NCLB? PD. NCLB. Starving for Recess. Every weekday, millions of American schoolchildren throw away their half-eaten cafeteria lunches so that they can run outside to play. "We tell kids not to eat and swim right away. And yet here we are, telling them that the quicker they eat, the quicker they get to recess," says Greg Welk, director of clinical research at Iowa State University's Nutrition and Wellness Research Center.
According to Welk and a growing chorus of educators, poor eating habits, stomachaches and post-recess behavioral problems may be ascribed—at least in part—to a scheduling issue. The traditional placement of lunch before recess, coupled with the recent decline in overall recess time to meet academic time constraints, forces children to choose between two essential needs: food and exercise. "A lot of schools have cut recess with the mistaken notion that it will improve their academic performance," Welk says. "They are going in the wrong direction. "We're a huge state, but still very rural," Juneau explains. The 6 Fatal Mistakes Any School Leader Can Make – And How to Address Them. How can I be a good leader?
Teachers, academics and politicians have been trying to answer that question for as long as there’s been education of any sort. When it’s one of our leaders we’re critiquing, you often have 20:20 vision about their strengths and weaknesses. But when it’s ourself we’re looking at, that picture can get muddied and it can be difficult to get a clear view. So, whatever your leadership responsibility, do you recognise any of these traits in your leadership style?
Checking those tendencies can make a dramatic impact in your abilities as a leader. 1) Doing It All Yourself You’re in charge, but that doesn’t mean you have to do everything yourself. How to fix it? 2) Managing From Behind Your Desk It’s massively important in a school to be out and to be seen. How to fix it? 3) Being Your Staff’s Friend, Rather Than Their Boss You need people to respect you, liking you is a bonus. How to fix it? 4) Accepting Too Many Excuses “The standards you set are the standards you get.” Personal Learning Networks for Educators: 10 Tips. By Dr. Mark Wagner I often begin my workshop on personal learning networks (PLN) for educators by asking these questions: Who is in your learning network? Who do you learn from on a regular basis? Who do you turn to for your own professional development? Some educators are lucky enough to learn from their coworkers or colleagues at their site.
I usually ask these questions at conferences, which are frequently only annual events – and rare treats for many educators. Learning to Network and Networking to Learn 1. 2. 3. 4. Networking Tools and Anecdotes The four tips above are the core activities of building a personal learning network, and they can be applied using various tools to connect with others online. 5. 6. 7. 8. Final Thoughts These final two tips will help keep your initial frustrations in perspective, and help you avoid the temptation to focus on unimportant metrics as you grow your network. 9. 10.
Note: I’ve also been writing about this topic for some time. 12 Ways To Learn In 2012. Sharebar Here is this year’s review of new ways to expand your horizons by leveraging technology. For previous years, see 11 Ways to Learn in 2011 and 10 Ways to Learn in 2010. 1. Visit Digital Libraries and Collections The collections of many national, state, university and regional libraries provide digital assets online.
You can view astounding collections of full-text documents, images and videos as well as listen to audio recordings. Be Patient: it can take some drilling down to get to the actual items. Start with the World Digital Library to browse collections around the world in seven languages. 2. Learn what works for your body and your health. Find the site or app that’s right for you. 3. Expand your horizons, improve the planet and anticipate what’s coming with a better understanding of future trends and issues. If you are interested in the professional side of future studies, check out the Association of Professional Futurists. 3. 4. 5.
What’s your super power? 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 8 Things Teachers Do To Cause Boredom. When students get bored their minds drift. And while some settle on daydreaming, tile-counting, and general inattentiveness, other students are drawn to more…ahem…destructive pursuits. For where there is boredom, there is misbehavior percolating just under the surface, ready to pounce. Although there is a lot you can do to counter the onset of boredom, understanding what not to do is the first step to avoiding its negative effects. What follows is a list of the most common things teachers do to cause boredom. By steering clear of these eight attention killers, your students will spend more time on task and be far better behaved. And you’ll be a more effective teacher. 1. Although it’s important to increase your students’ stamina for both paying attention during lessons and focusing during independent work, if they’re made to sit too long, you’re asking for trouble. 2.
Students need room to breathe or they’ll form an unspoken mutiny and turn your classroom upside down. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
It's Time to Rethink the Hours America Spends Educating. Time is a resource we still haven't figured out how to use wisely. Credit: Edutopia Learning in America is a prisoner of time. For the past 150 years, American public schools have held time constant and let learning vary. The rule, only rarely voiced, is simple: Learn what you can in the time we make available.
It should surprise no one that some bright, hard-working students do reasonably well. Time is learning's warden. But we have put the cart before the horse: Our schools, and the people involved with them -- students, parents, teachers, administrators, and staff -- are captives of clock and calendar. Control by the Clock The degree to which today's American school is controlled by the dynamics of clock and calendar is surprising, even to people who understand school operations: The results are predictable. A Foundation of Sand Unyielding and relentless, the time available in a uniform 6-hour day and 180-day year is the unacknowledged design flaw in American education. These include. Overcoming the Divide Between Curriculum and Technology Leaders. The digital revolution is changing how many U.S. school districts create engaging learning environments, with collaboration between the curriculum and technology departments slowly becoming the norm rather than the exception.
By developing a common language around how students learn best, these leaders are fostering a shared vision for effective 21st century learning. Unfortunately, there remains a striking gap between this vision and the day-to-day strategic work these leaders are doing. Historically, technology leaders have focused more on technical work that includes data centers, wired and wireless environments for data, packet shaping and enterprise e-mail solutions.
Meanwhile, their curriculum colleagues often have been caught in the status quo, potentially discounting the important role digital technologies should play in preparing students for their knowledge-based future. Connecting the Dots Action Plan Recommended Reading A Force to Be Reckoned With. The T Factor - tips for...