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I believe we all have a duty to share our genius and make a difference in the world; and it’s in tapping into our truth that you will ultimately unleash the genius from those we […] The post No Genius Left Behind appeared first on Angela Maiers.

  This is a guest post by Nora Moran, a student at Northern Highlands High School in New Jersey. I recently visited Barnes and Noble to buy a copy of The Great Gatsby for English class. […] The post Mattering: The Key That Opens a Door appeared first on Angela Maiers.

This post was co-authored by Nora Moran, a student at Northern Highlands High School in New Jersey. April 14th is Leaders for Literacy day, a movement started by the International Literacy Association in 2015 to […] The post Digital Literacy Is About Power and Privilege appeared first on Angela Maiers.

  We are wired to be risk-adverse. We have very few courageous leaders today because it’s uncomfortable to be courageous. But today, playing it safe is the riskiest thing we can do. Courage is a muscle; you […] The post Genius Is Not an Anomaly; It’s Our Birthright appeared first on Angela Maiers.

I recently keynoted the second "What Great Educators Do Differently" Conference in Houston (it’s a wonderful conference, and I’ll be speaking at the next one in Atlanta on June 17 - sign up today). I had […] The post "It makes me feel like I can do anything!" - Window & Mirror in 2nd Grade appeared first on Angela Maiers.

The one thing that fuels me more than anything else is seeing the impact that Choose2Matter has in classrooms around the world Every day this year, I’ve heard how our free e-book, Liberating Genius, has […] The post How #LiberatingGenius Is Transforming Learning and Lives appeared first on Angela Maiers.

MAD About Mattering, a global project that challenges teams of students to develop apps that tackle social problems, today announced that at 3:30 pm EDT on Tuesday, May 10, 2016, students will present their apps […] The post Watch Students Present Their #AppsThatMatter to Expert Judges, May 10 3:30 pm EDT appeared first on Angela Maiers.

This is a guest post by Daniel Rezac, Director of Academic Technology at Quest Academy, an independent school in Palatine, IL. If you teach (or have) children of the ages of 8-13, you’ve most likely seen […] The post Students Solving Heartbreak: Creating Community Around Kid-Safe Minecraft Videos appeared first on Angela Maiers.

In my math class I feel I did a good job teaching some student the content, but many students in class learned more from each other than from me. Many students do not learn math well from large group instruction of examples on the board. They thrive with individual attention. But I can not sit down individually with 25 students for an extended amount of time. This was frustrating for students and myself. The solution came as I encouraged students to work on practice problems together. From this collaboration, stronger students started helping ones who struggled and needed more attention. I could do large group examples and my strongest students would "get it." They would then work in groups and help others. This gave the "teaching" students confidence and the "learning" students the attention that they needed. I saw a dramatic increase in the quality of work on assessments. The other "technique" that I use in math class is that whenever I give practice problems I also give students the answer key. The reason that I do this is so that students can check their own work. By having the answers students will not do a whole bunch of problems wrong and learn bad habits. If students get a problem incorrect they can "reverse engineer" how to do the problem correctly from the answer. This can lead to deep understandings. Students can’t cheat by copying the answers from a friend because they all have the answers and I don’t grade the practice problems. The motivation to do the problems comes from a clear understanding that the problems represent the coming assessment. I then can work the room and help the students who self assess that they don’t know what they are doing. Students either gain confidence as they check their work and see correct answers or get immediate feedback that they are incorrect and can ask for help from their classmates or me. Sometimes the students need less of listening to us and more of working together to solve problems on their own. We need to step in and coach as necessary, but also encourage students to develop their own number sense and be able to solve problems themselves.

Ever have a project that students don’t get very excited about? Chances are that it was lacking a quality audience and purpose. Deciding on the right public product that is authentic to students can be one of the most challenging and rewarding parts of designing a gold standard project-based learning (PBL) project. Sometimes teachers try to force a project on a set of standards in an artificial way. A way to avoid this is to start with an excellent, local partner. How We "Went Public" In our community, Grand Rapids, a couple of local citizens started an organization called Grand Rapids Whitewater, dedicated to removing dams from the Grand River in order to restore the original rapids for economic and ecological reasons. They raised money and political capital until it became obvious that their dream was going to become a reality. My colleagues and I immediately recognized that this was going to be the biggest change to our city in decades. We had to get our students involved! Finish reading my guest post at Getting Smart blog or on the BIE.org blog where it was originally published.  

I had the opportunity to record a short Google Hangout with other National Faculty members from Buck Institute for Education on the Gold Standard for "Student Voice and Choice." John Larmer wrote a nice post summarizing it here. Check out the entire GHO below:

By Dean+Barb We have about a month of school left. I am worn out from a long and stressful year. The weather is getting warmer and sunny (rare during Michigan winters). Kids are getting more restless and active. Everyone knows that we are pretty much down to the end and the pressure is on to make sure that we "cover all of the content" required by the syllabus, district, or curriculum office. Every Friday I am exhausted and ready for the weekend. I too am feeling the pressure of the end of the year, but in a different way. I feel like I am still learning to know my students and I only have limited time to engage them on a deep level. The seniors (which I no longer teach) are thinking about grad parties and college choices. This is my last month of having my students in class daily and getting to know their hopes and dreams. I have limited time to hear their jokes, listen to stories about their plays, music performances, and games. Time is slipping away from me being there to hear about students’ struggles with family issues, friendship problems, or personal dilemmas. I think about the students that I don’t know as well as I would like to because they are quiet or closed off. I think about the girl who has a hard shell around her keeping out anyone from seeing her deep pain. I think about the boy who thinks that no one really understands what his home life is like. So many students with so many dreams, yet also so much personal pain and struggles. I want to finish the year strong. To me that means lots of listening, caring,  and connecting. To me that means pushing my students to love themselves and each other.  Our last project focuses on poverty through the lens of the Great Depression. I want my students to care about the less fortunate and be empathetic. I will end the year by concentrating on connecting with students personally. I will end the year by speaking encouraging words daily. I will end the year by challenging students to consider the less fortunate. I am tired. I am ready for a break, but my students still need my best. I will end the year with love. I will show students how to love each other. I will leave my students with a message of hope and love for all. We are going to cram in as much caring this month as we can…

Steve Spangler Science has an incredible following on our three YouTube channels - The Spangler Effect, Sick Science! Experiments and Spangler Science TV. Our video team is dedicated to bring the best experiments and science programming to our viewers. They work hard every week setting off Mentos Soda Geysers in the parking lot, popsicle sticks in the studio and researching all of the science behind everything we do. The Spangler Effect is our weekly online science show that goes in-depth on some of the most popular and new experiments from Steve Spangler. Sick Science! features easy to do experiments and activities you can do at home or in the classroom. Spangler Science TV offers videos and experiments from all of Steve Spangler’s television appearances. We also enjoy watching and following all of the amazing work that is shared on YouTube education channels everyday. So much so that we thought we’d share some of our favorites for kids, parents and teachers. All offer something different and educational. This is what we watch at the Steve Spangler Labs - Science Giants NASA Television - NASA videos, tv and reports about space. World Science Festival - science news, interviews and information Scientific American - science news and lessons from Scientific American. Nature Videos - Meet the scientists behind the research. NOVA - science news and information. Nat Geo Wild - National Geographic’s channel on animals and ecosystems. Wired - Technology and gadgets from Wired.com Smithsonian - The museums videos on everything and anything. Science Channel - science news, information and stories from around the world. Independent Science Minute Physics - Science questions answered and broken down quickly and thoroughly with drawings to illustrate. ASAP Science - Similar to Minute Physics - mini science lessons illustrated through wipe board drawings. The Slow Mo Guys - 2 guys run video experiments and slow them down to investigate what really happens. Smarter Every Day - science videos exploring the world and answering the question of why. Vsauce - answers to ordinary and astounding science questions, and mind-blowing facts. Sci Show - discussions and questions on science news today. Education and Lifelong Learning Soulpancake - a huge variety of videos and programming to make you open your heart and your mind, including the very popular Kid President. Crash Course - Six courses to learn from - US History, Chemistry, World History, Biology, Literature, and Ecology. Google in Education - News, tips, stories and more PBS - Programming, children’s videos and more Edutopia - for tech-savvy teachers, promoting online learning. TED Talks - lectures, demonstrations and lessons in 18 minutes from icons and geniuses.  incredible lectures, demonstrations and performances spanning every discipline imaginable. Learning Channel - Lessons for grades 7 through 12. Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls - Exploring cultures and the world along with advice from Amy Poehler Teachers Karen Mensing - 2nd grade teacher, YouTube Teacher Star, Arizona’s Gifted Teacher of the Year 2011, Teacher of the Year 2012. WowMath - Mr. Robb’s math lectures on Algebra and Calculus. Kid-Hosted Doctor Mad Science - simple science experiments, hosted by 11-year-old Jordan. Whiz Kid Science Experiments - easy experiments for kids done by a kid. Parents Teach Mama - Tips and advice for parents to help navigate learning everyday with your child.  Inspiration Labs - Encouraging learning through creativity and play. Activities and science experiments. Emma Vanstone - Fun loving mum of three. Play Learn Grow - "A Place for Moms of all ages, nations, Teachers and Children to Play, Learn and Grow together." Want even more YouTube education channels? Check out 100 Incredibly Useful YouTube Channels for Teachers and Edudemic’s Best Video Sites for Teachers.   What have we missed? What are your favorite YouTube Channels? Leave us a comment below with a link and we will consider adding it to our list. The post Best Science and Educational YouTube Channels appeared first on Steve Spangler.

More and more parents, students and lifelong learners are turning to YouTube - not for funny kitty videos or talking dogs - but for education. Teachers are sharing their lessons beyond the classroom. Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy YouTube EDU is becoming increasingly popular for online learning. Lessons from foreign languages to chemistry to algebra are available from top teachers across the world. Earlier this week, we shared our favorite education YouTube channels from the science greats to independent teachers AND students. On their July 1, 2013 broadcast, NBC Nightly News featured some of the most popular teacher channels on YouTube. Steve Spangler’s The Spangler Effect, was one of the top learning channels featured. In The Spangler Effect former teacher Steve Spangler transforms simple do-it-at-home experiments into unforgettable experiences. It’s an in-depth look at the science behind some of today’s most popular science principles. Here are the other teachers featured in the Nightly News story - Rob Tarrou What started off as a way to help students at St. Pete High School has now gone worldwide. Rob Tarrou began filming his energetic math lessons from his house with his wife behind the camera. Those videos have now been seen hundreds of thousands of times, from New York, to Hungary, to Israel. Alex Dainis Alex Dainis is "a biology nerd, music lover, film geek." She gets the ideas for her YouTube videos from conversations she has with her friends, such as: "Why do we get brain freezes when we eat ice cream too fast?" or "Why do we sneeze?" Paul Anderson Paul Anderson started creating videos for the students in his class several years ago.  A friend encouraged him to start uploading them to YouTube, and he says this has brought a whole new virtual classroom of students into his life. Keith Hughes Public school teacher Keith Hughes, who began using video in his social studies classroom in 2002, now has more than 100 videos on YouTube covering topics in U.S. history and government, political science and world history. Kristen Williams Kristen Williams realized that there was an entire YouTube education community when she came across the Vlogbrothers, and got hooked. Loretta Scott Loretta Scott teaches Japanese from Brooklyn, N.Y. Brothers John and Hank Green John Green, YouTube sensation and New York Times bestselling author, has a quirky, fast-paced teaching style as he leads a Crash Course on The Fall of Rome, The Dark Ages and The Mongol Empire. His brother Hank Green explains topics in chemistry, biology, and ecology to name a few. Rachel Smith New Yorker Rachel Smith is a classically trained opera singer and linguist who now teaches ESL on YouTube as a career. Rachel is focused specifically on pronunciation. She has adoring students across the globe. The post The Spangler Effect Spotlighted on NBC Nightly News as Top YouTube Education Channel appeared first on Steve Spangler.

Common Core - the next big thing in education reform - is getting a lot of positive and negative attention these days. Many of it isn’t accurate, like the requiring Grapes of Wrath for second graders. But what is it and what does it mean for the future of education? Here are a few misconceptions and the truth behind Common Core Standards. (We asked our Facebook Fans what they thought about Common Core. We are sharing some of their responses throughout this post.) Misconception Common Core was set by the federal government and is mandated for all schools. Truth Common Core is a state-led effort by state leaders, state commissioners of education, state governors, the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). Forty-five states have adopted the standards. Nebraska, Alaska, Texas, Minnesota and Virginia have yet to adopt them. They are being led by the states and are not mandatory. Misconception Common Core is mainly focused on high-stakes test scores. Truth Common Core Standards were designed to give every parent, teacher and student a clear idea of what are the standards of success to prepare children for college and the workforce. It is a common understanding of what students are expected to learn in every grade level. That said, Common Core-aligned tests are being developed and planned for the 2014/2015 school year, although some are already taking tests. The high-stakes tests that tie teacher salaries to test scores are the subject of a growing grassroots revolt where teachers are refusing to give them, students refusing to take them and parents keeping their children home on test days. The majority of teachers support Common Core Standards, but take issue with the testing and teaching to the test. This is the most controversial part of Common Core Standards. Misconception Politicians are determining what our students are learning. Truth Gates-funded consultants that included teachers, content and assessment experts, researchers, and standard experts wrote the standards. The drafted standards then received feedback from teachers, postsecondary educators, civil rights groups, English language learners and students with disabilities. They were also opened for public comment and received over 10,000 responses from teachers, parents, school administrators and citizens. Misconception English teachers will have to teach science and social studies in reading material. Truth English teachers will still teach both fiction and non-fiction literature. College and real world careers also demand a command of complex texts outside of literature. The Common Core Standards also include reading, research and writing in history and science. The idea is to integrate the subjects, because in the real world, science involves reading, writing, researching and more. Teachers in other subjects like science and social studies are also encouraged to build these important skills. Misconception All subjects are under strict guidelines from Common Core to tell teachers exactly what to teach in their classrooms. Truth Common Core only covers Math and English Language Arts  and is not a curriculum. Many states and districts are interpreting the standards and molding them to their specific needs. Teachers will still be able to tailor their lesson plans to the needs of the students in their classrooms. The standards provide samples to help guide teachers on appropriate grade-level lessons, but teachers have the flexibility to make their own decisions on what texts or resources they use in the classroom. They do not tell teachers how to teach, they only tell them what students need to learn. Misconception Common Core Standards bring down all standards to the lowest common denominator. States with high standards will take a step back and we will fall even further behind international students. Truth There is an explicit agreement among the states that no state will lower its standards. Common Core builds upon the most advanced standards to help students achieve success in college and beyond. International benchmarking was important in setting the standards. It is supposed to raise expectations for all students vs. lowering them. Common Core has its critics…some say we need less standardization instead of more and some do not like the way they are being implemented and adopted. It is by no way a perfect system or the end-all to education reform. A bigger and very important debate is also being raised - the variation in funding state to state does not level the playing field. For example, Wyoming spends the most per student at $18,068 per year, while Utah spends the least at only $7,217 per student.  This creates huge discrepancies in the resources available to teachers state to state. Districts also spend more or less on education based on socio-economic backgrounds and taxes. Some fear as the standards are raised, the funding will not follow, especially for lower-income schools and their students. But that’s an entirely different debate and post for another time. Where do you fall in the Common Core debate? Teachers - what are your experiences with Common Core so far? Do you agree with it or disagree? Are they easy to understand and implement? What do you think of the standards themselves? Sources and resources for this post - Myths fuel attacks on ‘Common Core’ standards: Our view (USAToday.com) Common Core foes spreading misinformation, Duncan says (Washington Post) Don’t fear Common Core, Nielsen tells local Republicans Report: Most IT Pros Say Common Core Will Be Good for Their District Don’t Fear Common Core - One teacher’s opinion (LA Times) In Push For ‘Common’ Standards, Many Parents Left Uneducated (NPR) CoreStandards.org The post Breaking Down Common Core, the Myths, the Truths, the Debates appeared first on Steve Spangler.

Love it or hate it, if you live in the 45 states that have adopted it, Common Core is coming to a classroom near you by 2014. Common Core State Standards are a state-led effort by state governors and leaders. They were written by educators and standards experts. They give teachers, parents and students a clear understanding of what they need to know at each grade level. It isn’t a curriculum but a guideline for educators. While teachers must incorporate the lessons and standards into their lesson plans, they have the flexibility to decide how they will use them. The Difference Between Good Teachers and Great Teachers Good teachers hold a teaching degree and want to play a part in the education of children. They love their students and look forward to coming to work. They’ve laminated their lesson plans and reuse them every year with some fun activities. Good teachers show up right before the bell and leave right after and usually don’t attend conferences. They teach their students how to solve problems and memorize facts for the test. Great teachers engage their students and encourage them to discover the answers on their own instead of force feeding the facts. They also have activities, but they tie them to real world connections and demonstrate the passion behind the why. They are always looking for the new ways to present ideas and excite their students. Great teachers know how to turn the lessons into unforgettable learning experiences that get home to the dinner table. They instill a lifetime of memories in their students that always start with "I’ll never forget the day that…" Common Core Subjects Common Core does not address science and only contains standards for Reading, Writing and Math. Next Generation Science Standards are coming down the pike, but with such an emphasis on high-stakes testing on reading and math, even the great teachers run out of time to teach science. At Steve Spangler Science, our busy season is usually April and May when testing is over and teachers are ready to teach science. Science is not an extra curricular activity. Science is found everywhere - in sports, in cooking, in the products we use, in technology and advancements and so much more. If we are not spending the time to educate our future scientists, our future is dim. Today’s teachers must squeeze a lot from tiny budgets, to birthday cupcakes to science social studies and music. Funding shouldn’t go to a program, it should be put into our students. How do you fit it all into a six-hour day and still produce well-rounded, fully educated children ready to enter college and eventually the job market? Squeeze it. The secret to teaching is integration. Pack a lot of information into a tiny space, a tiny budget and a tiny timeframe. Stop thinking of the school subjects as separate pieces…everything touches. Nothing is separate. Sports coaches use math and analyzing skills, financial planners must read, and software developers must write. Scientists read, write and calculate in their labs. Just because you feel weak in a subject, doesn’t mean you can avoid it throughout your life and career. Squeeze Science into the classroom.  Lisa is a 2nd grade teacher in Denver, Colorado who knows how to integrate. She shared her five top tricks to squeeze science into her classroom using Steve Spangler Science materials. 1. Lisa did away with sharing treats on birthdays. Instead, her students get to be the lab assistant for the day and help her perform and science demonstration. The kids don’t miss the sugar and get really excited to be a mad scientist for a day. 2. Lisa also integrates a lot of science into story time. She reads The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister. After the class works on retelling the story while also determining the moral in the book. The class then uses UV Beads in place of the colorful Rainbow Fish scales to make their own bracelets. The beads can also be used for counting and sorting activities. 3. Axle Annie by Robin Pulver is another read aloud book she uses to teach vocabulary and plays-on-words. The students also compare and contrast how the two main characters respond to the main events in the story and determine the lesson. Then Lisa makes it snow indoors with Insta-Snow. The kids love it when she makes snow in their hands, a memorable experience. 4. About five days before Halloween, Lisa takes out her Mad Scientist Growing Body Parts Jar and fills it with water. The students take turns measuring the brain, ear, hand and nose to compare how much they’ve grown each day. She also fills a jar with salty water and asks the kids to make predictions about what will happen. 5. Lisa gives each student a Baby Soda Bottle Test Tube. They must conduct an inquiry-based activity to explore and hypothesize about the true use of the test tube. After they learn the real use, she then asks them to find a new and innovative use that solves a real world problem. She extends the activity by having the students create an advertisement or persuasive writing piece to sell the product. Don’t forget that integration is key. Everything is connected. Include a quick science activity with your read aloud. Or make math connections within science experiments. Inspire your students and create unforgettable learning experiences in your classroom. What are your tips for integrating more science, music, art, social studies or any of the forgotten subjects into your lesson plans? The post How to Tackle Common Core and Squeeze Science into the Classroom appeared first on Steve Spangler.