12 Must Watch TED Talks for Teachers January 11, 2015 TED is another wonderful source of educational and inspirational videos to use in your class and for your professional development. A few days ago TED released its annual list of the most popular talks of the year featuring a number of interesting presentations covering different topics (e.g ). However, the list we have curated for you below goes beyond’s TED official collection to embed some wonderful talks directly relevant for us in education. We invite you to check it out below and as always share with us your feedback. Enjoy 2- How to Escape Education's Death Valley by Sir Ken Robinson 3- The Key to Success ?
13 bilder som visar varför jag är feminist | Hej hej vardag Ibland är det en röra i huvudet och ibland blir saker så tydliga. Jag har försökt teckna ner några av de där tydliga ögonblicken. En liten påminnelse om att feminism behövs. Varför jag tycker att den behövs. Och såklart kan man fylla på med fler bilder. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. The 10 Skills Modern Teachers Must Have There’s been a lot of talk recently about what it means to be a learner in the 21st Century. Earlier this year, we put together a guide with skills important for students today. So, why not a list for educators, too? The list goes beyond technology and social media. Check out what skill we think makes a modern teacher, and let us know your thoughts on the matter in the comments below. Image via flickr and Chicago 2016 Engage in Professional Communities: Teachers can sometimes lead a very solitary existence at school—spending all of their time tutoring before and after school and scarfing down lunch in front of the copier or spending their free period, if they’re lucky enough to have one, at their desks while grading papers. However the Essential skills for today’s teachers go far beyond “knowing how to use an iPad” and into the realm of connectedness. Editor’s note: This is a revised version of an article written by Jeff Dunn that originally appeared on March 12th, 2013.
10 Essential Survival Tips For New Teachers – Bored Teachers It's almost time to go Back to School! Anyone who teaches knows that it is one of the most overworked, underpaid, under appreciated jobs in the world. The ironic part is that teaching is the only profession that teaches all other professions, yet it's one of the lowest paying ones! With administration headaches, classrooms full of misbehaving kids, complaining parents, stacks of paperwork to complete, and families to take care of on few hours of sleep, it's hard to keep your sanity. We know. That's why we came up with this humorous list of ways to not lose your mind as a teacher. 1. via gifrific 2. via giphy 3. 4. via giphy 5. via imgur 6. via giphy 7. via giphy 8. via giphy 9. via disney 10. via tumblr
When someone says teachers don't deserve a raise, show them this letter This heartfelt eye-opening letter first appeared on Amy Murray’s Blog, miss night’s marbles and really shows you what teachers go through for our children every single day. Dear Parent: I know. You’re worried that THAT child is detracting from your child’s learning experience. Your child, this year, in this classroom, at this age, is not THAT child. I know, and I am worried, too. You see, I worry all the time. But I know, you want to talk about THAT child. I want to talk about THAT child, too, but there are so many things I can’t tell you. I can’t tell you that she was adopted from an orphanage at 18 months. I can’t tell you that he is on an elimination diet for possible food allergies, and that he is therefore hungry ALL. I can’t tell you that her parents are in the middle of a horrendous divorce, and she has been staying with her grandma. I can’t tell you that I’m starting to worry that grandma drinks… I can’t tell you that his asthma medication makes him agitated. That’s okay, you say.
3 Ways to Be Less Boring "Be less boring." That's a low bar for us as teachers. However, improvement is implicit in this command. Face it: some days, trying to be slightly less boring is all we have, while on other days, we feel like we could make the study of prairie grasses fascinating to fifth-grade kids. I've been on both ends of the spectrum. Here are three ideas that might help you be less boring. 1. We all know what wait time is -- ask a question and then give students time to think before calling on someone. If you're already good at wait time one, try wait time two. Closing my mouth makes class much more interesting for students and me. 2. Teachers have a Pavlovian response to hand raising. I implemented a policy that required students to signal when they don't want me to call on them. In an era of learning walks, instructional rounds, and unannounced observations, this method has another interesting advantage. 3. Your enjoyment of teaching is essential to being less boring.
20 Things You Can Do In (About) 10 Minutes For A Smoother Running Classroom When the school year begins, teachers spend a lot of time getting the classroom ready, planning lessons, and getting to know his/her students. The following list includes 20 ideas that you may not have thought of that can help produce a successful classroom. Each item takes no longer than an hour and can make a big difference throughout the year. 1. Traditional classrooms are normally arranged in a linear format with all the desks facing one direction. If your room allows it, arrange the desks in small groups with no obvious front. 2. To get the day off on the right foot, start with an inspirational quote or quiet meditation. 3. With a class size of 16 or more, chances are one or two students will be absent at least a couple times a week. When a student comes back, they go to the board and take the assignments they missed. 4. When the school year begins, take a few minutes out of your day to sit with your students and design the class rules. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
22 Powerful Closure Activities Too many university supervisors and administrators criticize the absence of lesson closure, a dubious assessment practice likely caused by the improper use of Madeline Hunter’s lesson plan model (PDF) as a de facto checklist of eight mandatory teaching practices -- anticipatory set, objective and purpose, input, modeling, checking for understanding, guided practice, independent practice, and closure -- a custom that Hunter decried in 1985 (PDF). Although it offers multiple benefits, please don't view closure as a professional must-do. What Is Closure? Closure is the activity that ends a lesson and creates a lasting impression, a phenomenon that Colorado State University professor Rod Lucero calls the recency effect. Teachers use closure to: Check for understanding and inform subsequent instructionEmphasize key informationTie up loose endsCorrect misunderstandings Students find closure helpful for: Creative Closure Activities 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Have kids sketch a book cover. 11.
Interactive Classroom Activities | The Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning Students learn through their participation in the attainment of knowledge by gathering information and processing it by solving problems and articulating what they have discovered. Each activity below provides students with opportunities to deepen their learning by applying concepts and articulating new knowledge and many of these activities also provide the instructor feedback about the students’ learning. Entry/Exit Tickets Entry & Exit tickets are short prompts that provide instructors with a quick student diagnostic. Entry tickets focus student attention on the day’s topic or ask students to recall background knowledge relevant to the day’s lesson: e.g., “Based on the readings for class today, what is your understanding of ___________?” Learn more about entry and exit tickets, and see examples. Free Writing/Minute Paper/Question of the Day Exercise These are activities that prompt students to write a response to an open question and can be done at any time during a class. Ice Breakers
Elige Educar — 9 ideas para evaluar de forma entretenida Evaluar es uno de los trabajos más desafiantes y complejos que realizan los profesores en la sala de clases. Es un proceso importante porque a partir de éste se pueden tomar decisiones respecto de los aprendizajes que los alumnos están construyendo y a la vez, permite mirar la efectividad de las estrategias que se utilizan para ello. Considerando la evaluación formativa como un proceso vital para que los alumnos logren aprendizajes significativos, es que quisimos compartirles esta nota del sitio Edutopia que entrega diversos tips para hacer de este proceso algo más atractivo para los estudiantes y también para los docentes ¡Esperamos que sean de ayuda!