21st Principal’s 2012 Edublog Nominations Here’s my 2012 Edublog nominations. While it is difficult to narrow down my choices, these are sites I visit and read just about every single day and important nodes in my own professional learning network. Thanks to all! Individual BlogLarry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day: Consistently, day-after-day provides links to valuable information for all educators. New BlogDiane Ravitch’s Blog: Diane Ravitch’s new blog gives voice to public education advocates everywhere. Best EdTech/ Resource Sharing BlogFree Technology for Teachers: Very reliable and consistent resource on web and technology tools for the classroom. Teacher BlogThe Tempered Radical: An ongoing and constant voice of a classroom teacher and all things teaching. Library/Librarian BlogA Media Specialist’s Guide to the Internet: Site with tons of information and resources from the perspective a media specialist. Twitter Hashtag #edchat: The most influential and ongoing conversation about all things education.
It’s About Self-directed Learning “This is about students learning at their own pace, not working at their own pace.” – Summit San Jose Math Teacher Three weeks into the school year, a student in our Optimized Learning math pilot raised his hand and said to a teacher, “I think I am behind.” That simple statement led to a larger conversation and a good look at this ninth grader’s schooling history. When digging into his past, it became evident he had always been behind. And yet, he just kept moving forward through social promotion and low D grades. It was a defining moment for both this student and me. I strongly believe that if we are to achieve our mission of preparing every student to be successful in college, career and life, they need to become self-directed learners. When we launched our Optimized math pilot in the beginning of the school year, we gave students full autonomy over their learning. Mostly, students struggled almost immediately. However, they didn’t know what to do next. The Learning Cycle: Plan:
The Language of Learning From HookED Wiki Developing a common language of the learning process We identified the language of learning most commonly used in New Zealand schools by analysing the task descriptors used in Level One NCEA papers. The most commonly occurring terms in the language of learning were developed into ten visual maps coded against student learning outcomes to help students understand the process of (or how to) define, describe, sequence, classify, compare and contrast, causal explanation, part whole analysis, analogy, generalise, predict and evaluate. These Hooked on Thinking visual maps help make the language of learning visible to students whether they are five years old or eighteen years old. The maps are introduced individually but are intended to be used fluently in a sequence of learning experiences designed to unpack an NZC Achievement Objective as shown below. HOT Visual Maps Figure X HOT Compare and contrast Map HOT SOLO Coded Self Assessment Rubrics Media type="custom" key="5024685"
27 Ways To Publish Student Thinking Publishing student thinking can be among the most powerful ways to improve learning. There are a variety of reasons for this, but the biggest reason is that the “threat” of publishing moves the lodestone from the classroom to the “real world.” This, of course, changes everything. What To Publish Note that publishing finished products and the thinking process itself are two very different things–and the idea here is to publishing the thinking itself: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Most of the following can also be used to publish the finished products–essays, documentaries, and other project-based learning artifacts. Below are 27+ ways to make this happen–and most are available as apps. WordPress.comKidblogVoicethreadYouTube AnimotoVimeoGoAnimateEdmodoStoryKitIdea SketchJingStorifyPreziScribdSlideshareTwitterWordleiMovieTumblrInstagramGoogle+SkitchiBooks AuthorMookletBloggerBook Creator Creative Book Builder Image attribution flickr user flickeringbrad
Strategies to enhance student self-assessment Reflection activities Teachers often use proformae to encourage students to reflect on their learning experience. While these are convenient and provide a record of student thinking, they can become an activity devoid of any real thinking. View Sample reflective questions and prompts (doc,30kb) for younger students and Designing reflective prompts (doc,33kb) for older students. Student-led and three-way conferences Student-led conferences in which students present their learning to their teacher and parents are an opportunity for students to formally reflect on the learning that has taken place over a period of time. Usually the evidence they produce is in the form of a portfolio, which students have prepared according to provided guidelines. The student, with teacher guidance, is the one who selects the work. The teacher makes sure the students understand the purpose of the portfolio - that is, that: Use of rubrics Rubrics are a valuable tool for self-assessment. Use of graphic organisers
5 Strategies For Incorporating Social Emotional Learning Into Your Classroom by Meg Price, theeiexperience Social emotional learning (SEL) by definition is a process for learning life skills, including how to deal with oneself, others and relationships, and work in an effective manner. Although there are many great SEL programs, SEL can also be incorporated into each lesson as a way of teaching for students to really understand how to action the skills in a variety of situations and form positive habits. All students start school with some level of social and emotional skills and all will develop their social and emotional skills at a different rate. Parents and teachers are both responsible for teaching students life skills and certainly much of what they learn will be by watching our actions. The 5 strategies below are will not only benefit students SEL but will also be beneficial to teacher’s well-being. 5 Strategies For Incorporating Social Emotional Learning Into Your Classroom 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. - What aspects of this class did you enjoy today?
Student Assessment Rubrics | Standards Based Assessments Our performance material includes standards-based rubrics that define what work meets today's standards, allowing teachers (and students) to distinguish between different levels of performance. Our rubrics have four levels of performance: Novice, Apprentice, Practitioner (meets the standard) and Expert. Exemplars uses two types of rubrics: Standards-Based Assessment Rubrics are used by teachers to assess student work in Math, Science and Writing. Exemplars material includes both a general rubric as well as task-specific rubrics.Student Rubrics are used during peer- and self-assessments and feature kid-friendly language and symbols. Students can also use our Assessment Rubrics (and annotated anchor papers) to compare their work to during peer- and self-assessments. Back to top
12 Things Teachers Must Know About Learning 12 Things Teachers Must Know About Learning By Bill Page closeAuthor: Bill Page Name: Bill PageSite: About Bill Page ... Bill Page, a farm boy, graduated from a one-room school. He forged a career in the classroom teaching middle school “troublemakers.” For the past 26 years, in addition to his classroom duties, he has taught teachers across the nation to teach the lowest achieving students successfully with his proven premise, “Failure is the choice and fault of schools, not the students.” Bill Page is a classroom teacher. Bill Page’s book, At-Risk Students; Feeling Their Pain is available through his web site www.billpageteacher.com, or through Amazon.com. In the midst of the worldwide psycho-neurological revolution, knowledge about the brain and learning is exploding. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. With joy in sharing, At-Risk Students:
21 Simple Ideas To Improve Student Motivation - 21 Simple Ideas To Improve Student Motivation by TeachThought Staff The best lessons, books, and materials in the world won’t get students excited about learning and willing to work hard if they’re not motivated. Motivation, both intrinsic and extrinsic, is a key factor in the success of students at all stages of their education, and teachers can play a pivotal role in providing and encouraging that motivation in their students. Of course that’s much easier said than done, as all students are motivated differently and it takes time and a lot of effort to learn to get a classroom full of kids enthusiastic about learning, working hard, and pushing themselves to excel. Even the most well-intentioned and educated teachers sometimes lack the skills to keep kids on track, so whether you’re a new teacher or an experienced one, try using these methods to motivate your students and to encourage them to live up to their true potential. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18.
The 4 Newest Ways To Make Education More Interactive Sorry to have to say it, teachers, but few students want to listen to you talk about a subject for an hour, no matter how much you may love it. You think that you have prepared a nail-biting lecture of suspense about every war in which the United States has fought, and, by the War of 1812, your students are staring out the window, hoping for a superhero to fly in and rescue them from the classroom. Even for the most dedicated of students, books and lectures get boring. Keeping lessons fresh and challenging means keeping them interactive, and given it is almost 2013, incorporating this task is actually much easier than ignoring it. The incorporation of technology into classroom settings has shown a positive impact on the attention and scores of students. Below are some advances in 2012 which have changed the face of education and how students interact with technology, and each other: The Kineo Tablet : an 8-inch 1.3 GHz dual-core tablet aimed at schools that starts at $299. 2013 is coming.
A Pedagogical Framework For Digital Tools As a consequence of society’s digitization it becomes increasingly important to use technology in education, in primary as well as in secondary education. Students must achieve a number of digital literacies and competences that can enable them to succeed in a world where digital tools are a natural part of everyday life. In order to ensure that students acquire the necessary digital literacies and competences, and to ensure that they can critically think, it is important that they are presented with a range of digital tools and gain an understanding of the tools’ capabilities. This places high demands on the teacher. As a teacher it can be difficult to keep up with the new digital opportunities, and it can be hard to assess which digital tools students should be presented to, and in which contexts it is appropriate to use them in education. The framework is based on a distinction between a monological , a dialogical , and a polyphonic form of teaching. The monological form of teaching