Top 10 Ways to Wake-up Students in Class - SimpleK12 The following is a guest post from Michelle Doman, a 7th and 8th grade Language Arts teacher at Brandon Middle School in Wisconsin. Top 10 Ways to Wake-up Students in Class Many people get a little squeamish, wiggly, and offer a scrunched expression when I respond to the question, “What grades do you teach?” I teach middle school, and with heart and honesty, I find great joys (and challenges) in teaching the group referred to as “tweens” and adolescents. So, I invite you into the quirky world of middle school. Do not fear…you will become comfortable in a beanbag, find a new young-at-heart-love-for reading air, and (at times chuckle) as I give you a sneak-peek into the crevices (oh, look out for that dirty sock) of the teenage minds. Here are the Top 10 Ways to Wake-up Students in Class... 10. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. If anyone has more ideas to capture the wondering, daydreaming, (hormonal) minds of middle school students, I would love to read about them. P.S.
CCSD Wiki-Teacher HippoCampus James Rosenberg: Technology in the Classroom: Friend or Foe? The proliferation of technology has transformed modern society on many levels. In the classroom, technology is changing the way children learn, educators teach and how teachers and students communicate with one another. While technology provides greater access to information and new ways for students to learn, it can become a crutch hindering creative problem solving and cognitive development. Given the rise of technology in the classroom, we are faced with a dilemma: Does technology provide our students with experience they need to succeed in the 21st century, or does it hinder them from developing valuable skills that are only attainable through human interaction? One approach, illustrated by New Tech Network high schools, aims to completely immerse students in technology to help them develop modern-day skills. Other arguments in favor of technology in the classroom include: Other arguments against technology in the classroom include:
Designing Shifts-Aligned Interventions in the Math Classroom As teachers, we want to help all kids learn and when we’re faced with the realization that some students just aren’t “getting it,” we work to figure out how to catch kids up. It’s a prevalent struggle many educators grapple with and a frequent conversation in schools: How do we address unfinished learning in math and fill gaps in student understanding? Over the course of my career I have seen, all too often, students behind grade level denied access to grade-level mathematics, in an effort to catch them up or “fill the holes.” So, how do we address unfinished learning and support students in developing understanding and mastery of content? Recommendations for Targeted Math and Intervention Evidence of the Shifts in Mathematics are found in the Recommendations for Targeted Math and Intervention chart. With Focus, intervention time should be based on the content that matters most for success in later mathematics. Remember that the standards themselves call for particular aspects of Rigor.
HowStuffWorks Visual Math Improves Math Performance - YouCubed Mathematics educators have long known that engaging students in visual representations of mathematics is extremely helpful for their learning. When youcubed offered “How Close to 100” as an activity for learning math facts with visual representations, teachers across the world were thrilled and responded with thousands of tweets showing students learning by playing the game. Some of the world’s top mathematicians engage almost entirely with visual mathematics. For example, Maryam Mirzakhani, arguably the most important mathematician of our time, works almost entirely visually. Visual mathematics is an important part of mathematics for its own sake and new brain research tells us that visual mathematics even helps students learn numerical mathematics. In a ground breaking new study Joonkoo Park & Elizabeth Brannon (2013), found that the most powerful learning occurs when we use different areas of the brain. For an example of visualizing algebra see here. References:
Homeschool Freebie of the Day Music Cues | Matt Vaudrey For students to become self-directed learners and constructive members of society, they should direct their own behavior to impact their circumstance. Instead of teachers yelling and nagging, music cues can direct the student action. Instead of micro-managing (“Damien, take out your notebook.”), we’re helping students direct themselves and manage their own time. Now, instead of the teacher shepherding all the students to get their notes/pencil/highlighter ready, the teacher leads a group of internally-motivated students toward a common goal. A trail guide, not a shepherd. My psychologist sister uses the term “internal locus of control” when we talk about my classroom. “You need Mark in the office? You’ve been there, right? I certainly have been there, and it ain’t much fun. Music cues, as I mentioned here, provide that “internal locus of control”1. I cannot emphasize enough how important this is: I’m not the one directing them to begin. Click to see In-room sound system. Train Your Students
Homeschool Helper Online Course Materials | New Jersey Center for Teaching and Learning Note: This page has additional resources available for logged in users. Courses by Subject: Common Core Mathematics Common Core Mathematics (Español) Math Intervention Science Science (Español) Teaching Methods All the digital materials needed to teach over twenty courses in Mathematics and Science are available for the free use by any student or teacher. What is PSI / PMI? To view some of these materials you will need SMART Notebook software. To get this product key, click here.
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