Am I your worst nightmare? If you are a teacher, and I was your student, I certainly could fall into that category. Why? Would I do drugs or wreak havoc in your class? Would I shout out profanity? Disrupt studies as the class clown? No. When I was in school, I was the one that […]
classroom
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, How to Fix Education, Uncategorized
The Experiential Illiterates
I try very hard–and often unsuccessfully–to avoid hyperbole and straw men in my argumentation on behalf of the American institution of public education. My bias is clear, and there is no preventing it from seeping into my writing and speaking and thinking. There’s no getting around it. I have friends both in real life and […]
Posted inEducational Apps, From the Front Lines
There's An App for That
By Guest Writer Mindy Thierolf [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] Recently I was watching one of those early morning news programs, and they were interviewing a man that was giving a list of the five best […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Forming Your Lessons with Formative Assessment
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] Testing is not a new idea in education. I remember taking the Iowa Test of Basic Skills when I was young. We had yellow number two pencils, small black circles, and […]
Posted inFrom the Front Lines, Middle School, Social Studies, Uncategorized
Week 2- Rollout 1:1 iPads- Introducing Aggregators
Last week’s article, “Teaching in the 1:1 Digital Classroom”, focused on accommodating Luddites and iPad enthusiasts and this week is dedicated to keeping routines. I need transitions towards technology to be smooth or learning will be set aside for entertainment value only. Notability is my go to workflow application for editing and downloading class notes. […]
Posted inFeatured, Fine Arts, Opinion
What If You Are Teaching the Next Picasso?
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] My wife and I just finished our honeymoon tour of Spain, and one place that put me in awe was the Museo Picasso in Barcelona. This collection showcased a completely different […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, From the Front Lines, Uncategorized
Teaching: The Card Game
In the spirit of “War” and “Old Maid,” I present a card game called “Teaching.” (Note: there is something inherently icky about symbolizing students with numbers or, in this case, playing cards. I didn’t create this game to imply that students are merely numbers or that some students are “worth more” than others. Rather, I […]
Posted inCommon Core, Current Events in Education, From the Front Lines
{Editorial} A Teacher's Experience with PARCC in Tennessee
By Jon Alfuth In my sophomore year of high school, my AP European History teacher gave us a test on ancient Rome in week two of the course. The problem? We hadn’t learned anything about Roman history! To this day I still don’t understand her decision, but the experience left me with a strong distaste […]