STABLS teachers

This article presents a broader picture of coding that includes computational thinking (CT) especially at the elementary level. It is helping me as I am constructing my own understanding of coding , CT and their applicability.

This article made me research more on Computational Thinking. Here is a site that can give you examples of how this might look in your classroom. Check out CT Models in the K-12 curriculum. http://www.google.com/edu/computational-thinking/

Here is a list of educational hashtags we might use. Please share if you find a particularly great hashtag.

Thanks, Michele. The other November Learning docs are helpful too. I especially like the one that helps us look at the impact of our technology use by considering whether it is adding value or making a difference.

I like that this article is specific to Pre-K children. It's simple and straight-forward. It makes sense.

Yes, this article hit home for me. Technology is here to stay and moving rapidly and as teachers we need to find the most effective and appropriate ways to use it to meet the needs of our students. With Pre-Schoolers, nothing can replace "hands on" experiences yet technology obviously has a place in the classroom. We just need to keep in mind the appropriate kind of screen time, the amount of time, the purpose and the specific child. I have my iPad at every morning meeting just in case some type of question or clarification arises.

So true, Dolly. It's great for children to learn how they can research or "look things up" if they can't figure something out for themselves. If you think about it, Google helps us all to become more independent learners. So, all the more need for collaboration, deep thinking and application of knowledge in the classroom.

Responsive Classroom article ... What makes Academic Choice different from the daily choices children make in the classroom?

Thinking about this from the point of view of our "Assessment" CFG, I would be interested in how one could tie together these ideas for academic choice with self differentiation. I love the idea of choice being a motivator, especially when the choice being made is one that is challenging to the individual. However, sometime I worry that the choices being made are the "easy" option rather than the one that would be best suited for the chooser. On a completely different note, I liked the idea of having a set of math problems and giving students choices for the ways of solving. This could support those who are not sure what to do (especially with the option of manipulatives) but also gives those more able students the opportunity to be creative in their solving. I think setting an activity like this would also encourage students to really think about their methods of solving, and prepare them to vocalize their thought processes.

I agree with Karen- I think the reflection portion of this article is so important! Think of how much students can grow by participating in academic choice and following up with the metacognition piece. With this, each time we introduce a new set of academic choices to our students, the process should feel smoother and more beneficial for everyone involved!

I like the list of suggestions in this article.

I agree, the list of suggestions here is great! We often provide students with activities just like these, but often my whole class completes the same project. The article reminds me that it is important to allow them to CHOOSE which activity is most appealing for them!

An opposing viewpoint on student choice.

I totally disagree with this guy. He seems fearful of something, I just can't pinpoint what it is. Sure, there are kids that like structure and boundaries, I think all kids do, but he seems to be advocating mindless, thought-less assignments that are "safe," but lack any kind of meaning or thought. My two cents.

I wonder how many of the responses he got from student surveys reflect his own biases. Is he projecting these attitudes on his students in the way he is structuring the evaluation process?

Pros and cons about student choice in the classroom.

Quick read- pretty honest view of the good and bad of choice. Simply stated, but thoughtful enough.

Talks about limiting choice options.

We gave our students limited academic choice in our Ancient Greece Project. Students were given the task of describing Athens or Sparta either in a brochure format or in using tools for students to create a venn diagram. It was amazingly successful and students were definitely invested in their projects and thus created great work!!

I think the article also points out the importance of giving students a focused challenge with their choices.

I like the way she has a choice activity and then explains that it really isn't giving much choice.

True! In order to truly embrace academic choice, teachers need to be flexible and open to the students' individual creativity and allow them to pursue their own ideas and to tackle their unique projects.

The idea of persistence has been helping many of my students with math facts, which is really memorization. The comment about the "Western attitude towards struggling" is interesting - and that we shouldn't jump in to help right away.

Thank you sharing this post. I was dismayed to read the comments from teachers about the Kindergarten program, however, Their responses reflected my worries: They said that the challenges included: "1st half of the year was way too easy", they "had to use a lot of supplemental material", "purchased a lot of new materials", and that there was "no differenciation." I am hoping to hear a more positive plug for the Kindergarten program from another source.

This is a blog about math apps and the author has done a fantastic job of reviewing different apps and giving ideas on how to use them within the classroom. Worth looking at.

Reflections on the Common Core in Math...

Here is a great resource of lesson plans and classroom resources using primary documents.

Kathy Shock is amazing. Take a look at this resource she has created and shared.

Creative Commons Music