A decade ago, many predicted that K-12 education might shift entirely online, especially in the upper grades. Michael Horn, co-founder of the Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation, spoke of blended learning as the “new model that is student-centric, highly personalized for each learner, and more productive, as it...
Have you ever overlooked a child for gifted education services?
Be honest—then again, maybe they slipped through the cracks because, as many teachers do, you operated from some partially or completely inaccurate preconceived notions when identifying gifted students.
I’m writing about an old problem. It’s nothing new. But, before you stop reading, understand that this problem will remain a large problem unless school administrators and teachers do something about it...
“We need courageous cathedral builders! We also need to address traditional experts’ biases clinging to their narrow domains, parents’ old personal experiences biasing their views, and teachers’ and administrators’ lack of training and leadership, respectively.” — Charles Fadel
All around us we...
Wishing those of you who are now on Summer Break a very relaxing time. As someone that taught for 33 1/2 years, the very first FULL day of vacation was always the beginning of possibilities of things to do that I didn't get to do during the school year. In fact, I remember dreading the alarm clock going off at 6 a.m. during the...
Recently, I was cleaning the garage, going through some old classroom supplies, when I came across a pile of money.
Well, not really—it was “play” money I had created years ago, when I taught a self-contained fifth-grade, gifted classroom. The money was part of an economic system I used with the students, one that produced lots of fun but also instilled valuable lessons.
One of the largest gaps in our current education system is financial literacy. We do little if...
“For depressed rural areas, there are two options: Help people relocate to stronger areas or help them get skills and jobs where they are, at least partly through subsidized job creation and newer kinds of economic development.” — Harry Holzer
Donald Trump’s journey to become president of the US...
“Each of those objects is a portrait of who we were as a society, and a promise of who we wanted to be. So who are you now, and who do you want to become, now that you’ve had a look into the mirror of Robots?” — Ling Lee
What will robots mean to our future, and more specifically, what will their impact...
I’d like to take a moment to write about an often-ignored topic in teaching. Likely, it’s not covered in professional development or faculty meetings or college coursework, but I believe it is, nonetheless, a vital, living, breathing component of the classroom, which can transform learning and uplift students and teachers.
Humor. It’s present in some classrooms, dreadfully absent in others. It comes natural to some teachers, difficult for others.
Believe it or not, humor in...
“American kids are now 10, 20, 50 or 90 times more likely to be on prescription psychiatric medications compared with kids in other countries (the rate varies depending on the diagnosis in question). I think it’s an important and disturbing trend.” — Dr. Leonard Sax
Dr. Leonard Sax graduated Phi Beta...
I found this recent news story of interest and wanted to share. Perhaps, it might be a writing prompt for your students.
Imagine reaching the summit of Mount Everest. Now, imagine reaching it TWICE in one week. Anshu Jamsenpa, of India, set a new women’s record for a double ascent of Mount Everest in one season. Even more amazing, this is the FIFTH accent of Mount Everest by Jamsenpa! At 29,028 feet, some say it is now 29,035, Mount Everest stands about 5 1/2 miles above...