Group items tagged

Seeing significant connections between maker movement and students as creators/contributors

"Timothy Shanahan defined the practice of close reading more succinctly, explaining that close reading "is an intensive analysis of a text in order to come to terms with what it says, how it says it, and what it means." So is it a rereading of text? Yes, but with a clearly defined purpose. Those of us who teach novels in the classroom know it can't be a rereading of the entire text; instead, it's a concentrated look at a selected excerpt in order to study a limited number of text attributes such as organization, sentence structure, vocabulary, symbolism, character development, plot advancement, etc. The purpose and focus of each close reading depends upon the text itself, thus leading to the CCSS push for more complex selections. Below I've provided six suggestions for making the most of close reading experiences with students."

"teacher-ready tips for stimulating curiosity in others. First, she suggests starting with the question, rather than the answer-which teachers will recognize as the foundation of inquiry-based or discovery learning (see: math teacher Dan Meyer's take on how to make math "irresistible" to students). She then suggests offering some initial knowledge on the subject. "We're not curious about something we know absolutely nothing about," she writes. Again, teachers may know this as "activating prior knowledge" or "setting the stage" before a lesson. Finally, she says it helps to require communication, or "open an information gap and then require learners to communicate with each other in order to fill it." The think-pair-share technique and vocabulary activities that require students to teach each other their words both exemplify this. What would you add to the list? How does stimulating curiosity gel with other motivation tactics-or should teachers think of curiosity and motivation as one and the same?"

"ExxonMobil Math and Science Initiative graduate in cap and gown We rely on technology and innovation in every part of our business, and knowledge of math and science is critical in the energy sector. We employ more than 14,000 scientists and engineers to help produce and deliver energy supplies safely, reliably, and affordably. The technological innovations necessary to facilitate human progress and meet key challenges in the years ahead will require a global workforce highly skilled in fields making use of math and science. Excellence in math and science education is directly correlated to the ability of countries to successfully compete and prosper in the global community of the 21st century. For example, the United States ranks behind other countries in terms of the proportion of students who perform well in math and science and pursue degrees in these subjects. Many teachers in the United States do not have the benefit of strong content knowledge and training specific to mathematics and science."

edWeb.net is a highly-acclaimed professional social and learning network that has become a vibrant online community for exceptional educators, decision-makers, and influencers who are on the leading edge of innovation in education. edWeb members are teachers, faculty, administrators, and librarians at K12 and post-secondary institutions. edWeb is a place where educators who are looking for ways to improve teaching and learning can gather and share information and ideas with peers and thought leaders in the industry. Any educator can use edWeb for free to create a personal learning network or professional learning community to make it easier to collaborate, share ideas, and move forward faster with new ideas and initiatives, particularly those than leverage technology to accelerate improvement.

"direct my energy and attention on what worked, what went well, and what I feel was successful. I've discovered that this strategy is critical to build my emotional resilience. One of the only things in life that I have control over is how I tell my story -- how I interpret my experiences and make sense of them. If I create a story that is one of learning, growth, and empowerment, I feel better. So how are you telling the story of this school year? "