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.
How can new teachers be prepared for the challenges of the urban classroom? College professor Dave Weiss, who taught for more than 30 years in Chicago, offers some personal suggestions in this week's Pulse blog post.
Some school districts have already instituted a one-year student teaching program. This allows the novice to experience the practicalities of beginning the first day of school and the end of the school year. This would be an excellent program if instituted...
Kung Hei Fat Choy!
That's Happy New Year in Chinese.2012 is the Year of the dragon, the most honored of all years of the Chinese zodiac. On the Chinese calendar, called Yuan Tan,the year is 4710. Chinese New year is not always held on the same day each year. It depends on when the second new moon of the winter solstice occurs. This year, Chinese New Year is January 23rd. I've compiled information and resources you might find helpful.
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Imagine, knowing that your birthday would always fall on the same day each and every year. Would it be helpful if you knew that all holidays would also be celebrated on the same day? Our current calendar, called the Gregorian calendar, has been used for 450 years. Two professors at John Hopkins University think we need a new calendar. Their calendar would eliminate all leap years, which are added ever 4 years to keep our 365.2422 day year from getting our calendar out of sorts. With the...
Starting off with something so simple, the first task to change your classroom to a haven of learning is to grab some Popsicle sticks from a craft store. It doesn't matter whether they are plain or colored. It doesn't matter whether they are skinny or fat. Your only purpose is to use them to write students' names.
Once you have your sticks, begin writing each student name on individual sticks until you have written down your entire roster. Be sure to include last initials of students...
Editor's Note: This week's post comes from Dave Weiss, a college professor who teaches in the education department.
The title of this post can be applied to the state of teacher education today. When I did my teacher training, forty years ago, I was armed with Piaget, Bruner, Dewey, and other theories of learning. I found these theorists exciting and stimulating. I was ready to implement these theories when I would finally be given my own classroom. My goal was to teach in an...
Editor's Note: This week's post comes from Dave Weiss~ a college professor who teaches in the education department.
In the period of time that I have been an adjunct instructor in various schools of education~ I have witnessed and participated in on-going debates and discussions concerning how prospective teachers should be prepared for the urban classroom. Much of this debate has centered on the issue of theory versus practice.
In the classes I have...
With the Martin Luther King holiday coming~ I wanted to share a webquest I developed on the minister and civil rights leader. Martin Luther King once said~ There is nothing more tragic in all this world than to know right and no do it." Perhaps~ you can use this quote to discuss the issue of bullying and how if a student sees something that looks like bullying-to say something!Perhaps~ you might find the webquest of value to use with your students. You can find it at this link:...
Using current events in the classroom as a cross curricular activity...Perhaps~ your students might want to follow Helen Skelton's attempt to be the first person to bike to the South Pole.She started today on her 500 mile trek using a specially built bike~ the Hanebrink "ice bike". Skelton hopes to complete The Polar Challenge~in 20 days. Skelton hopes to travel 14 hours a day~ battling frigid air... temps(-13F to -58F) and wind speeds that can reach up to 125 mph~ for charity. She will...
Student recognition in the classroom is a necessity to keep students working their hardest. It becomes easy to overlook the student who is always doing what is expected~ and to always notice the child who is misbehaving. But~ consciously recognizing students as they achieve great things is vital to motivating children throughout their school career.
Think about the last time you were praised by your superior. How did it feel? Did you remember whether or not you smiled? Were you then...