STABLS teachers

...makes me think of Kathleen's third grade colonial artifacts project. In this article, check out the learner-generated questions. I like that the activity revolves around three basic steps. Observe -- Think -- Question.

When I read this post, at first I thought,"Is that it?" Then, I realized something ... I had to think, apply and construct my own meaning and connections. I wonder if that was the intent. If so, it's very clever.

I usually don't lean toward "negative" or reverse thinking like this, but the 12 points are thought-provoking and good for individual reflection. Go ahead, ask yourself the hard questions about your classroom. We are an independent Lower School. We have the freedom. Are you making the most of it?

If you haven't already joined BIE, I suggest you do it now. (Free, of course.) Download this article as a PDF to your iBooks. It is straightforward and clear. It will help you upgrade your practice from "doing projects" to engaging students in designing and creating meaningful projects to address real questions, issues and problems.

I've been using their resources this year in my 7/8 classroom. I've found them really helpful!

Thanks Lisa.

Great article. Straightforward ways to help students understand more deeply by speaking, writing or drawing their ideas. Learn about "thinking routines" designed by researchers at Project Zero at Harvard. Let me know if you want to borrow the book.

Fascinating article. Got me thinking...!

I like the part at the end of the article titled "Thinking Routines: Tools for Making Thinking Visible". It gives you a quick reference on how you could incorporate this into your lessons.

It's rare to find a video specific to PBL in K-2. It goes along with the book PBL in the Elementary Grades. Lindsay and I currently have copies of the book if you want to borrow it.

... Another lens through which we can view our Fridays.

Very similar to mini-internships with access to community experts like the teacher had for the video project. It would be great to have access to a parent database of experts who could act as advisors. The students could use the parents or their friends as resources

Could be a good source for information for our students for our Fridays.

To this list I would add #TWTBlog. I will let everyone know when they host twitter chats.

If you are interested in making word clouds, check these out and also wordle.net.

Good list of questions to ask when thinking about our Fridays.

This goes with the article Code.org's K-5 Computer Science Curriculum. This site gives you sample lessons to try out.

What a fun, educational way for students (or even teachers) to show what they know. Would love to work with anyone who wants to try this this year.

There are some most useful ideas embedded here. You need to explore further.

K-4 Great checklist to follow.

I'm sure we could create our own.

We could create our own, but we can work from this.

From Kathy Cassidy - take a look at her suggestions.

Some ideas from the UK!

Great, short article talking about the shift in education from the 3Rs to the 4Cs.

List of tips to help your tweets be more effective.

There is something simple yet profound in the "You, Ya'll, We" that we can implement across subjects. Jugyokenkyu, as described, is a lot like the Tuning Protocol we will all engage in with our CFG's this year.

Too often teachers are not supported, given time or training when implementing new programs and methods. Without teacher understanding, student understanding and performance won't improve. As we reflect on some of the curricular changes we have made in the last few years, math being perhaps the most significant, we should note the time and training we've had to support us as we improve instruction.