Four Tools to Merge the Digital and Physical in Your Maker Classroom It’s a new world: the digital and tangible are merging, and educators need to help students navigate the changing terrain. The solution? Let them be Makers. I’ve been involved in digital learning and education technology for more than 30 years, and the burgeoning attempt to merge the digital and physical worlds has been one of the most interesting aspects of the evolution of EdTech to date. It’s no longer enough—if it ever was—for teachers to lecture to a row of desks; today’s teacher must be more of a coach. See, Understand, Make There are several evolving spaces in which we are seeing the blending of the digital and physical successfully fostering critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity. Perhaps most obviously, 3D printing is enabling students to imagine, design, problem-solve and create in the digital domain, and the outcome of their work is a product they can hold in their hands. 2. 3. 4. Today’s Makers Solve Tomorrow's Problems We can tackle these obstacles.
Search Results for “modals” Image credit: www.english-heritage.org.uk Follow me on twitter @RobbioDobbio This is a grammar lesson on the theme of mysterious ancient monuments. I taught this class as my assessed lesson for the grammar assignment of my DELTA. Download the procedure, powerpoint and handouts below. Let me know if the lesson procedure is clear enough as it’s written in Cambridge DELTA speak! Lesson Procedure Past Speculation 3rd draft The Mystery of Stonehenge 3rd draft – Students’ handout The Mystery of Stonehenge Teacher’s copy with key – answers underlined Mysteries of the ancient world 2nd draft – Powerpoint with pictures The Mystery of Stonehenge – Students’ Handout Thousands of years ago, an ancient civilization raised a circle of huge, roughly rectangular stones in a field in what is now Wiltshire, England. How was Stonehenge built? The biggest of Stonehenge’s stones, known as sarsens, are up to 30 feet (9 meters) tall and weigh 25 tons (22.6 metric tons) on average. What was Stonehenge? Lesson Procedure
Replacing homework with sporting activities The research around the impact of homework on learning outcomes is not conclusive, and at times contradictory. If your school is considering stopping formal homework and encouraging students to do something else, what are the alternatives? Here’s one school’s approach. Richardson Primary School doesn’t have an after-school homework club; in fact, it doesn’t set formal homework. It was a different story when Principal Jason Borton arrived at the Canberra school four years ago. ‘There’s not an ACT [Australian Capital Territory] policy on homework, it’s a school-based decision. He says there were several issues with the old approach at Richardson Primary. ‘After watching the homework club for about a term, [I could see] kids were coming in there tired, irritable from the school day and then being expected to sit and do these boring worksheets – practising spelling words, etcetera … it was very uninspiring. The approach has also received strong support from the vast majority of parents.
edsurge Recently, I received this message from a college professor in response to a blog post I wrote: “I truly believe in the benefits of online learning; but only for those who really want to learn. And unfortunately, those students are few and far between—maybe 5 to 10 percent ... I’ve thought deeply about this message for a while and I’d like to unpack my reflections a bit more here. Motivation’s Shaping Forces To start, motivation is not like having a size 8 foot. Human brains are wired to think deeply about the things that are most important to us. In the 1950s, researchers Bloom, Krathwohl and Harrow classified learning into three domains: cognitive (thinking), affective (feeling) and psychomotor (doing). The 6 C’s of Motivation The framework provided below examines the six C’s of motivation, which researchers Paris and Turner introduced in 1995 to help teachers understand how to motivate early literacy learners. Choice: Options increase intrinsic motivation. Control: Give some of it up.
Simple ways to differentiate materials for mixed level classes I love this picture..they’re all eggs, but just look at the variety. And it’s the same in any class. Differentiation can be defined as: “….identifying and addressing the different needs, interests and abilities of all learners to give them the best possible chance of achieving their learning goals.” (Standards Unit, Improving differentiation in business education, DfES 2004) Differentiation is a key issue in ESOL, or teaching English to students who now live in an English speaking country. In ELT, differentiation is more often referred to as ‘teaching mixed ability’ or ‘mixed levels’. That said, I don’t believe in providing different worksheets for all the students and getting them to work on these individually or even in pairs. Let’s look at some ways in which we can differentiate without having to spend hours on preparation. 1 Differentiation by outcome Some people use differentiated outcomes on their lesson plans. 2. The activities we choose to use can also differentiate well. Like this:
edutopia The real question we should be asking is, "What do we believe should happen after the end of the school day to help ensure that students retain what they have learned and are primed to learn more?" Any answer with the word, "work" in its name, as in "homework," is not typically going to be met with eagerness or enthusiasm by students. Ideally, we want children to understand that they are always learners. A realistic homework strategy should be a key topic of back-to-school night and the first parent-teacher conferences of the school year. Home Activities That Matter the Most Children should be encouraged to read, write, perform arithmetic, better understand the world around them in terms of civics, science, and the arts, and, of course, develop their people skills -- their emotional intelligence. Some parents will select focused programs or after-school experiences to help foster their children's learning in one or more of the aforementioned areas. Parents Playing Their Part Reference
Strategies for Helping Students Motivate Themselves Editor's Note: This piece was adapted from Building a Community of Self-Motivated Learners: Strategies to Help Students Thrive in School and Beyond by Larry Ferlazzo, available March 21, 2015 from Routledge. My previous post reviewed research on extrinsic and intrinsic motivation, and described the four qualities that have been identified as critical to helping students motivate themselves: autonomy, competence, relatedness, and relevance. In this post, I'll discuss practical classroom strategies to reinforce each of these four qualities. Autonomy Providing students with freedom of choice is one strategy for promoting learner autonomy. Some researchers, however, believe that a third option, cognitive choice, is a more effective way to promote longer-lasting student autonomy. Competence Feedback, done well, is ranked by education researcher John Hattie as number 10 out of 150 influences on student achievement. But how do you handle providing critical feedback to students when it's necessary?
Comprehension Questions-All Books | Rise To Reading This is a complete list of books with comprehension questions. It gets updated regularly as new books are added. You can also view a list by Author. The letter listed after the book title is the guided reading level of the book. *** An excellent story and I highly recommend it for your child. Books for Ages 6-9 yrs A Day of Adventure #2 A Pirate's Tale L The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids Flat Stanley Flat Stanley Q Flat Stanley's Worldwide Adventures #4 The Intrepid Canadian Expedition Q Little Bill #11 Hooray for the Dandelion Warriors L Horrid Henry Calvin Coconut Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew The Tiara Club The Tiara Club at Ruby Mansions Novels Sharing Snowy N Book for Ages 6-10 yrs Boxcar Children Bunnicula Bunnicula- A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery Magic Tree House Magic Tree House Merlin Missions Mrs. Non-Fiction Why Do Leaves Change Color? Time Warp Trio #1 Knights of the Kitchen Table P Books for Ages 8-10 Hank Zipzer I Survived The Attacks of September 11, 2001 R The Fudge Books Books for Ages 8 yrs and Up
edutopia The real question we should be asking is, "What do we believe should happen after the end of the school day to help ensure that students retain what they have learned and are primed to learn more?" Any answer with the word, "work" in its name, as in "homework," is not typically going to be met with eagerness or enthusiasm by students. Ideally, we want children to understand that they are always learners. In school, we refer to them as "students" but outside of school, as children, they are still learners. So it makes no sense to even advertise a "no homework" policy in a school. It sends the wrong message. A realistic homework strategy should be a key topic of back-to-school night and the first parent-teacher conferences of the school year. Home Activities That Matter the Most Some parents will select focused programs or after-school experiences to help foster their children's learning in one or more of the aforementioned areas. Parents Playing Their Part Reference Elias, M.
How can schools better engage girls in STEM? Dive Brief: Talmesha Richards from Million Women Mentors and Melissa Moritz, deputy director of STEM initiatives at the U.S. Department of Education, recommend schools engage girls in STEM subjects at a young age. Dive Insight: There's been great news related to girls' performance in STEM subjects recently, with National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results on literacy in engineering and technology showing for the first time girls now lead the way. Experts echo the recommendations made by Richards and Moritz in District Administration, saying engineering and technology instruction needs to begin as early as possible. The Harvard Family Research Project recently unveiled a newsletter citing a need for STEM learning to begin at home, saying math knowledge in particular "is one of the best predictors of later school success, and that it develops anywhere, anytime, starting at birth." Recommended Reading District Administration: How schools fuel female STEM participation
10 Most Common Rookie Mistakes in Public Speaking In this guest post, Terry Gault, Managing Partner and Vice President of The Henderson Group, provides insight into how to become a better presenter by avoiding a few common mistakes. Terry oversees all curriculum and services at The Henderson Group. In addition he is responsible for the selection, training and development of all trainers and facilitators for The Henderson Group, and has been an instructor with the Henderson Group for over 15 years. Having coached clients on presentation skills since 1997, I’ve noticed some clear patterns in the behavior of inexperienced presenters. Take a look at the prezi we've made to illustrate these 10 mistakes, and the easy ways that you can avoid them. Most rookie presenters are afraid to take up too much space. Actually, this problem is not restricted solely to rookie presenters. 80 – 90% of the presenters that I observe do not expend enough energy. Many presenters, rookies included, avoid taking risks. S-l-o-w d-o-w-n!
Primary school homework debate leading some parents to opt out Parents should make use of a little-known power to negotiate with teachers over the volume of homework set for their children. As the debate over the value of homework heats up again, Parents Victoria said it was a good idea to talk to teachers about homework and these discussions should include students. Some primary schools in New South Wales are allowing parents to opt their children out of homework, and others are reviewing their homework policies as time-poor families struggle to keep up with the extra schoolwork being sent home. Meanwhile, in Victoria, homework practices are under review, with the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development considering recommendations from a 2014 parliamentary inquiry. That inquiry found strong evidence "and general agreement" that homework had almost no academic benefit for primary-school students, although it may help prepare them for secondary school. "I think that's probably a great idea. A Sydney mother's stand against homework