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Interesting post from Derek Wenmouth, who asks: * Who are our learners? * What are we preparing them for? * How are we preparing them for this? * What are the implications of connectivity for learning and schooling? This is good, and all very well, but... A few weeks ago I met a young lad, still at school, smartly dressed in a business suit, making a reasonable job of selling himself. Except that for reasons best known to himself he deemed it acceptable to not only chew gum the entire time, but to do so in a way that allowed me to see the contents of his mouth throughout. I realiuse this is off-message, as it were, but surely one of the most basic skills we should be teaching young people, by example as much as anything, is how to present yourself?

Our goal is to transform school systems by developing professional communities of teachers and school leaders with interactive online courses and on-site support programs that enable schools to cultivate the critical learning students need for the 21st century world. Research-Based. WIDE World professional development programs are based on Teaching for Understanding, a classroom-tested framework developed through research at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Online. WIDE World courses are conducted online and are asynchronous. This allows for flexible, adaptive, and convenient learning for all participants, regardless of location or schedule. Job-embedded. Through our courses, WIDE World learners integrate research-based strategies in their own workplace. Online coaches support cycles of learning, applying, and reflecting as teams of educators improve lesson plans, instruction, and data-driven action projects. Team-Based with Coaching. Systemic change requires coordinated effort from all stakeholders. Expert coaches help teachers, leaders, and specialists work in teams to develop a common language for defining and achieving shared goals. Tailored for Local Impact. WIDE World works with you to design professional development programs adapted precisely to address the needs of your school, program, district, or system and build local capacity for continuous improvement. Global Learning. In the online environment, participants collaborate with innovative educators from across the US and around the globe.

This is a beautifully designed resource for learning English through the learner's native language. Because the resources teach the same English, it is ideal for using with English classes with learners from all over the world. The flash resources are great and the lessons are arranged in categories. http://ictmagic.wikispaces.com/English+As+An+Additional+Language

EduEdge provides quality Primary English Tuition in Singapore. EduEdge offers comprehensive language training to young learners through a staff of highly qualified and experienced teachers. Beyond grammar and vocabulary, they emphasize critical thinking and effective communication abilities. EduEdge's personalized teaching methods adapt to each student's particular needs, ensuring they establish a solid foundation in English. Innovative techniques and interactive materials at the center make learning interesting and effective. EduEdge has a track record of success in helping primary kids enhance their English language and academic performance, making it the ideal choice for professional English tuition in Singapore.

What will tomorrow bring? What will life be like in 2028 as our youngest students of today exit school? What occupations will they enter and what challenges will they face? These are not new questions but with the rate of change in society and the pace at which technology evolves they are questions without clear answers. How then do schools prepare students for this uncertain tomorrow? What shall we teach our children today such that are well prepared for the challenges and opportunities of their tomorrow?

For those in Australia the end of the teaching year has arrived or is just around the corner. With holidays approaching now might be the perfect time to find a good book to read and reset your thinking ahead of the start of a new year. Here are my favourite reads from this year. 

English teaching is changing. Technology and social media mean that teachers are becoming guides and coaches who help learners to improve faster than ever before.English Out There PDFs and MP3s for teachers work with all social and collaborative websites and can help you to create your own on and off line English teaching service.I will take questions about EOT and go through how you can teach it on Wiziq, with Skype or face to face.

Teaching is undoubtedly a busy profession and one where the end of the to do list seems to be forever located in a galaxy far far away. There is always more to be done and as each item on the list is ticked off, three, four or more seem to have appeared. If we ever do get close to the end, we find ourselves reflecting on what we have achieved and the many ways in which it might be improved. 

Education exists in an uneasy domain and the teaching professional is forced to navigate between a multitude of conflicting tensions. Our education systems are dominated by abundance of voices all shouting for attention and offering a solution to the problems they have diagnosed. Each individual claims expertise and insights gained from years as a student is sufficient experience to allow one to speak with authority. - Educators need to find their voice. 

Sometimes, it seems everyone who ever went to school is an expert on education and has a plan to make it better. Actual teaching experience, years of professional learning and formal training are all easily swept aside. The result is an ongoing dialog around what schools should do, what teachers need to do more of or less of and how the academic success of the nation is linked to strategy x or y.

Despite this being a 'thinking' conference, despite us all being advocates for structured and scaffolded models of thinking, not one group had applied any thinking routines, utilised a collaborative planning protocol or talked about applying an inquiry model or design thinking cycle. It wasn't that we didn't know about them. It wasn't that we don't know how to use them. It wasn't that we don't value them. We had all the knowledge we could desire on the how to and the why of a broad set of thinking tools and anyone of these would have enhanced the process, but we did not use any of them. Why was this the case and what does this reveal about our teaching of these methods to our students?

Reasoning is at the heart of mathematical thinking. It is what mathematicians do. But how do we teach it?

"The National Writing Project focuses the knowledge, expertise, and leadership of our nation's educators on sustained efforts to improve writing and learning for all learners" (Our Mission, ¶1, 2016.05.02).

Making the most of Maker Spaces and STEAM will require professional development and a new mindset for all learners. 

What are the mindful habits of successful learners and how can an understanding of these habits help us better achieve our learning goals? This is the question Art Costa Bena Kallick set out to answer with their study of the Habits of Mind. In 'Learning and Leading with Habits of Mind' Costa and Kallick identify sixteen habits which when utilised promote deeper understanding, unlock creativity, encourage reflective thinking and scaffold problem solving for individuals and groups. 

GenYES is an innovative program that creates 21st century leaders and learners. GenYES students help teachers use technology in classrooms, supporting effective technology integration school-wide. Eleven years of research proves GenYES empowers students and changes the way teachers integrate technology in their lessons.

I have assembled a number of free resources that I believe should be on every classroom computer to promote learning for all students based upon principles of UDL. These tools provide improved access and accommodate for learner differences. Additionally, they are fun and engaging!