of Asking for Help | Edutopia - 0 views
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Homework Frustration? After-School Help for Kids with ADHD - 0 views
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Decent overview of common homework support strategies for parents. Good timing in advance of conferences!
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Mental health tools that can help middle schoolers get a better perspective | KQED - 0 views
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Once you bring your child’s thoughts to the surface, teach them how to talk back to their inner critic.
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The goal is to help them recognize when they’re thinking in extremes and then challenge the thought.
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Pocket - 0 views
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Formerly known as ReadItLater, this browser extension allows you to save sites that you want revisit later with just one click of a button. It's easy to install the button in your toolbar and can help cut down on the number of tabs you keep open. You can search by tag or key word and if you have it installed on your mobile devices you can read your saves while you're sitting around at the pool. :)
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Defining Differentiated Instruction | Edutopia - 0 views
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Equal education is not all students getting the same, but all students getting what they need
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We have to start where each child is in his learning process in order to authentically meet his academic needs and help him grow. With a classroom full of children at different stages of learning, this certainly sounds overwhelming,
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the first step is to find out as much as you can about her educational history and anything else
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interests, cultural background, learning style, and something about her home life