It is one of the most beloved film franchises of all time, and now Star Wars has been examined and presented as a means to teach world history. A new book entitled Star Wars and History claims that the epic space story parallels many earthly historical events. Star Wars creator George Lucas has denied any intentional links to actual events, but admits that due to the films' overall narrative of good vs. evil and war and rebellion, it would be impossible to avoid any similarities.
Nonetheless, authors Nancy Reagin and Janice Liedl have created an interesting way to present world history to students via a pop-culture phenomenon that is almost universally loved. CNet sat down with Liedl for an interesting look behind the making of the book. Read the interview here.
As we get ready to head in to summer, I know you are thinking about taking a break! You should be. But, as a teacher, I know my brain was always thinking, “what is something new I will try next year”? I am going to break down STEAM and STEM learning this summer in a several part series, to make it easier to try to organize and decide what YOU want...
The COVID pandemic caused k-12 teachers and higher education faculty to suddenly shift to using more technology, to teach virtually and remotely, to keep learning going in new ways. Educators were pushed out of their comfort zones, having to quickly learn new knowledge and skills.
For instance, some k-12 teachers were required to use course management systems such as Canvas—tools traditionally reserved for the college-level- to organize online work, grade assignments, and communicate...
Principals can help shift the focus from teaching to learning if they insist that certain critical questions be considered and principals are in a key position to pose those questions. How can we continue to reduce student misbehavior and increase time on task? Is the redirect process working? What do we want our students to know and be able to do? Teachers are not teaching if students are not learning.
The focus of high performing schools are not on are you teaching but what are the...
As teachers, we want to share ideas with families on how to engage with their children at home in a meaningful way. During the 2020 pandemic we were all made to stay home (eat, shop, clean, do chores etc). Everything was done with a small group that usually included your family. Hopefully families worked together on cleaning the house, gardening, planting flowers etc. Life skills are something that no one can take from you. They are also something you are going to use your entire life....
Since their inception, schools have continually sought to improve in response to demands from teachers, administrators, parents, policymakers and legislators. When we look at the research into improving schools and examine the keys to school improvement, it invariably boils down to the ability of the people within the school to function as a professional learning community. A professional learning community (PLC) shares a vision. A vision is generally created by the principal to move the...