In a recent staff development that I conducted at Williamsburg Christian Academy~ Williamsburg~ Virginia~ we explored the power of Socratic Seminars to engage teachers in conversation about the following:
1. Use of higher order questioning in every class: Bloom's and William's Taxonomies
2. The power of rich texts in all content areas: The Great Books and Primary Resources
3. The essentials of student directed classrooms in high school: Flipped Classrooms~ Harkness Tables~...
In the wake of Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer's retirement announcement, industry insiders are busying themselves predicting who will be tapped to head the tech firm.
Everyone from a former Apple executive to Bill Gates himself is being rumored to take Redmond's top job, yet an official announcement is not expected soon.
Rick Sherlund, head...
Time management requires a sharp focus first on yourself then on your work (see my earlier blogs for helpful hints). With your personal world in order~ it is time to look at classroom routines or protocols. I prefer to call my classroom "rules" protocols for how we work in a learning community.
My high school classroom protocols are clear and I spend the first day of school helping students understand why protocols work. First~ using...
Researchers at Kent State University studied the general knowledge of students throughout the United States in order to compare what facts they knew in 1980 versus 2012.
The studyused college students~ and shows some major differences between what was most often absorbed in 1980 and what's filling the minds of today's students.
The folks at...
The job of a substitute teacher is not an easy one. Subs have to be prepared to teach any subject in any classroom~ and to top it all off~ they have to learn loads of new names each time that they cover for a classroom teacher.
Especially in one's early days of serving as a sub~ bad days can happen. Kids can be unruly and disrespectful. Instructions left by the classroom teacher can be unclear. The school's routines can be confusing.
If these scenarios sound familiar~ we want...
The folks over at Best Masters in Educationhave provided the EducationWorldCommunitywith this excellent infographic on the use of social media in education.Enjoy!
Teens are actively Tweeting~ Posting~ Liking~ and Commenting all across Social Media and there...
Apple co-founder and tech icon Steve Wozniak doesn't think too highly of the recent biopic made about his former partner Steve Jobs.
Asked to offer a review of the Ashton Kutcher-led film by Gizmodo, Wozniak was cordial while saying it wasn't as good as he'd hoped.
...The idea for this post comes from an old Lego piece that lies on my desk.
Its a black piece with eight notches. I have no idea what Lego kit it comes from~ nor do I care.
But the piece will stay on my desk as a powerful reminder~ a reminder that we owe it to ourselves and to the children in the schools where we work to allow kids to share their interests and passions~ and whenever possible~ provide time and encouragement to pursue those passions with vigor.
First...
Time in yourself is time well invested! Reflect on the time you spend each day in essential preparations for others: as a professional, a care-giver, a parent, a spouse, a pet owner, or with a partner in your life, your time is centered on the wellness of others. Caring is the essence of our profession; it is what attracted us to the profession in many instances. Here are some of the best nuggets I can offer you for self-care to remain focused, healthy, and...
Time is a currency of teachers; spend it on building community! Building any community is centered around the idea of shared common visions and shared story telling. Tell your story to your students in simple ways that can transform learning and create teams of learners. Start small to create your shared classroom legends and legacies.