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 early childhood professionals, we each have a philosophy on teaching, classroom management, family engagement, and curriculum, to name only a few. Starting today, we must make sure that if our philosophies don’t already include play, we begin developing that vital...

C.M. Rubin’s Global Education Report
Nuclear weapons have been used twice in warfare: in the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. As the threat of nuclear warfare drew closer last year, it was announced that Beatrice Fihn and her advocacy group, The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), had won the...
If you’ve been in education for any length of time, you know you can count on one thing: things are going to change. The latest, greatest educational reform-whether if it comes from the federal, state or local level (or all of them) will surely impact your school and classroom. Reform, plainly speaking, is the nature of education. And if you’re going to survive for any amount of time in this profession, you must learn to ride these waves.
Just in the last decade, education has...

“What struck me most was the absurdity, that everyone agrees these weapons should never be used, but we need nuclear weapons so they won’t be used?” — Beatrice Fihn
What can we learn about innovation from those who seek to abolish nuclear weapons?
The Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Awards (TDIA) has named Nobel...

“We should be changing the goals of education to focus on deeper learning: Relevance of what is taught, to build motivation, and personalization of the What and How; Versatility, to create ‘Renaissance humans’, which brings robustness to face whatever life throws at us; Transfer, insuring that what we learn in...
Mentor teachers play a significant role in helping to prepare new teachers for the profession. The rewards for hosting a student teacher in your classroom can be many: benefiting from their enthusiasm and energy, feelings of satisfaction as you see them grow and develop, picking up the latest teaching techniques, a chance to collaborate and co-teach.
However, deciding to mentor a student teacher is a major decision. The responsibility is great as you have agreed to serve as a role-...

“I like to think that we’ll find ways to partner with our AI creations — to enhance life, bringing about more shared equity and prosperity, and to enable humans to connect more deeply with one another.” — Chris Messina
Many know Chris Messina as the guy who invented the Twitter hashtag, but Chris Messina...