Group items tagged

books and stories by kids, for kids

"Coming up with the right question involves vigorously thinking through the problem, investigating it from various angles, turning closed questions into open-ended ones and prioritizing which are the most important questions to get at the heart of the matter. "We've been underestimating how well our kids can think." "We've been underestimating how well our kids can think." Rothstein said in a recent discussion on the talk show Forum. "We see consistently that there are three outcomes. One is that students are more engaged. Second, they take more ownership, which for teachers, this is a huge thing. And the third outcome is they learn more - we see better quality work.""

"Personalized learning requires teachers to become co-learners and release their iron grip on the learning process. It requires districts to trust principals, principals to trust teachers, and teachers to trust students. It requires a great deal of conversation about what real learning is and why it matters. engaged-students2This student-driven approach to learning allows kids to explore what matters to them, to build things that don't work and to figure out why. It requires them to form opinions and justify them based on solid evidence. And it requires adults who care and can speak carefully and honestly into the lives of kids. All learning should be formative. "

"Teach children how to have "grit," the perseverance and determination that's required to create something new. He referenced the research on grit conducted by University of Pennsylvania psychologist Angela Duckworth, who professes the maxim "Choose easy, work hard.""

If you own multiple iOS devices you may want each one to be able to receive its own messages and FaceTime video calls. This is handy if you have kids with their own iPods or iPads, but they are too young to have their own Apple ID. You need to specify special email accounts to be used by the Messages and FaceTime apps so you can contact that specific iOS device without all of your devices getting the message.

"The ParentCamp experience, by design, is a hybrid "unconference" opportunity for parents and teachers to come together and model the four core beliefs highlighted in Beyond the Bakesale by Anne T. Henderson, et al. The experience levels the playing field, putting all stakeholders in a circle for actual, face-to-face discussion about what is best for kids. It's important to understand the difference between a traditional conference and the unconference feel we worked to bring to ParentCamp. "

"The classic "3 R's" of learning are, of course, Reading, 'Riting, and 'Rithmetic. For the 21st century, we need to add a fourth R--and it will help inspire the other three: Algorithm. I know, it isn't a very graceful "R"--but 'riting and 'ritmetic are fudges too. And the beauty of teaching even the youngest kids algorithms and algorithmic or procedural thinking is that it gives them the same tool of agency and production that writing and even reading gave to industrial age learners who, for the first time in history, had access to cheap books and other forms of print. "

"Once I was alerted to the concept of "hard fun" I began listening for it and heard it over and over. It is expressed in many different ways, all of which all boil down to the conclusion that everyone likes hard challenging things to do. But they have to be the right things matched to the individual and to the culture of the times. These rapidly changing times challenge educators to find areas of work that are hard in the right way: they must connect with the kids and also with the areas of knowledge, skills and (don't let us forget) ethic adults will need for the future world. "

"After two articles in the irish papers (links below) where I was asked about how I use twitter in my classroom, I decided to detail what exactly I do, so that it's a little clearer. Before I begin though we have to talk about fear. There's so much fear about the educational value of twitter from teachers, managers, parents and students that some might be worried about entering that lion's den. My answer to these fears is simple: the internet is where kids are, schools have to go there. It was video for an earlier generation and tv before that. It was probably radio once and I'm sure some Greeks were worried about writing things down rather than learning them by heart. Students will always be ahead of us, so why not meet them there, rather than dismiss them as fad-followers or time-wasters?"

"Making is about realizing that you can be a creator instead of just a consumer. At its best, making allows kids to follow their own interests and passions and create something that is uniquely theirs, while applying the knowledge that they are gathering in all aspects of their life. "

Game designers understand how to make games memorable and "sticky" in the sense that, even when you aren't playing the game, you're still thinking about solving its problems and puzzles. As teachers, how might we make our projects and content as sticky as games? How can we engage kids in thoughtful learning even after they leave the classroom? Here are game designers' top five secrets and some tips on using these same game dynamics to make learning in your classroom as addictive as gaming.

A series of animated videos takes you into the world of a group of high school kids, their friend, and their relationships with each other. Each video has multiple endings, so you can choose what the characters do next and see what happens.   

The premise of this video is that kids do well IF THEY CAN, not if they want to.

Good short overview of the connection between the cognitive, interpersonal & intrapersonal and "deeper learning". In careers classes & in career advice these are the sorts of factors the kids are taught determine success in life. Via Sara Wilkie Tweet

"Grit." A four-letter word that every teacher and student should know and use. 3 Steps: Powerful Words, Weekly Reflection Journals, Community Meetings

Giving focused feedback has removed the fear of the unknown for Christine Hills' students and freed them up to become more confident writers.