“The Choice is Yours” by Black Sheep. I used to love this song, and still do. My favorite part of the song was/is the following: Engine, Engine, Number 9 On the New York transit line If my train goes off the track Pick it up! Pick it up! Pick it up! It’s Easter time, a […]
What does the following video have to do with the topic of student engagement? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UXfME7Bsjo Well, even if you’re not interested in the answer to this question, this video is definitely worth watching for a good laugh! What’s not so funny though is the topic of student engagement (or lack thereof). I ended last week’s […]
Bridging the gap between traditional literacy skills and those of the 21st century. This has been the topic of discussion here for the past few weeks. In Part 2 of this series, I concluded by providing a couple of examples of a unit’s end product. As a refresher, here they are again: Example 1: [vooplayer […]
Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, and __________________ (fill in the blank). Mark Surman, executive director of Mozilla, would fill in this blank with the following: Digital Literacy This, he believes, is the 4th “R” of 21st century learning (video here). Last week I began discussing my experience working through a new curricular unit, attempting to bridge traditional literacy […]
Times have changed. The skills needed for students to thrive have changed. Consequently, we as teachers must change. What does this mean in the world of literacy? With the evolution of technology has come a whole new dimension of literacy. Digital literacy. Although this presents a world of exciting opportunities, it […]
Valentine’s Day. A day devoted to the expression of love between various relationship “pairs.” A son and mother, a father and daughter, a husband and wife. These are just a few examples that immediately come to mind, so on a day like Valentine’s Day, I figured I’d post this article that I came across describing some different ways to pair students. […]
At some point in children’s lives, they learn to view themselves as either smart, dumb, or anywhere in between. As teachers, we see this all the time, right? Undoubtedly, this influences students’ self-esteem, motivation, and any number of learning and social behaviors. As we strive to cultivate a learning environment where students are free to maximize their […]
In a recent art assignment, a middle school student depicted an overburdened child who was being berated for earning an A, rather than an A+, on a calculus exam. In the image, the mother scolds the student with the words, “Shame on you!” The above comes from a New York Times article covering the ethnic divide […]
Part 3 of 3. Finland. An education superpower. What…is…their… secret?! Well, in case you haven’t been following along the past couple of weeks, let me quickly catch you up. Finland. They’ve been rockstars in the world of education. Inquiring minds want to know exactly what can be attributed to their success. Cue misinformation. Take a look […]
Finland. If a picture speaks a thousand words, what can we infer from the following?: As discussed Last week, Finland has been a hot topic in education circles for quite some time, and certainly for good reason. But what can we learn? And more importantly, what can we apply? I don’t know about you, but as […]
