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Four Strategies to Spark Curiosity via Student Questioning

Four Strategies to Spark Curiosity via Student Questioning
British archaeologist Mary Leakey described her own learning as being "compelled by curiosity." Curiosity is the name we give to the state of having unanswered questions. And unanswered questions, by their nature, help us maintain a learning mindset. When we realize that we do not know all there is to know about something in which we are interested, we thirst. We pursue. We act as though what we do not know is more important than what we do, as though what we do not possess is worth the chase to own it. Strategy One: Equip Students to Ask Questions At its essence, curiosity is asking questions and pursuing answers. We often ask students if they have any questions, but we rarely teach them how to ask advantageous questions. Strategy Two: Provide a Launch Pad Even if students have mastered the full range of question forming, it is difficult to inquire about topics with which they have no familiarity. Strategy Three: Cast a Wide Net Strategy Four: Avoid Cutting the Search Short References

Videos to help you rethink education, learning, & school Having children causes one to (re)think seriously about education and the role of school. Education obviously is the most powerful thing in the world. And yet the old Mark Twain chestnut — "I never let school get in the way of my education" — speaks to the core of my own thinking regarding education. I am not an expert in education by any means, but like almost everyone, I have strong ideas based on my personal experiences going through formal, mass schooling. Seth Godin on EducationIn this short interview, Seth Godin sums up the essence of the problem. Seth Godin on how schools teach kids to aim lowIn this short clip Seth Godin says something concerning the "lizard brain" and our fear of taking risks that reminded me of the world of live stand-up presentations in work or academia. RSA Animate - Changing Education ParadigmsThis is an RSA animation of Sir Ken Robinson's second talk at TED. Born to learnI love the simple animation and flow to this presentation on learning. Dr.

Free Teaching Resources PowerPoint Presentations Free to download Looks Aren't Everything, but They Make College Acceptance Letters More Enticing Over the past few weeks I have been meticulously checking my mail, both physical and digital, and so far I am extremely happy with the results. I have been accepted into all of my SUNYs (Stony, Geneseo, Binghamton and University at Buffalo) and still wait for the privates (Vassar and Wesleyan). As for CUNYs, I have been accepted into Hunter, Baruch, City College and Brooklyn. But, I have been accepted through regular decision and not into the Macaulay Honors program, which makes finances of greater importance. Now the colleges are waiting for my response. Decision time has come. I believed that this would be a very easy choice, that once the colleges were before me I would just know which I preferred most. Although flashy envelopes and welcoming e-mails seem to be an obvious advertising ploy by each college, I found that it does sway my decision. I know that the appearance of acceptance letters should not play a major role in my choice. Mr.

Questioning Toolkit Essential Questions These are questions which touch our hearts and souls. They are central to our lives. They help to define what it means to be human. Most important thought during our lives will center on such essential questions. What does it mean to be a good friend? If we were to draw a cluster diagram of the Questioning Toolkit, Essential Questions would be at the center of all the other types of questions. All the other questions and questioning skills serve the purpose of "casting light upon" or illuminating Essential Questions. Most Essential Questions are interdisciplinary in nature. Essential Questions probe the deepest issues confronting us . . . complex and baffling matters which elude simple answers: Life - Death - Marriage - Identity - Purpose - Betrayal - Honor - Integrity - Courage - Temptation - Faith - Leadership - Addiction - Invention - Inspiration. Essential Questions are at the heart of the search for Truth. Essential Questions offer the organizing focus for a unit.

25 TED Talks Perfect For Classrooms The 50 Best Sources of Free STEM Education Online 12.05K Views 0 Likes Colleges, universities, and other educational forums in your community can be excellent places to learn more about a variety of STEM topics, but there is also a wealth of educational material available on the web for those who prefer to learn at their own pace or take a more individual approach. Rubrics for Teachers - Assessment Learn more about our Online Courses, Online Certificate Programs, and Graduate Degree A collection of rubrics for assessing portfolios, group work/cooperative learning, concept map, research process/ report, PowerPoint, oral presentation, web page, blog, wiki, and other social media projects. Quick Links to Rubrics Social Media Project Rubrics Wiki RubricCriteria for assessing individual and group Wiki contributions. Blog RubricAssess individual blog entries, including comments on peers' blogs. Twitter RubricAssess learning during social networking instructional assignments. Discussion, Teamwork, and Group Work Rubrics Online Discussion Board RubricAssessing ability to share perspectives, refine thoughts through the writing process, and participate in meaningful discussionPrimary Grade Self-Evaluation Teamwork Rubric (PDF)Features of a sandwich to graphically show the criteria PowerPoint and Podcast Rubrics A+ PowerPoint Rubric Joan Vandervelde's rubric provides 10 performance categories

How Should We Test Students' College Educations? Copyright © 2012 NPR. For personal, noncommercial use only. See Terms of Use. For other uses, prior permission required. This is TALK OF THE NATION. Critics denounce the CLA as inaccurate and unfair. Later in the program, Dexter Filkins of The New Yorker with questions about the political culture in America's crucial Middle East ally, Turkey. JEFFREY STEEDLE: Thanks, Neal, it's great to be here. CONAN: And the CLA made news recently when results of some institutions showed little difference between freshmen and seniors, which suggested to some that four years of college education did not make a lot of difference. STEEDLE: That's true, Neal, though I think it's important to recognize that the generalizability of those results are limited by what the CLA measures. CONAN: And so obviously it's not testing for organic chemistry or mathematics. STEEDLE: Exactly. CONAN: So how are schools using it? STEEDLE: Schools are using the test really as a way to help them improve teaching and learning.

Cool Tools for Schools 9 Essential Skills Kids Should Learn, by Leo Babauta Kids in today’s school system are not being prepared well for tomorrow’s world. As someone who went from the corporate world and then the government world to the ever-changing online world, I know how the world of yesterday is rapidly becoming irrelevant. I was trained in the newspaper industry, where we all believed we would be relevant forever — and I now believe will go the way of the horse and buggy. Unfortunately, I was educated in a school system that believed the world in which it existed would remain essentially the same, with minor changes in fashion. We were trained with a skill set that was based on what jobs were most in demand in the 1980s, not what might happen in the 2000s. And that kinda makes sense, given that no one could really know what life would be like 20 years from now. We had no idea what the world had in store for us. And here’s the thing: we still don’t. How then to prepare our kids for a world that is unpredictable, unknown? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Print

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