I Don’t Keep Teaching Because Of Kids by Paul Barnwell, mindfulstew.org Ask most teachers why they teach, and you’ll hear iterations of the same theme: I want to make a difference in student lives. I love interacting with kids. I have an chance to change their trajectories. I agree with the above, and it certainly applies to me too. As a hybrid educator, my job entails teaching sophomore English and social media literacy courses for half a day; the other half I work to raise money, design, and implement new systems for networked collaborative learning. It’s a challenging blend of tasks. Despite the variety of authentic work I’m engaged in, the most fulfilling aspects of my role are still interacting with, teaching, and mentoring students. When one of my English II lessons goes well and participation is as active as a whack-a-mole board (without the swatting of students, of course:), I have a bounce in my step as I head to the faculty parking lot after school. When a student seeks advice because I’ve written a note of encouragement for him or her, it provides fulfillment that writing grant proposals fails to do. When I have an opportunity to laugh and learn with students, I feel contentment with my work as a classroom teacher. But without sustained, purposeful and engaging interaction with other professionals, I’d probably walk away from the classroom. Given how fast many high-quality educators accrue degrees and certifications to move on to non-classroom posts, we must acknowledge that teaching as a profession has a void to fill. There’s a void of authentic leadership opportunities and time for classroom teachers to work with other adults, without it being another thing on the to-do list. There’s a void of encouragement for teachers to pursue intellectual work with colleagues, whether it be face-to-face or networked collaboration. The lack of emphasis on adult collaboration and ongoing learning isn’t the only reason why teachers leave the classroom, of course, but it plays a large role for those of us who desire new challenges beyond being a full-time classroom teacher. I think about why I’ve remained at least a half-time teacher for 12 years running-far beyond the average five-year tenure for new teachers-and it largely boils down to the boost I’ve gotten through different experiences working with other teachers. Last year, my Fern Creek colleagues proved to be been invaluable. I dreaded third period last year. You name the challenge, and I faced it. Disengagement. Disruptions. Persistent teasing bordering on bullying. All issues that seeped into the classroom and eroded my sense of efficacy. I had two students removed by administration and enrolled in an alternative school for behavior-related issues. Through her writing, I learned another student was a rape victim, and two others spent stints in an in-patient care facility for mental illness. Two others had had family members die from drug overdoses, and another student’s brother committed suicide last summer. My English colleagues provided a lifeline during our weekly PLC meetings, a chance to reflect, collaborate, and the encouragement to not give up in reaching such a challenging group of students. This is just one example about how meaningful learning and interaction with adults has kept me returning to room 146. For five summers between 2007-2013, I attended Middlebury College’s Bread Loaf School of English. The graduate program entered me into an international network of educators, and course work inspired me to create digital storytelling and social media literacy classes. During the summer of 2012, I participated in the Louisville Writing Project, one of many institutes sponsored by the National Writing Project. Again, working with fired-up teachers-this time a cohort of Louisville-area folks, fueled my pedagogy and connected me with like-minded folks. I began that fall with a new network, fresh literacy strategies, and conference presentations lined up. During 2014, I participated in Center for Teaching Quality’s VOICE training to learn more about facilitating virtual learning communities. Even though we never met face-to-face, the experience challenged me to think about how teachers in disparate geographic areas can collaborate using a variety of online tools. What did these experiences have in common? The chance to improve my craft, learn from and with others, and enjoy a level of discourse that sometimes isn’t available when we shut our doors and focus solely on students without seeking support from colleagues. Most of us don’t continue teaching for the amazing compensation, that’s for sure. We don’t continue teaching for recognition. Many of us continue teaching, however, because we’ve either sought out opportunities or have been encouraged to lead and learn with other adults. The kids are still most important in my daily work, but they aren’t only reason why I do what I do. If teacher retention is to improve, then the profession must be treated as such, with more pathways for classroom teachers to participate in collegial activity that reenergizes and inspires them year after year. I Don’t Keep Teaching Because Of Kids; adapted image attribution flickr user sparkfunelectronics The post I Don’t Keep Teaching Because Of Kids appeared first on TeachThought.

We Have An Idea About Using Tactile Feedback In The Classroom by TACTonics A student begins a difficult final exam during her first year in college. While she listens to the instructions and worries about her final grade, she detects a gentle nudge sent by her mom. This sensory message reminds her to be confident and that she is loved. Despite the distance, she is encouraged from her mom’s message, and is able to finish the exam with self-assurance. Across town at a nearby elementary school, a 3rd grader on a behavior plan receives his TACTpuck. For every positive behavior he exhibits, it lights up green; for every behavior that needs correcting, it lights up red. To congratulate him on a correct answer in class discussion, he receives a vibration or a nudge, which emulates a high five. The student’s behavior has improved tremendously since the beginning of the school year, all thanks to the implementation of the TACTpuck in his behavior plan. The commonality in these instances is the need for communication. Communication is the way we express our feelings, thoughts, and desires. TACTspace is a new dimension of digital communication. With TACTspace, you can start a conversation without speaking, hearing, reading or writing. In our examples, the undergrad taking the final exam needs to know that she can conquer any task, and that her mom is her biggest cheerleader. The elementary school student finds technology and gadgets interesting, so the TACTpuck purchased by his school is the perfect solution to both help him learn positive behaviors and feed his love of technology. Sensory messaging is a tactile message, sent discretely and received and interpreted not by reading, or even viewing, but through other senses like hearing, touch and even smell. These sensory messages, called TACTS, are sent wirelessly to a friend or loved one, who receives the message through their senses. The TACTs are delivered through a TACTpuck by vibrating rhythmically, perhaps, or by warming up. The stimuli are endless. New users download the TACTspace app, which has a pre-programmed menu. The app can be customized to create personal TACTs. To bring the TACTpuck to market, founder Eddie Bugg, has announced a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo.com. This campaign will provide the first opportunity to experience the technology in a beta testing environment. TACTspace will use the feedback from early adopters for the first production run and is seeking to raise $200,000 in 60 days. To support the crowdfunding campaign, visit http://bit.ly/1IYNdRr. Check out our award: tactspace.com/news/wtinnovationworldcup. To learn more, please check out tactspace.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. The post We Have An Idea About Using Tactile Feedback In The Classroom appeared first on TeachThought.

Free K-2 Earth Environmental Education Curriculum Now Available by TeachThought Staff From a Press Release The Think Earth Environmental Education Foundation, a leading non-profit provider of environmental education for primary and secondary schools, is making its award-winning curriculum available free online. Kindergarten through second grade teachers can now access free Think Earth materials at www.thinkearth.org to teach students about the environment and the everyday behaviors that can help protect it. Updated Think Earth units for third grade will be available in September 2015, and grades four through eight are in development and will be available online in 2015 and 2016. The Think Earth Curriculum was originally launched as a print-based program, which has been used by more than 60,000 teachers nationwide. Each of the behavior-based instructional units provides teachers with everything they need to teach five to eight environmental lessons. Materials include a teacher’s guide, posters, handouts, practice exercises, videos, and songs. Each lesson helps students think about the environment and then take action to conserve natural resources, reduce waste, and minimize pollution. Students also receive Family Activity Sheets that educate parents about the program and encourage students to share Think Earth behaviors at home. "Environmental education is vital to stemming the effects of climate change around the world," said Joseph Haworth, Chairman of the Think Earth Foundation. "Our curriculum makes it easy for teachers to show students that small everyday behaviors, such as turning off unused lights, putting trash in trash cans, carpooling to school, and recycling can have a big impact on the health of our planet. If we help young people establish positive environmental habits while they are young, they’ll carry them into adulthood and pass them on to the next generation." Core concepts explored in the Think Earth curriculum by grade level include: •           Kindergarten: Jay’s Tree: Students learn the benefits of trees and the importance of conserving natural resources. •           Grade 1: Bernie and the School Bus: Students learn that everything comes from the environment and how to use water, paper, electricity, and natural gas wisely. •           Grade 2: The Rascals: Students learn to reduce, reuse, or recycle products to conserve natural resources and minimize pollution. •           Grade 3: Trashbot: Students learn that waste from the production, distribution, consumption, and disposal of products can pollute our land, water, and air. The Think Earth curriculum was developed by Educational Development Specialists, Inc. Each unit is aligned with Common Core State Standards, Next Generation Science Standards, and the McREL Standards Compendium. It is supported by: Edison International, Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County, South Coast Air Quality Management District, Water Replenishment District of Southern California, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, and Southern California Gas Company, along with others. The curriculum has received a number of honors, including the President’s Environment and Conservation Challenge Award, and the Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award in the Children’s Environmental Education category from the State of California. A complete list of awards is available at http://thinkearth.org/about-us/#Awards. About Think Earth Education Foundation Established in 1988 and incorporated as a non-profit organization in 1995, the Think Earth Environmental Education Foundation is committed to helping communities create and maintain a sustainable environment through education. At the core of Think Earth is an award-winning environmental curriculum that is now available for free online (for K-3 teachers, presently). For more information please visit www.thinkearth.org. Follow Think Earth on Facebook (thinkearthfoundation), Twitter (@thinkearthed), and Pinterest (thinkearthed). The post Free K-2 Earth Environmental Education Curriculum Now Available appeared first on TeachThought.

Should Teachers Use Twitter? This Flowchart Says Probably by TeachThought Staff Should you use twitter? That’s a loaded question with a lot of assumptions. But for digitally-inclined teachers in the 21st century, the answer is increasingly, yes. At least light use of twitter semi-regularly can increase We’ve featured graphics from Sylvia Duckworth in the past. Teachers love her simple, colorful, and bright sketch notes. She’s even turned some of our content into these visuals, including our 12 Rules Of Great Teaching. With this visual, she takes on the social network that is continuing to gain momentum on the ground in classrooms, and even for professional development purposes (see 8 Steps To Teacher-Led Digital PD). Though the graphic doesn’t make an insightful breakthroughs, it doesn’t seem to be designed to. Rather, it works better as a "pinnable" love letter to twitter, providing a colorful set of boxes-as-bullet points that sketch out the benefits of using twitter in education. Do you like to learn? To share? Do you have a growth mindset? Do you like to make international connections? Then twitter may be for you. There’s even a bit of tongue-in-cheek political activism. "Live in a communist state? Use twitter with caution." Well played, Sylvia. Well played. Should Teachers Use Twitter? This Flowchart Says Probably The post Should Teachers Use Twitter? This Flowchart Says Probably appeared first on TeachThought.

Less Tech, More Talk: Moving To A Discussion-Based Classroom by Emily Long Sometimes I feel like the integration of new technology in the classroom is being pushed on me from all sides. And though I may not fall into the "neo-luddite" category, I don’t believe that new technology is the answer to keeping students engaged in their education. I think that stems from a genuine love of learning. Of course therein lies the real question: how do you get students to love learning? While I certainly don’t claim to have figured out the entire answer, I have noticed several things that seem to consistently boost students’ engagement. For instance, incorporating discussion-based learning has made a considerable difference in how students at my school view their time in the classroom. I hear kids say that they wish all of their classes used this style of teaching because they get so much out of it. Here is a look at how we have implemented the Harkness method in our school and the impact it has had on the students. What is the Harkness Method? The Harkness method of teaching and learning is a discussion-based education method involving small groups of students (usually 8-12) seated around an oval table to share thoughts and ideas and to learn good reasoning and discussion skills. These discussions involve minimal interjection from instructors in order to encourage student engagement. The challenges for each participant in a Harkness discussion will vary. For example, students who are naturally outgoing and comfortable speaking in front of their peers are challenged to listen more and encourage introverted students to share their thoughts. This educational method requires students to share their unique insights while listening to the insights of others and treating each other with respect. Outcomes from the Harkness Table The Harkness table offers many valuable benefits for both students and teachers. Here are just a few of the outcomes I have witnessed at our school as a result of discussion-based learning. Improves communication skills: Students learn to articulate their thoughts as part of a larger discussion with their peers and instructors. Boosts confidence: Students are encouraged to put forth their ideas in a supportive and engaging environment. This is particularly beneficial for students who are naturally introverted. Builds mutual respect: No one person is in a position to govern the conversation; students learn to listen to their peers and offer their own insights without dismissing opposing viewpoints. Requires independent preparation: Students must come to class ready to discuss the assigned topic. If a student is unprepared, it will be very apparent to his instructor, and he will get far less out of the discussion than his peers. Encourages critical thinking: Because students must play an active role in learning through discussion, they are required to exercise more critical thinking than is typically needed in a traditional lecture setting. Incorporating the Harkness Method in Your Classroom So far I’ve mentioned how the Harkness Method requires students to keep up with their reading and come prepared to class. But discussion-based learning also requires considerable effort from you, the educator. Chances are, your students are not accustomed to this style of learning and may not take to it naturally, so it’s very important that you guide them through the process until they have a clear understanding of what is expected of them and how they can succeed in a discussion-based classroom. Here are some tips for preparing your students to learn around the Harkness table. Get your administration on board: Explain how and why you are integrating the Harkness method into your classroom so administrators can be confident fielding any phone calls from concerned parents or students. Lay out a few key guidelines for discussion: Provide students with a handout of important discussion tips such as "engage with peers rather than addressing everything to the instructor." Create a discussion schedule: Design discussions around a few central ideas or questions so students have time to form their thoughts and prepare for class. This schedule should not be too granular so as to avoid limiting a student’s thoughts on a given topic. Let the students lead: Allow students to present their ideas and questions to their peers, interjecting if necessary to guide the discussion. Consistency is Key While some classes will benefit greatly by using the Harkness method every day, others will experience the most overall success through a combination of discussion-based and lecture-based teaching. The important thing to remember when incorporating the Harkness method along with a lecture schedule is to remain consistent. If you hold these roundtable discussions sporadically or with several weeks in between sessions, students will struggle to get comfortable engaging in this type of learning. If you have ever used a Harkness table in your classroom and have some advice regarding this teaching method, or if you have questions about discussion-based learning, please feel free to leave a comment below. I know there is much more that can be said about this method, and I’d love to hear what some of the thoughts are from the TeachThought community. Emily Long is proud to be a part of Lancaster Country Day School. LCDS is an independent, college-preparatory school serving Lancaster, PA along with Hershey, York and Reading from preschool through 12th grade. The Harnkess Method: What Happened When I Created A Discussion-Based Classroom; Less Tech, More Talk: Moving To A Discussion-Based Classroom The post Less Tech, More Talk: Moving To A Discussion-Based Classroom appeared first on TeachThought.

The Mind Trust: A National Innovation Symposium To Explore New School Models by TeachThought Staff From A Press Release The Mind Trust today launched Talent Matters, an effort to recruit talented innovators and entrepreneurs to take part in two transformative efforts to improve public education in Indianapolis: Charter School Design Challenge. The Mind Trust created its Charter School Incubator in 2011 to launch or expand excellent public charter schools in Indianapolis.  During the first round of awards, The Mind Trust supported the launch or expansion of four charter school networks in Indianapolis.  The Design Challenge represents the second phase and is seeking to seed four transformative, "break-the-mold" charter school models. Innovation School Fellowship, Round 3. The Mind Trust created the fellowship, in partnership with the Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) and the City of Indianapolis, in 2014 to help launch high-quality and autonomous Innovation Network Schools in IPS, the city’s largest school district. The Mind Trust is now recruiting for its third class of fellows. "Indianapolis is among the most exciting cities in the nation to develop and launch a new, autonomous charter or district school, and The Mind Trust’s Innovation School Fellowship and Charter School Design Challenge provide unique opportunities to do so," said David Harris, founder & CEO of The Mind Trust.  "We are seeking talented, innovative entrepreneurs and educators who want to be on the cutting edge of transforming public education in Indianapolis and across the nation." Charter School Design Challenge. Through this challenge, The Mind Trust seeks to create the next wave of charter schools by identifying the nation’s most innovative social entrepreneurs and encouraging them to design transformational, new charter school models that have never before been tried. To generate interest in the Design Challenge, The Mind Trust will host a national innovation symposium in Indianapolis in April 2016 to explore new school models. Among the activities will be a preliminary design competition where innovators will present ideas for new school models. The winner will receive a $50,000 grant to be used to further develop a plan to submit to the Charter School Design Challenge.  The Mind Trust will offer planning grants of $10,000 to up to 10 teams of entrepreneurs to develop ideas for the preliminary competition.  To apply to participate in the symposium or for the planning grant, please visit:  themindtrust.org. Then, The Mind Trust will award four $250,000 grants through the full Charter School Design Challenge.  Other supports from The Mind Trust include visits to world-class schools across the country; expert consulting on school design, school startups and management; and other consulting and research support. The Mind Trust will begin accepting applications for this fellowship immediately on a rolling basis. Innovation School Fellowship, Round 3. Innovation Network Schools are new, autonomous public schools that were made possible by recent state laws giving IPS and other school districts the authority to convert any existing school in the districts to a new Innovation Network School. At each site, IPS enters into an agreement with a school operator (e.g. a nonprofit) to run the school under contract with the district. Operators also have access to district buildings, eliminating a typical barrier to launching a new school.  What’s more, they are exempt from IPS’s administrative practices, collective bargaining agreement, and many state regulations, giving them the freedom to hire staff, design their own curriculum and extend the school day and/or year to best serve the needs of students. In exchange for this freedom, the schools are held to the highest academic standards. Through the fellowship, The Mind Trust selects prospective school leaders to receive salary, benefits, office space and technical assistance from local and national experts while they spend up to two years developing their school model.  Applicants may be current principals and educators, leaders of charter school networks and other innovators who have the ability to launch and run a successful school. IPS and The Mind Trust have an agreement to convert at least 15% of IPS’ schools, or at least nine schools, into Innovation Network Schools over the next several years.  One such school incubated during The Mind Trust’s first round of fellowships, PLA@103, opened in 2015 on the city’s far eastside. Earlier this year, four 2015 fellowships were awarded to launch three new schools. Statements of intent for this third round of fellowships are due by January 17, 2016 and full applications are due February 7, 2016. For more information on both fellowships, please visit: themindtrust.org. The Mind Trust: A National Innovation Symposium To Explore New School Models The post A National Innovation Symposium To Explore New School Models appeared first on TeachThought.

Don’t Buy That! How To Survive Back To School Season Without Going Broke by Dawn Casey-Rowe, Author of Don’t Sniff the Glue: A Teacher’s Misadventures in Education Reform Parents and teachers-you’re about to go broke! It’s back to school season.   Parents-you’re looking at The List sent from school. You want to cry. Teachers, you see your empty classroom and your credit card statements from last year. You can’t cry because you haven’t stocked up on tissues yet. According to the National Retail Federation, there’s some good news-the American public is getting a little more frugal. After a record breaking 2014 Back to School season, we’ll spend slightly less this fall-only $68 billion down from $74 billion. This still breaks down to $630.36 per family, about thirty bucks less than last year. Americans spend more on Back-to-School than any other period except Christmas, where we go through over $600 billion. That keeps Santa’s elves employed. We’re spending a little less than normal this year. I guess we figured enough is enough-our kids have plenty of pencils. Although overall spending for Back to School has increased 42% over the last decade, it hasn’t kept pace with college tuition increases, which makes me wonder about the point of buying all these pencils if nobody can afford to use them in college. That’s a topic for another day. Perhaps more pencils equals more scholarship applications? Someone should do a study on that. We’ll spend $68 billion sending our kids back to school this year. As a mom, it’s a small price to pay to get the "I’m bored" out of my living room, but as a teacher it’s approximately $67.99999999999 billion more than I am allocated for my classroom. The good news is marketing research shows students are cracking open their own wallets for Back to School, much like teachers. The average high school student will spend $33 on his or her school supplies. The average teacher, though, spends $500-$1000 annually on classroom and teaching supplies not furnished by work. Kids spend more on sneakers than they do notebooks. I don’t judge, I just report the numbers. Sneakers are important-they’ll help graduates run faster as they work two and three jobs to get ahead and pay off their loans. Debt and extra jobs-that’s where we’re all headed, not just teachers. It’s why getting a good education is so important in a shifting economy. A Story I ran into one mom who was upset about sneakers. She was stressed that the new Jordans were releasing-she had two boys and was working double shifts to keep up. Two pairs of Jordans is roughly a car payment and a half for me. I told her, "The answer is ‘no’ or ‘get a job.’" We are a consumption society, but we have to be conscious of our spending-both parents and teachers.  Every penny adds up at a time when many of us are squeezed pretty tight. I used to go store to store for the doorbusters and to stock up my class. I’d go to a teen cashier and say, "Look, I’ll come back ten times today for the ‘limit 8,’ so can we cut right to the chase?"  The teen, who probably asked his teacher for forty-two pencils last year, always let me buy what I wanted. It’s the unwritten teacher-student code.  We help each other out when we can. I’d see parents in the stores with scroll-sized lists for their kids. There’s an amazing amount of pressure on students to have the latest stuff when they walk into school on the first day, especially by middle school.  That can be tough. As a teacher, I’m grateful when parents prepare their kids so I don’t have to spend my paycheck on notebooks and pens for two hundred kids, but I feel parents’ stress.  Some school lists seem a little outlandish, or certainly not well-considered. I only have one kid, so it’s not a big deal for me, but some parents have three or four lists to contend with. Does a kid really need a flash drive when we all have Google? Will a twenty-dollar tabbed notebook get that kid past the Common Core? Do students need scientific calculators when schools could let them use apps on their phones? "Miss, we always get these lists of things to buy that we never use!" say students. It’s a valid point. If you’re wondering whether to choose between buying school supplies or groceries, stop right now!  Here are some tips to avoid breaking the bank whether you are a parent, teacher, or kid. Back To School Spending Tips For Parents 1. Go through your kid’s drawers and see what they really need. Kids confuse Back to School with winning the lottery or being runway models on Fashion Avenue. Before shopping, I cleaned out the dark spots in my son’s room-the parts no mom dares enter-closet corners, under the bed, "laundry" pile. I gave away the too-smalls, tossed the ripped clothes, then took inventory. I only had to buy a couple "cool kid" t-shirts and replace the shoes he lost at camp. I saved a ton of money. Have your young fashionista learn to combine wardrobe basics with a few new outfits. Adding a patch, sparkle, some fabric, or a new-to-him (hand-me-down) pair of jeans can go a long way toward helping family finances.   2. Give kids a set budget. There are things kids want. Then, there are things they need. I wanted a Trapper Keeper notebook-all the cool kids had them. They cost a ton and it didn’t make me cool. Go through sale fliers together. Prioritize and let them make some decisions, but when the pre-determined amount is gone, the spending stops-or is done by them. 3. Learn to earn!   Let your student earn a back to school clothing or supply budget. Younger kids can do chores. Teens and tweens can start to find their own small jobs like yardwork or babysitting. Kids value money they earn and you won’t have to say "no" since you’re giving them an action plan to "yes." It’s parenting with an entrepreneurship twist. Kids who learn money management skills early bring it with them into life. 4. Look carefully at "The List."   You’ll be sent a list from your child’s teacher. Buy the reasonable things, but don’t be afraid to ask questions if the list looks excessive, overly brand specific, or you’re wondering how your child will use the items. I’ve seen expensive wishlists with things that never get used. Back To School Spending Tips For Teachers 5. Set a budget.   The IRS deduction for classroom expenses is $250. That doesn’t mean you’re being reimbursed $250, rather it’ll look like you made $250 less income and you’ll save a couple bucks on taxes.   It’s a good number to stay under, but if you have a tight budget in your family, do not spend a ton on your class. Although I’m firmly of the camp that your job should supply what you need, many teachers crowdfund, use Craigslist, or get things from the community. Put out the word on social media. Ask, and you will often receive. 6. Never set up your classroom on your credit card.   I use my credit card to itemize and record expenses. It’s helpful. If you can’t pay off your credit card that month, don’t charge things for classroom.  You might say "That’s easier said than done," but when I stopped my excessive spending, I became more creative and no student loved me less. I was able to pay down my debt rather than accruing debt because of my job. Look at your classroom spending as donating to a good cause.  If you wouldn’t have the money to donate to a charity, don’t spend it on your classroom. 7. Consider what you’re asking parents to buy.   I’m a frugal parent and teacher. As a teacher, I send the following list. "You need something to write with, something to write on, and your brain." I have some things to share, but if students want specific things, I ask them to bring what they like to use. I never require expensive organization systems or equipment. There’s always a frugal option. 8. Use free tech.   Why should students buy and lose flash drives when Google’s free? By learning to use standard, free technology, teachers provide a richer experience-without breaking the bank. Using platforms like Google, Asana, Slack, Dropbox, and Evernote gives students access to professional productivity and collaboration tools, giving them a distinct advantage in the workplace. Free tech doesn’t stop there-you can make PDFs that replace textbooks or create Facebook or webpage to involve families and the community in your class. 9. Encourage student responsibility.   My classroom isn’t Pencil Christmas. I give away a thousand pencils a year, gift notebooks, feed kids, and create lessons that require me to buy things out of my household budget. Sometimes, students begin to expect this. There’s a fine line between students being in need and students being unprepared because I’ll bail them out. Have these conversations with students, and teach them to respect classroom materials as well as the supplies their parents work hard to buy. Think about Back to School season as the season for savings, not spending, and you’ll soon begin to remove yourself from the madness, concentrating on what’s really important.  For parents and teachers, that’s getting the September routine in order so each of your kids does their best. If you still feel tempted to buy in to the crazy spending, take a moment and a deep breath, use the tips above, then ask yourself "Is this expense critical?" If it is not, walk away, and save your money for another day. Dawn Casey-Rowe is a teacher and author. Her book, "Don’t Sniff the Glue: A Teacher’s Misadventures in Education Reform" will make you think twice about teacher spending, school reform, and the day-to-day happenings in the classroom; adapted image attribution flickr user nwabr The post 8 Back To School Spending Tips For Parents & Teachers appeared first on TeachThought.

How To Teach Empathy by Terry Heick Right near the core of education, just past tolerance and just short of affectionate connectivity, is the idea of empathy. University of California at Berkley’s Greater Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life explains empathy. "The term "empathy" is used to describe a wide range of experiences. Emotion researchers generally define empathy as the ability to sense other people’s emotions, coupled with the ability to imagine what someone else might be thinking or feeling." Empathy is often confused with sympathy, which is a pretty extraordinary error depending on how tightly wound you are about these things (and whose definitions you stand behind). According to Dr. Brene Brown offers a divisive take on the difference. "Empathy fuels connections, sympathy drives disconnection." This contrasts with dictionary.com, which explains "Both empathy and sympathy are feelings concerning other people. Sympathy is literally ‘feeling with’ - compassion for or commiseration with another person. Empathy, by contrast, is literally ‘feeling into’ - the ability to project one’s personality into another person and more fully understand that person." dictionary.com marks just a slight discrepancy between the two—sympathy requiring less movement and merging of emotions, while empathy is entirely that. The chemistry and subjectivity and nuance of language aside, there is a clear handle for us as teachers. However large you see the distinction, they certainly have very different tones. Empathy is based in compassion, while sympathy is based in analysis. UC Berkley continues clarifying: "Contemporary researchers often differentiate between two types of empathy: "Affective empathy" refers to the sensations and feelings we get in response to others’ emotions; this can include mirroring what that person is feeling, or just feeling stressed when we detect another’s fear or anxiety. "Cognitive empathy," sometimes called "perspective taking," refers to our ability to identify and understand other peoples’ emotions. Studies suggest that people with autism spectrum disorders have a hard time empathizing." Ideally, empathy would be the net effect of experience, which in classrooms is both a matter of process and knowledge. Students would learn to empathize rather than be taught to empathize, as a symptom of what they know. Why this is important is a matter of implication and language. Teaching someone to feel what others feel and sit with emotions that aren’t their own couldn’t be any further from the inherent pattern of academics, which is always decidedly other. Teaching always begins with detachment—learn this skill or content strand that is now apart from you. Empathy is the opposite; it starts in the other, and finishes there without leaving. In your classroom, there are dozens of natural sources of empathy. But what about authenticity? There’s nothing worse than "schoolifying" something a child actually needs to know. So much of great teaching is about packaging content so that students recognize it as something they need to know and can actually use, rather than something to do because I said so and you don’t want a zero do you? Teaching Without Empathy One way to consider it? Without empathy, you’re teaching content instead of students. The concept of teachers as primarily responsible with content distribution is a dated one, but even seeking to "engage" students misses the calling of teaching. To teach a child is to miss the child. You must understand them for who they are where they are, not for what you hope to prepare them for. "Giving knowledge" and "engaging students" in pursuit of pre-selected knowledge both are natural processes of formal education-and both make empathy hard to come by. So then, where to start doing something different? How should you "teach it"? How will you know it when you see it? Is it different for different content areas, grade levels, genders, socioeconomic background, nationality, or other "thing"? Is this new-age mumbo jumbo, or a precise tool for a progressive teacher? How has the push of digital and social media into learning spaces emphasized the need for empathy-or naturally reduced it? Is empathy a skill that can even be taught? A "competency" you should bullet point in your lesson plan and pre-assess for? Or is it something more full and persistent and whole? "Expressing care for another is not an innate ability present more naturally in some people than others, but rather a skill that can be taught and nurtured through a supportive educational environment" (McLennan, 2008, p. 454). McLennan’s research suggests it is a skill. But pushed further, empathy it’s not hard to see that empathy is both a cause and effect of understanding, a kind of cognitive and emotional double helix that can create a bridge between classroom learning and "real life" application. Getting started with empathy in the classroom is a matter of first grasping it as a concept, strategy, and residual effect of knowledge and perspective. Heading over to teachingtolerance.org (great resource, by the way) and ordering a bunch of posters and DVDs may be unnecessary-at least at first. Internalizing how the idea of empathy can reframe everything that happens in your classroom-your reason for teaching-is a shift that will suggest a world of possibility for teaching lessons, activities, and strategies. More than anything else though, empathy is a tone. Broken into parts, it is about self, audience, and purpose. It helps students consider: Who am I? Who is "other"? Other how? How do we relate? What do we share? What do they need from me, and I from them? This leads to a staggering, and often troubling, question for all of us: What should I do with what I know? Teaching empathy, then, is a matter of both affective and cognitive empathy-feeling with, alongside, and through others. This is a huge undertaking. It’s a process that resists labels-human genres of race, sexuality, class, and other grotesque aesthetics-and requires scrutiny. You have to exchange what you think you know for what you don’t. At it’s core, it’s a matter of seeing the world with fresh eyes unburdened with "belief." To get a person to look at another person as a matter of beautiful symmetry. Want to teach empathy? Help students ask not "How am I unique?" but rather "How are we the same?" A version of this post was written by Terry Heick and originally published on edutopia; image attribution flickr user BoudewijnBerends The post How To Teach Empathy appeared first on TeachThought.

Google Announces New Features In Google Classroom by TeachThought Staff At TeachThought, while we love Apple’s products, app ecology, and general aesthetic, we tend towards recommending Google for most classrooms. Though they’re not mutually exclusive, rare is the classroom that has the budget for Chromebooks and iPads. 1:1 is rare; 2:1 is rarer still. Google Classroom is the result of Google bundling Google Calendar, Google Drive, Gmail, and other services into something simpler for teachers to use. We recently shared 60 ways to use google classroom, and it’s likely we’ll need to follow that post up with an updated version as Google continues to iterate their academic side.  Will Phan, a Google Classroom Software Engineer, released a blog post that reviewed some new changes to Google Classroom for the 2015-2016 school year, which excerpted from for the post below. 7 Changes To Google Classroom 1. Post Questions Phan explains, "You can post questions to your class and allow students to have discussions by responding to each other’s answers (or not, depending on the setting you choose). For example, you could post a video and ask students to answer a question about it, or post an article and ask them to write a paragraph in response." 2. Reuse Assignments If you reuse curricula year after year-or at least reuse documents, there is an update you might like. Phan explains, "Now you can reuse assignments, announcements or questions from any one of your classes — or any class you co-teach, whether it’s from last year or last week. Once you choose what you’d like to copy, you’ll also be able to make changes before you post or assign it." 3. Improved Calendar Integration We love changes that improve workflow. Phan: "In the next month, Classroom will automatically create a calendar for each of your classes in Google Calendar. All assignments with a due date will be automatically added to your class calendar and kept up to date. You’ll be able to view your calendar from within Classroom or on Google Calendar, where you can manually add class events like field trips or guest speakers." 4. Bump a post Sticking posts on blogs, tweets, or facebook updates has long been a thing. Now you can do it on Google Classroom as well by moving any post to the top. 5. Due dates optional Project-based learning, Self-directed learning? Maker ed? If you use long-term projects or other due-date-less assignments, you can now create assignments without due dates in Google Classroom. 6. Attach a Google Form to a post If you’re a fan of Google Forms (here’s a post on using Google Forms to create a self-graded exam), this is a change you’ll appreciate. Phan explains, "Many teachers have been using Google Forms as an easy way to assign a test, quiz or survey to the class. Coming in the next few weeks, teachers and students will soon be able to attach Google Forms from Drive to posts and assignments, and get a link in Classroom to easily view the answers." 7. YouTube Functionality Love YouTube, but concerned with objectionable content? Google hears you. "Because it also contains content that an organization or school might not consider acceptable, last month we launched advanced YouTube settings for all Google Apps domains as an Additional Service. These settings give Apps admins the ability to restrict the YouTube videos viewable for signed-in users, as well as signed-out users on networks managed by the admin. Learn more here." You can read more over at the Official Google For Education Blog. The post 7 New Features Added To Google Classroom appeared first on TeachThought.

"What’s My Name, Fool?" Why You Must Remember Your Students Now! by Dawn Casey-Rowe Ernie Terrell didn’t get Muhammad Ali’s name right. Terrell repeatedly called Ali by his former name, Cassius Clay, in the days leading up to their 1967 heavyweight fight. He even sang a song using Ali’s birth name on Hollywood Squares, something that pushed Ali over the edge. Ali took this personally, telling announcer Howard Cosell that Terrell would announce Ali’s Muslim name publicly at the press conference, or in the center of the ring after Ali defeated him in the fight. Ali won the fifteen-round contest, peppering Terrell with shot after shot after shouting, "What’s my name?" It’s what most boxing lovers remember about Terrell-that he didn’t get Ali’s name right. The First Days Of School It’s the first day of school. Six periods of twenty to thirty kids are about to march in my room and stare me down. Most of them tell me they hate school-I always ask. It’s my job, in the first couple minutes of class, to make them realize they will not. It’s a combination of caring, marketing, and teaching. I welcome students. I introduce myself. My name is on the board. Their names are not. I’ve got a lot to memorize. I had a professor in college who always knew names. He was famous for this. I thought he had superhuman powers. I was nothing special in his class. Though his class was one of the most influential I ever took, I wasn’t majoring in his area. Still, he’d remember my name far into the future. He knew all of our names, almost instantly, like magic. That was important to me. That lesson stuck. Building relationships is important in education-and in life. We go the extra mile for people we know and like — it’s human nature. Learning a name, pronouncing it right, and matching the right name with the right kid is critical-it’s the first courtesy we extend to our students. The quicker we learn the names the more each kid knows we care. It’s not only important for teachers to learn student names, it’s important for kids to learn each other’s names as well. I want students to know each other and to feel comfortable working together. Community matters, and learning names is the first block in community building. One thing I hate is "roll call." If I have to call out attendance every day, I do not know my kids, and they know I don’t. I want to be able to scan through the room almost instantly and know who’s in class. I want to know each name by day one or two, a personal detail by the end of the second or third class, and have a solid community structure in place by the end of the first week. I never want students to feel I don’t know them. It all starts with a name. Here are some strategies and activities use to remember names quickly so I can move on to the next things-building community and teaching valuable lessons. 6 Strategies For Teachers To Learn Student Names Quickly 1. Start with introductions.   Some experts feel introductions put kids on the spot. They do, but so does life-that’s something I’m honest about. I make introductions and public speaking a day-one skill, telling students it’s a money-making skill-a gift I plan to give them even if they aren’t comfortable speaking right now.  They always thank me later.  I give a reward:  "Introduce yourself. You get 100 on your first quiz, and all you have to do is get your name right." I work hard to learn a few names during this activity. I tell an amusing story or two about myself to put the class at ease. 2. Ask students to complete info sheets. I’m working toward paperless, but for this activity, I use a paper form.  It has basic student info, and a couple questions about things they like, how they feel about school, plans for life.  It’s just enough information for me to use, but I also walk around peeking at their names and memorizing the first few.  I collect the papers personally from each student, studying names in the process and associating some of the info with the names.  As I collect papers, I have a brief side conversation with each student.  This helps me learn names and connect with students. 3. Make it a game. I have some rewards on hand. The first person to get all of our names correctly gets a prize. Someone will usually have all the names down, but as the contest progresses, we get to hear the names over and over.  We’re secretly trying to win in our minds-a case of healthy competition helping to build the community. 4. Use names when possible.   I make it a point to speak with everyone individually during the course of each class, and I use names when possible.  Truth is, there are always a few names I don’t get the first time around, but if I’m using names constantly, it seems like I know them all-to the students.  That buys me the time I need to work hard and learn each and every one. 5. Shuffle kids around.   I quiz myself constantly during the first days of school. I say the names in my mind as the kids come in, leave, and get off busses.  It’s easy to memorize kids’ names when they’re in assigned seats, but I don’t have assigned seats. As soon as students move, change styles or don’t have that red soccer shirt on… Do I still know the names?  That’s the challenge. When I know names in any setting-then I’ve done my homework well. 6. Have kids create something.   Author Dave Burgess suggests a first-day activity involving Play Doh in his bestseller "Teach Like a Pirate."  This is a fun activity, I’ve tried it. I do something different every year. This year, I’m having kids find and create mini quote posters and personal goal infographics. I’ll use them for decorating the room, and refer to them for inspiration. While they’re going crazy with the research and Sharpies, I’ll have down time to talk to each student, which helps me connect and learn names quickly. The best way to get off to a good start to the school year is by taking enough time to learn students’ names and build a positive classroom community. So many of us feel rushed to dive into the curriculum, but taking a quick beginning of the year pause to organize, learn names, and build community pays off in amazing results throughout the year!   Dawn Casey-Rowe is a teacher and author. Her book, "Don’t Sniff the Glue: A Teacher’s Misadventures in Education Reform" talks about what really goes on in the classroom, including the first day of school. 6 Strategies For Teachers To Learn Student Names Quickly The post "What’s My Name, Fool?" appeared first on TeachThought.

Promoting STEM Critical Thinking Using Post-it® Super Sticky Notes by TeachThought Staff We were recently contacted by Post-it® Brand to see if we could help teachers understand how Post-it Products could be used to promote critical thinking. The result is the strategy below. Recently we talked about how teaching and learning in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields can benefit from new approaches in pedagogy. And not ironically, we also called for a new push for truly teaching kids to think critically. According to a recent Back-to-School STEM Research Study conducted by the Post-it® Brand, 62% of parents have used memory games to help their students with STEM subjects. They’ve also used flashcards (58%), study guides (48%) and note taking (41%). One takeaway? Taking a diverse approach to how we teach-and how students learn-might be worth taking a closer look at, especially in the STEM content areas. STEM is ripe with complexity, nuance, alien ideas, and emerging trends that will topple existing paradigms and for us to reconceive preconceived notions students have about the world. We previously suggested Concept Attainment as a useful teaching strategy to provide students with a more full and contextual meaning for these kinds of concepts and ideas. Below, we look at another way to promote critical thinking using Post-it® Super Sticky Notes from the Post-it® Brand World of Color, Rio de Janeiro collection. The goal of this activity is to promote metacognition, specifically helping students understand how to ask better questions but providing a basic framework of tiering through four levels. A Step-By-Step Process For Promoting Critical Thinking Using Post-it® Super Sticky Notes Step 1. Choose a standard and a topic. For our example, we’ve selected from the Next Generation Science Standards, HS-LS2-5. Develop a model to illustrate the role of photosynthesis and cellular respiration in the cycling of carbon among the biosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and geosphere. (NGSS) From this standard, we chose photosynthesis. Step 2. Brainstorm questions around the topic. Next, students will brainstorm questions around that topic. Simply explain to the students that they are to ask questions about the topic-things that confuse them or make them curious, for starters. Depending on the grade and ability level of the students, you may encourage them to ask "good questions," but doing so may paralyze their thinking as they strive to "perform" rather than demonstrate curiosity. Step 3. Introduce! In step 3, students will be introduced to the idea of "levels" of questions. Identify these "levels" of questions by color coding using Post-it® Super Sticky Notes from the Post-it® Brand World of Color, Rio de Janeiro collection. Explain that Simple questions aren’t inherently "bad," nor are "Abstract" questions "good." Different kinds of questions serve different purposes, and oftentimes asking and answering the less complex questions can lead to more complex thinking. We can’t ask great questions about things we don’t understand! Pink Post-it® Super Sticky Notes = Simple questions: Usually "closed" questions with one answer, based on facts and "nuggets" of information and data. Often begin with "What…", "Which…" "Where…" and "When…." Yellow Post-it® Super Sticky Notes = Average questions: These questions may be open-ended or closed, and may require connecting multiple information points. Often begin with "How…" and "Why…" Green Post-it® Super Sticky Notes = Complex questions: At this level, questions are always open-ended, and answering them requires in-depth explanations, as well as predicting, inferring, and deductive reasoning. Blue Post-it® Super Sticky Notes = Abstract questions: At the most complex, questions are open-ended, but require extended thinking and explanation. It is often necessary to answer these kinds of questions with advanced media forms (documentaries, music, poetry, blogs, books, etc.) They also require a transfer of thinking or understanding, as shown in the example below. Step 4: Categorize! In step 4, students will categorize their questions brainstormed in step 2, and write them on the respective color Post-it® Super Sticky Note. You may need to model the differences in the questions, ideally providing multiple examples for each, and maybe allowing students with advanced understanding the chance to come up with their own example, quickly and on the fly.   Refine! In this final step, students will refine their questions on different colored Post-it® Super Sticky Notes by doing the following: Making sure they have at least 8 questions. Revising those 8 (or more) questions to either fit one of the categories precisely or… Change the color of the Post-it® Super Sticky Note category to accurately reflect the correct question category. Variations The big idea of this Post-it® Super Sticky Note activity is to promote critical thinking by helping students see questions in terms of levels and fluidity-from simple to abstract, and capable of changing based on learning and understanding. A few variations are possible: Have students categorize questions you provide on corresponding colored Post-it® Super Sticky Notes. This helps them focus on the categories without having to develop the questions. This can be a differentiation point for students in the process above as well. Have students brainstorm questions as a class, then categorize in groups of students based on category and color on Post-it® Super Sticky Notes. Use a write-around strategy so students can ask questions in writing while building off one another’s thinking. Create "distractor" Post-it® Super Sticky Notes that are incorrectly categorized, and have students correct the level by changing the color or revising the question. How do you help students learn and understand complex STEM concepts? More Information For additional information on Post-it products, or to purchase, visit Post-it.com For more information on how to help students excel in STEM education visit the Post-it® Brand website. You can also connect with Post-it® Brand on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram. The post Promoting STEM Critical Thinking Using Post-it® Super Sticky Notes appeared first on TeachThought.

3 Lasting Lessons For Teachers From Grant Wiggins by Jay McTighe Ed note: If you’re interested in hearing a (podcast) conversation between Jay McTighe and Grant’s wife, Denise Wilbur, along with ASCD Faculty member Donnell Gregory, head over to ASCD. The start of the new school year offers the perfect opportunity to reflect on the life and work of Grant Wiggins, an extraordinary educator who died unexpectedly at the end of the last school year (on May 26, 2015). Although I am an only child, I considered Grant my brother as well as an intellectual partner and best friend. I think of Grant every day and miss him terribly. While Grant is no longer with us, his spirit and ideas live on. Indeed, we can honor and celebrate his life’s work by acting on the sage advice that he offered to teachers over the years. As we prepare to meet our new students, let us consider three of Grant’s sensible and salient lessons for teachers. What Grant Would Want You To Know Lesson #1: Always Keep the End in Mind Grant always reminded teachers of the value of designing curriculum, assessment, and learning experiences "backwards," with the end in mind. While the idea of using "backward design" to plan curriculum units and courses is certainly not new, the Understanding by Design® framework underscores the value of this process for yielding more clearly defined goals, more appropriate assessments, more tightly aligned lessons, and more purposeful teaching. Grant pointed out that "backward design" of curriculum means more than simply looking at all of the content and standards you plan to "cover" and mapping out your day-to-day lessons. The idea is to plan backward from worthy goals—the transferable concepts, principles, processes, and questions that enable students to apply their learning in meaningful and authentic ways. Grant knew that in order to transfer their learning, students need to understand "big ideas." Rote learning of discrete facts and skills will simply not equip students to apply their learning to novel situations. Thus, he advised teachers to plan backward from desired transfer performances and "uncover" the necessary content needed for those performances. Here are several curriculum-planning tips that Grant offered: Consider long-term transfer goals when planning curriculum. What do you want students to be able to do with their learning when they confront new challenges, both within and outside of school? With transfer goals in mind, ask yourself these questions: What will students need to understand in order to apply their learning? What specific knowledge and skills will enable effective performance? Frame your teaching around essential questions. Think of the content you teach as the "answers." What are the questions that led to those answers? Grant noted that teaching for understanding and transfer will develop the very capabilities identified in the Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards, which are necessary to prepare learners for success in college and careers.  Lesson #2: Feedback is Key to Successful Learning and Performance However, Grant cautioned against thinking that grades (B+) and exhortations ("try harder") are feedback. To be effective, Grant pointed out that feedback must meet several criteria:For years, Grant reminded teachers that providing learners with feedback was a key to effective learning and improvement. His insights have been confirmed by research (from educators like Dylan Wiliam, John Hattie, and Robert Marzano) that demonstrates conclusively that classroom feedback is one of the highest-yielding strategies to enhance achievement. Feedback must be timely. Making students wait two weeks or more to find out how they did on a test will not help their learning. Feedback must be specific and descriptive. Effective feedback highlights explicit strengths and weaknesses (e.g., "Your speech was well-organized and interesting to the audience. However, you were speaking too fast in the beginning and did not make eye contact with the audience."). Feedback must be understandable to the receiver. Sometimes a teacher’s comment or the language in a rubric is lost on a student. Using student-friendly language can make feedback clearer and more comprehensible. For instance, instead of saying, "Document your reasoning process," a teacher could say, "Show your work in a step-by-step manner so others can follow your thinking." Feedback must allow for self-adjustment on the student’s part. Merely providing timely and specific feedback is insufficient; teachers must also give students the opportunity to use it to revise their thinking or performance. Here’s a straightforward test for classroom feedback: Can learners tell specifically from the given feedback what they have done well and what they could do next time to improve? If not, then the feedback is not yet specific enough or understandable for the learner. Grant also reminded us that classroom feedback should work reciprocally—that is, teachers should not only provide feedback for learners but also seek and use feedback to improve their own practice. Here are four ways that teachers can obtain helpful feedback: Ask your students. Periodically, teachers can elicit student feedback using "exit cards" or questionnaires. Here are a few sample prompts: What do you really understand about ____? What questions do you have? When were you most engaged? When were you least engaged? What is working for you? What could I do to help you learn better? Response patterns from such questions can provide specific ideas to help teachers refine their teaching. Ask your colleagues. It is easy for busy teachers to get too close to their work. Having another set of eyes can be invaluable. You can ask fellow teachers to review your unit plans, inspect the alignment of your assessments to your goals, and check your essential questions and lesson plans to see if they are likely to engage students Use formative assessments and act on their results. Grant often used analogies to make a point. He likened formative assessment to tasting a meal while cooking it. Waiting until a unit test or final exam to discover that some students haven’t "got it" is too late. Effective teachers, like successful cooks, sample learning along the way through formative assessments and adjust the "ingredients" of their teaching based on results. Regularly analyze student work. By closely examining the work that students produce on major assignments and assessments, teachers gain valuable insight into student strengths as well as skill deficiencies and misunderstandings. Grant encouraged teachers to analyze student work in teams, whenever possible. Just as football coaches review game film together and then plan next week’s practices, teachers gain insight into needed curriculum and instructional adjustments based on results. For more reading, here is Grant on providing better feedback for learning. Lesson #3: Have Empathy for the Learner In our writings on Understanding by Design, Grant and I described six facets of understanding: a person shows evidence of understanding when they can explain, interpret, apply, shift perspective, empathize, and self-assess. These facets serve as indicators of understanding and guide the development of assessments and learning experiences. Grant pointed out that the facets have value beyond their use as a frame for curriculum and assessment design. They can be applied to teachers and teaching as well. As one example, he described the phenomenon that he labeled the Expert Blind Spot: "Expressed in the language of the six facets, experts frequently find it difficult to have empathy for the novice, even when they try. That’s why teaching is hard, especially for the expert in the field who is a novice teacher. Expressed positively, we must strive unendingly to be empathetic to the learner’s conceptual struggles if we are to succeed." Grant reminded us of the value of being sensitive to learners who do not have our expertise (and sometimes not even an interest) in the subject matter that we know so well. He pointed out that "what is obvious to us is rarely obvious to a novice—and was once not obvious to us either, but we have forgotten our former views and struggles." He cautioned us against confusing teaching for understanding with simply telling. He encouraged teachers to remember that understandings are constructed in the mind of the learner, that understanding must be "earned" by the learner, and that the teacher’s job is to facilitate "meaning making," not simply present information. Grant encouraged teachers to develop empathy for students by "shadowing" a student for a day and reflecting on the experience. Recently, a high school teacher took his suggestion and described what it was like to walk in the shoes of a student. Her account, summarized in a blog post with over a million hits, should be required reading for all teachers, especially at the start of a new year. Maybe you will be inspired to engage in this action research in your school. These are but a few of the many lessons that Grant offered us. Although he is no longer with us, his brilliance lives on in his thought-provoking blog posts, articles, and books. His advice elevates our profession, and our students deserve the benefits of his wisdom. Jay McTighe leads ASCD’s Understanding by Design® cadre and brings a wealth of experience that he developed during a rich and varied career in education. He served as director of the Maryland Assessment Consortium, a state collaboration of school districts working together to develop and share formative performance assessments. McTighe is an accomplished author, having coauthored 14 books, including the best-selling Understanding by Design series with Grant Wiggins. This post originally appeared on ASCD’s Inservice blog; image attribution flickr user sparkfunelectronics The post 3 Lasting Lessons For Teachers From Grant Wiggins appeared first on TeachThought.

How To Teach With The Concept Attainment Model by TeachThought Staff In 1956, psychologist Jerome Bruner published a book called "A Study of Thinking." Being a psychologist, Bruner was interested in cognitive processing-how people think, and how those tendencies might be used to inform teaching and learning processes. He developed a new way of introducing learners to new concepts called Concept Attainment. What Is Concept Attainment? The image above from this document via Beyond Monet/Barrie Bennet/Carol Rolheiser is a useful example of how Concept Attainment works. It can be thought of as game of "find the rule."  Concept Attainment is a "backwards conceptualizing" approach to making sense of new ideas. It is a teaching strategy characterized (in terms of thinking patterns of the learner) by "a pattern of decisions in the acquisition, retention, and utilization of information that serves to meet certain objectives" (Bruner et al 1956). Linda Neff at Northern Arizona University adds that Concept Attainment is a "close relative to inductive thinking (Joyce and Weil 1967:15), (and) focuses on the decision-making and categorization processes leading up to the creation and understanding of a concept." Neff also explains that there are several advantages to this approach, including learning "how to examine a concept from a number of perspectives, learning how to sort out relevant information", the benefit of seeing multiple examples of ideas, and maybe most importantly, moving beyond mere concept-definition association. This allows for the idea to be seen in its native context, and a more authentic and fuller definition to emerge. How Does Concept Attainment Work? In the concept attainment process, new ideas are introduced-and defined by students-inductively through the "act(s) of categorization" (Bruner, Goodnow, and Austin 1956:244). Students see attributes, examples and non-examples, form theories, and then test those theories against the data given until they are able to able to name the idea. This reverses the typical process of introducing an idea (e.g., gravity) by narrowly defining it (e.g., the force that attracts a body toward another physical body having mass). The Concept Attainment process requires learners to focus on attributes, categories, and relationships rather than simply mirroring an idea with a definition. In the STEM field-one marked by change, uncertainty, and new (and often unfamiliar) ideas-this conceptual approach is a tidy fit for teaching. What Are The Benefits Of Concept Attainment? California Lutherhan University explains the benefits of Concept Attainment: "Concept attainment is designed to clarify ideas and to introduce aspects of content. It engages students into formulating a concept through the use of illustrations, word cards or specimens called examples. Students who catch onto the idea before others are able to resolve the concept and then are invited to suggest their own examples, while other students are still trying to form the concept. For this reason, concept attainment is well suited to classroom use because all thinking abilities can be challenged throughout the activity. With experience, children become skilled at identifying relationships in the word cards or specimens. With carefully chosen examples, it is possible to use concept attainment to teach almost any concept in all subjects." Examples Of Concept Attainment Also from California Lutherhan University, the following is an example of Concept Attainment in math. "First the teacher chooses a concept to developed. (i.e. Math facts that equal 10) Begin by making list of both positive "yes" and negative " no" examples: The examples are put onto sheets of paper or flash cards. Positive Examples: (Positive examples contain attributes of the concept to be taught) i.e. 5+5, 11-1, 10X1, 3+4+4, 12-2, 15-5, (4X2)+2, 9+1 Negative Examples: (for examples choose facts that do not have 10 as the answer) i.e. 6+6, 3+3, 12-4, 3X3, 4X4, 16-5, 6X2, 3+4+6, 2+(2X3), 16-10 Designate one area of the chalkboard for the positive examples and one area for negative examples. A chart could be set up at the front of the room with two columns - one marked YES and the other marked NO. Present the first card by saying, "This is a YES." Place it under the appropriate column. i.e. 5+5 is a YES Present the next card and say, "This is a NO." Place it under the NO column. i.e. 6+6 is a NO Repeat this process until there are three examples under each column. Ask the class to look at the three examples under the YES column and discuss how they are alike. (i.e. 5+5, 11-1, 2X5) Ask "What do they have in common?" For the next tree examples under each column, ask the students to decide if the examples go under YES or NO. At this point, there are 6 examples under each column. Several students will have identified the concept but it is important that they not tell it out loud to the class. They can however show that they have caught on by giving an example of their own for each column. At this point, the examples are student-generated. Ask the class if anyone else has the concept in mind. Students who have not yet defined the concept are still busy trying to see the similarities of the YES examples. Place at least three more examples under each column that are student-generated. Discuss the process with the class. Once most students have caught on, they can define the concept. Once they have pointed out that everything under the YES column has an answer of 10, then print a new heading at the top of the column (10 Facts). The print a new heading for the NO column (Not 10 Facts)." More soon on this extraordinarily versatile teaching strategy. image attribution Beyond Monet/Barrie Bennet/Carol Rolheiser; How To Teach With The Concept Attainment Model; What Is Concept Attainment? The post How To Teach With The Concept Attainment Model appeared first on TeachThought.

Organization Apps? Here Are 15 Essential Apps For The Organized Teacher by TeachThought Staff There is no single way to effectively organize a classroom. The big idea behind organization is systematic accessibility. When there is a clear system that allows the parts of that system to be accessible to those who need it, that’s organization. Indicators of organization may might be outward orderliness and neat and tidy packaging, but it’s possible for organization to tend towards clinical aesthetics, where things are difficult to find and use, but boy doesn’t it all look lovely? Because organization is a subjective idea, what works for one teacher may not work for another. With that in mind, we’ve collected what we see as essential apps for the organized teacher and organized classroom. These are apps that allow teachers to store files, manage class rosters, share student work, and consolidate everything into a single, synced calendar for all parents. (This might be a good time to recommend tagging your curriculum as well.) SimplyCircle asked us to check out their app, and if we thought it was worth sharing, share it. We did, and we do. You can check out the SimplyCircle site here and use the web version of their app, as well as the iPhone version of SimplyCircle, and the Android version as well. We’ve curated the best apps for organized teaching and learning that we know of, which you can find below. 15 Essential Apps For The Organized Teacher Terry Heick Owner 15 items   796 views 15 Essential Apps For The Organized Teacher Listly by Terry Heick 15 Essential Apps For The Organized Teacher   Follow List   Embed List 1 SimplyCircle - Group Communication With a focus on communication and attention to data privacy, SimplyCircle allows you to use a single, synced calendar for all parents, use group messaging or one-on-one, use one-click volunteer signups, and, in short, run a more efficient, organized, and productive classroom. With SimplyCircle, you can communicate with the entire group, or have individual conversations with parents as needed, all in a secure and private environment. In short, SimplyCircle is Remind, SignUpGenius and Facebook all rolled into one - so parents and teachers can ditch the burden of planning and remembering, and instead focus on doing. 0 2 Google Drive - free online storage from Google Perhaps the most essential tool here, Google Drive is a cloud-based digital locker to save, share, collaborate with documents and related files for Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and more. 0 3 YouTube Create a channel for your classroom--flipped or not--where you aggregate lesson extensions, upload student work, or store digital content for lessons and units. All in one place. 0 4 Evernote Scannable Evernote is great, but what about Evernote Scannable? Scan and store documents, images, drawings, pictures, project-based learning artifacts, and more. 0 5 Dropbox Store files, backup media, create shared folders for students to send and receive work, and more. It often ties in nicely with Apple's native interface as well for easier sharing. 0 6 Paperless Assignments with Dropbox and Google Drive | SubmitBox Use Dropbox or Google Drive to collect, annotate, and grade your students' documents with a simple paperless workflow Tired of collecting your students' documents with email attachments or via a learning management system? SubmitBox harnesses the power of cloud storage apps like Dropbox and Google Drive to make collecting documents super easy. 0 7 Pocket: Save Articles and Videos to View Later Save and tag essential media--documents, books, blog posts, social media posts, and more--for your curriculum and classroom application. 0 8 Newsify: Your News, Blog & RSS Feed Reader Read and share your favorite websites, blogs, and other digital content with students in a newspaper-like layout. Easy skimming, reading, saving, and sharing of news-style digital content. 0 9 Allcal - Social Planning App Google Calendar is great. Another possibility is Allcall, a unique social planning calendar for projects, academic coursework, or parent-teacher interaction. 0 10 Remind: Safe Classroom Communication Remind (formerly Remind101) offers teachers a free, safe and simple way to instantly text students & parents. Teachers, coaches, or administrators can send reminders, assignments, homework, assessments, or motivational messages directly to students' & parents' phones. 0 11 Microsoft OneNote - lists, photos, and notes, organized in a notebook Capture your thoughts, discoveries, and ideas with OneNote, your very own digital notebook. With OneNote you can seize that moment of inspiration, take your class notes, or track that list of errands that are too important to forget. 0 12 TeacherKit - Class Organizer, Teacher Planner, Gradebook, Assignment List, Attendance and Student 's Grade TeacherKit helps you organize classes and students easily. Create a seating chart, record attendance, log behavior, and track grades all with few taps. 0 13 Seesaw: The Learning Journal Seesaw is a student-driven digital portfolio that empowers students of all ages to independently document and share what they are learning at school. 0 14 Nearpod The Nearpod platform enables teachers, schools and districts, to use their iPads to manage content on students' iPads, iPhones, iPods or Macs. It seamlessly combines interactive presentation, collaboration, and real-time assessment tools into one integrated solution. 0 15 Socrative Teacher Engage, assess and personalize your class with Socrative! Educators can initiate formative assessments through quizzes, quick question polls, exit tickets and space races all with their Socrative Student app. 0 View more lists from Terry Heick 15 Essential Apps For The Organized Teacher; Best Apps For Teacher Organization; Organization Apps? Here Are 15 Essential Apps For The Organized Teacher The post 15 Essential Apps For The Organized Teacher appeared first on TeachThought.

50 Of The Best Podcasts For High School Students by Dennis Lee, StudyPug.com This post is the first part to a 3-part series entitled "250 things any high school student must learn". High school is perhaps one of the biggest turning points of a person’s life. Sure, there’s still college after that, but not everyone gets the chance to move that stage forward.  So while you’re all in the stage where you go wonder what you really want to be like in the years to come, why not try listening to Podcasts to give yourself some insights about life. There are scores of podcasts that you could find all over the internet. Topics range from Academic Related stuff where you could be able to extend your knowledge in any particular class that you like, to inspirational ones which would give you some great things to think about how to live your life and how to enjoy what you have. So here’s a collection of 50 Podcasts that any high school student should listen to, categorized into the four general topics would help you focus on what you might choose to become in the years to come. Academic Related Podcasts Not everyone can be a History Buff, a Grammar Nazi, a Science Geek, or a Poetry enthusiast, but a person could try listening to one of these podcasts to have a bit more of new things learned from among every classes like Science, Math, English, History and Literature. There are things that we can’t just learn in a four walled classroom, which is why these podcasts could offer you more practical applications of the theories they discuss to you. Apart from that is you get to know more advance stuff that could help you appreciate learning these classes more. 60 Seconds Health 60 Seconds Science A Way with Words Classic Poetry Aloud Index Grammar Girl Hubblecast  HD Math For Primates Stuff you Missed in History Class The Naked Scientist The Podcast History of our World General and Special Interest Podcasts Everyone has their own sets of hobbies and interests. Some might be more of into arts (in all sorts of forms) or perhaps photography, or knitting and crocheting. Others might be interested in the latest innovations in technology. Others are superbly curious of how things work so they could make videos of it on YouTube. There are those out there who like stuff about Animals, the Universe, the Mind, Documentaries and Conspiracy Theories and so on and so forth. So for the sake of having a lot of youngsters out there who are into several things, here’s a list of podcasts for those various hobbies and interests. Art Podcast Astronomy 161 Documentaries Dummies.com Good Job, Brain! How to do Everything Lore Practical Defense Radio Lab StarTalk Radio Stash and Burn Stuff You Should Know Talking Animals Tips and Tricks Photography Witness Stuff to Blow your Mind Mindset Zone Killer Innovations How Stuff Works Math Mutation Entrepreneurship Isn’t there a saying about starting up a business while you are young? Whether you’re into selling things for auction at eBay, or having garage sale on weekends, making homemade cookies and cupcakes for deliveries, it’s about time you get to learn more on the techniques on how to make your business flourish into something bigger. Who knows if you could make your business your career if you decide not to go further into college. Since it’s never just about learning the theories about business, but having the ability to be quick and efficient in decision making, why not invest a bit of your time listening to pros on how they handle their business? Ambitious Entrepreneur Show Creative Living with Jaime eBay Radio Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders Founder’s Talk John Lee Dumas’ Entrepreneur on Fire Practical Money Skills Rise to the Top Start up Nation The Internet Business Mastery Inspirational & Motivational There are plenty of days we feel down. High School is probably among those days when you feel like everything isn’t going how you want them and that you feel like there’s no point to all the things happening around you. Now remember that people around you are having the same struggles too. Some of them have worse things to think and feel about themselves but they still push themselves to go on with their lives. Get to know their heartwarming stories that would tug on your heart strings. Live by their examples and inspire others like how they inspired you. Back to Work TED Talks Daily Boost On Being Benjamen Walker’s Theory of Everything Personal Growth Podcasts Radio Diaries This I believe What It Takes Here Be Monsters Dennis Lee is the lead teacher at StudyPug - where they provide hundreds of video lessons and tutorials for any kinds of maths, including Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Pre-Calculus and more. The post 50 Of The Best Podcasts For High School Students appeared first on TeachThought.

Program Invites High School Students To France For 10 Day WWII Immersion  From a press release WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Albert H. Small Student Teacher Institute is providing a fully funded learning experience taking fifteen student-teacher pairs to Normandy, France to tell the story of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. National History Day is now accepting applications for the 2016 Normandy: Sacrifice for Freedom Albert H. Small Student and Teacher Institute. This highly competitive program accepts 15 student and teacher pairs for an immersive experience of learning both in Washington, D.C. and on the beaches of Normandy. The institute is funded through a generous donation from Mr. Albert H. Small. The institute covers all expenses for European travel, visits to historic sites, and lodging in both Europe and Washington, D.C. Normandy Sacrifice for Freedom: Albert H. Small Student Teacher Institute seeks to teach a new generation about the sacrifices and challenges faced by U.S. service members during World War II. Student and teacher pairs select a service member from their home state or territory who died in the line of duty. After conducting months of research participants travel to Washington, D.C. for a ten day immersion in World War II history. "At National History Day we strive to bring history to life, and few things do that better than the narratives about these silent heroes," said National History Day Executive Director Dr. Cathy Gorn. "By learning about the stories behind each of these Silent Heroes, the students and teachers truly come to understand the magnitude of the sacrifice made by these brave service members." After a reception at the White House, sponsored by the White House Historical Association, participants embark on a journey of research and discovery. Historians and archivists guide the students and teachers through primary source material from World War II at the National Archives. Guest historians and speakers teach them about the importance of D-Day and Operation Overlord to the outcome of the war. Then the participants fly to France where each pair walks the beaches of Normandy in the footsteps of their silent hero. Throughout their time in France, the students give briefings from their extensive research on various aspects of the War. On the final day the group heads to the American Cemetery in Normandy, France where the fifteen students honor their silent hero with a graveside eulogy. Applications for this competitive program are due by November 30, 2015 at midnight. All participants must apply as one team. The adult must be a middle or high school teacher or librarian. The student must be a sophomore or junior in high school as of fall 2015. All applications must be fully completed and submitted as a single PDF document. The application, and more information, can be found online at http://bit.ly/NormandyInstitute. National History Day (NHD) is a non-profit education organization in College Park, MD. Established in 1974, NHD offers year-long academic programs that engage more than half a million middle- and high-school students around the world in conducting original research on historical topics of interest. The keystone of NHD is the annual Kenneth E. Behring National History Day Contest held each June at the University of Maryland at College Park. NHD also seeks to improve the quality of history education by providing professional development opportunities and curriculum materials for educators. NHD is sponsored in part by Kenneth E. Behring, Patricia Behring, HISTORY®, Jostens, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Park Service, Southwest Airlines, the Joe Weider Foundation, and the WEM 2000 Foundation of the Dorsey & Whitney Foundation. For more information, visit nhd.org. Image attribution flickr user Surreal Name Given The post Program Invites High School Students To France For 10 Day WWII Immersion appeared first on TeachThought.

Using Post-it® Super Sticky Notes To Promote Critical Thinking by TeachThought Staff How can Post-it® Super Sticky Notes be used to promote critical thinking in the STEM high school classroom? Quite effectively, it turns out-especially if you’re familiar with Concept Attainment as a teaching and learning strategy. The Post-it® Brand recently conducted a Back-to-School STEM Research Study which found that parents with middle and high school-aged students rank math and science as the subjects that will prepare their students the most for the job market - and yet, they are the subjects their students struggle with the most. This suggests a new approach to teaching in the STEM classroom-maybe one focused on engaging critical thinking and compelling anchoring concepts (as opposed to the classic approach of distribution of facts and information).   Whether you’re introducing a key idea, revisiting a concept, or clarifying misconceptions students have about complex ideas, Concept Attainment (link back to previous post on Concept Attainment) can be a useful tool in your teacher toolbox. In our examples from the STEM field of Science (Biology), we’re using Post-it® Super Sticky Notes from the Post-it® Brand World of Color, Rio de Janeiro collection to illustrate what this might look like in your classroom. The Steps of Teaching with Concept Attainment Select and define a concept Select the attributes Develop examples and non-examples Introduce the process to the students Present the examples and list the attributes Develop a concept definition Give additional examples Discuss the process with the class Evaluate This is all done ahead of time before the lesson is delivered. In short, there isn’t a lot of prep work. You choose a concept, then choose crucial Examples or Non-Examples, Characteristics, and Non-Characteristics, and create using the Post-it® Super Sticky Notes as shown below. You then reveal the information one step at a time in hopes of promoting inferencing, theory development and revision, and other hallmarks of critical thinking. The step-by-step process we’ve provided is meant to support how the students would encounter the information in a classroom lesson. Note, though we focused on text only, you can substitute any of the below with visuals-a diagram, drawing, or symbol to represent meaning. According to the Back-to-School STEM Research Study conducted by the Post-it® Brand, 86% of parents think the best way for their students to learn STEM-subjects is through visual learning, like reading or seeing pictures, and 54% of parents think their students learn most easily by touching or participating in a hands on activity. Using different colored Post-it® Super Sticky Notes that can also get students up and out of their desks is a simple, effective way to address both possibilities. An Example Of Concept Attainment In The Science Classroom Step 1 The first step is to choose a concept from your curriculum map or content area-ideally this would be a critical idea or term for the students to understand. This concept should be written on a 4in x 6in Post-it® Super Sticky Note. In this example, we chose Virus. Explain to the class: They are trying to think like a detective to infer what concept is being implied or described. If they think they have it, they are not to shout it out, but contribute to the process by offering other Examples or Non-Examples, Characteristics or Non-Characteristics in order to form and revise theories, narrowing their thinking until they "get it." Step 2 After choosing the concept, students need to identify those attributes that most accurately and compellingly characterize that idea. Recall, the point of the activity is to introduce the true nature of the concept, rather than to simply define it. We used the same color Post-it® Super Sticky Notes in 3in x 3in size to represent the Characteristics. You would then place these Super Sticky Notes in groups at the front of the class in the center, where students can visualize them as clues. (Depending on your classroom arrangement, you may need to use the larger Post-it® Super Sticky Notes.) The students wouldn’t see the 4in x 6in Post-it® Super Sticky Note with the concept, "Virus", written on it, but rather only the smaller 3in x 3in Post-it® Super Sticky Notes around it. Step 3 Next, you’ll need to identify both Examples and Non-Examples. From the Post-it® Brand World of Color Rio de Janeiro collection, we chose blue Post-it® Super Sticky Notes for Examples and pink Post-it® Super Sticky Notes for Non-Examples. You would place these in another area marked Examples and Non-Examples so that students understand the nature of the clues. Step 4 Next, you reveal or identify 2-3 more characteristics or examples written on Post-it® Super Sticky Notes of the concept one at a time, and then ask students to place them in the correct categories-either Examples or Non-Examples, Characteristics or Non-Characteristics. Step 5 At this point, more students should have a sense of what the concept is (but still can’t shout it out). Instruct students that think they "get it" to begin calling out more Examples or Non-Examples, Characteristics or Non-Characteristics on their own. This has the benefit of helping to differentiate the learning across the students that "get it" and the students that are still trying to figure it out, as some students can deepen their learning, while the others use their peer’s ideas to build upon. How do you promote STEM critical thinking in the classroom or at home? For more information on how to help students excel in STEM education visit Post-it.com. You can also connect with Post-it® Brand on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram. The post Using Post-it® Super Sticky Notes To Promote Critical Thinking appeared first on TeachThought.

7 Teachers Explain How Students Show Kindness In The Classroom by Lisa Currie, ripplekindness.org Some children spend more of their time awake at school than they do in their own homes. That’s a big thing when you’re still growing and learning. It’s a big thing too for parents to entrust their precious ones to others, sometimes strangers, during these vital years. Especially as much of a child’s developing personality and morals can easily be influenced by those around them. During the early years of my own children’s education, I worried about the role models they would encounter at school. It concerned me that my hard work instilling good values may be lost if character education wasn’t a priority in the classroom. Fortunately, these days, educators are more aware of the need to prioritize social and emotional learning at school. They realize the important role that kindness and empathy have in nurturing happiness and self-esteem. "It’s no secret that kindness sparks kindness. The secret is that kindness takes wings when it is modeled and taught with passion and purpose. When we intentionally help and encourage our students to put kindness into action through their thoughts, words, and deeds, then the world will truly be a gentler, more peaceful place. Simply put, we’ll be better. Kindness in schools can look like a smile, feel like a hug, sound like a sweet greeting or a sincere compliment. A genuine inquiry about how someone is doing can mean so much. And when we have created that climate of kindness and caring inside our school walls, the natural next step is to take it home to our families, out into our community and then beyond our borders into our global world. And when kindness ripples, prepare to bathe in a tsunami of goodness. " Barbara Gruener, Counsellor, Westwood-Bales Elementary, Friendswood, Texas, USA "As students are often stereotyped for bad behaviour and bullying, it’s heartening to hear about the kindness and compassion they can have for others. Oftentimes, it’s students who are the greatest teacher of kindness, surprising their parents and teachers with small things that come so naturally from the heart.   "Over the years I have learned so many important things about kindness from my students. I have seen students come together during the most difficult of situations. They’ve shown how much more effective they are when they work together to serve in the community. But I think one of the most beautiful things I have learned from my students is how to take the everyday things and make them special when a friend is hurting. I can remember seeing one of my first-grade students share a "magic crystal" with a friend who was crying. The friend was immediately cheered and wasted no time in coming to show me the crystal and tell me of her friend’s gesture of kindness. Upon examination, I discovered that the "magic crystal" was a grain of rock salt that had made its way into the building on the bottom of someone’s snow covered boot. However, that ordinary piece of rock salt became a way to spread cheer in that classroom for days to come as it was passed along to others who needed its "magic" power. I learned never to underestimate the power of the ordinary." Tracy Kiso, K-1 Counselor, Barretts Elementary, St. Louis, Missouri, USA "A few years ago, we started focusing on kindness at George Waters Middle School rather than bullying and other negative behaviours. It has transformed how staff and students respond to the negative things that may happen. Students have delighted me with a variety of different things since we changed our focus. Our new goal is to accept responsibility for one’s own behaviour, control one’s own response, and at all times respond kindly. I have seen young people find ingenious ways to respond to others to help brighten their day. From a simple high five, opening a door, writing a kind note or making a pledge to be kind and sharing it by creating a video. "I have also learned from students that some are extremely uncomfortable, in the beginning when we have discussions around kindness. In some cases, it is an idea that is foreign to them and in the lives they lead, as well as the people around them. In the beginning, it can bring out behaviours we are trying to avoid. From this, though, they show me that the art of being kind and learning that kindness matters is something all children easily pick up. Some children just need the opportunity to be kind, to be shown what it is to be kind and how to be kind. The benefits of focusing on kindness far outweigh the negative. It may be uncomfortable for some in the beginning, but kindness lead to happier kids, adults and school culture that focuses on learning." Andrew Mead, Principal, George Waters Middle School, Winnipeg, Canada "I work with students with special needs, particularly behavioral. At lunchtime one day, a student had a tiny container with the smallest slice of homemade brownie inside. He didn’t have much for himself in many areas of his life, yet I watched him break the brownie in half. He crossed the room to the student I was working with, who was struggling that day, and gave him that half of the brownie. The significance of the offering was not lost on anyone. No words were exchanged, just the only gift he could give, completely unselfish."  Lisa VanEngen, Special Education Paraprofessional, Michigan, USA  "Education is a very personal endeavor. The better we get to know our students, the more effective we are. This is why it is very difficult when children cross the line and attack us verbally and physically. We feel violated and we feel wronged. Oftentimes we lash back. Or at the very least, we expect some sort of punishment for the misbehavior. Punishment and lashing back are not the best options. I learned this first hand this year by witnessing just how forgiving and loving children can be. On numerous occasions, I witnessed children forgive each other quickly and almost without a second’s thought. We are the adults who have experience with these types of situations. We know we are not supposed to take them personally, and yet we do. More than anything, the students that I had the fortune of serving this year taught me how to forgive without any strings attached." Jon Harper, Assistant Principal, Sandy Hill Elementary School, Maryland, USA "Through my counselling sessions, I’m frequently amazed by the compassion and strength from teenagers who have experienced difficulties growing up. You might think that adversity could lead to bitterness and negative emotions - and in many cases they do exist. But underneath these uncomfortable feelings is often a deep compassion for others. One student I worked with was struggled with self-confidence. After some exercises to help her identify a sense of purpose, she decided she wasn’t going to let her difficulties get in the way. She realised she could find a sense of purpose by helping others. She began a volunteer program with her older sister to spend time with a person with high-level disability in their home. She visited them one evening every week after school. This teenager told me that it made her feel strong and helpful. It allowed for her to feel empowered knowing that she was making such a difference to someone else’s life." Elizabeth Neal, Psychologist, Elizabeth Neal Psychology, Sydney, Australia  "As a support teacher of 9 years, there have been many times where children’s natural instinct to be kind has amazed and delighted many adults. At a recent sporting event, three boys, all with additional needs (ASD) began running but dropped back to all be in line with each other so they could cross the line together for a joint first. There wasn’t a dry eye around the track. At our swimming carnival, a student who uses a wheelchair was only able to participate in a few modified events. The student leaders began a conga line so everyone could have some fun. They gave this student the house flag (usually a special honour for captains). She proudly held it as they pushed her as the leader of the conga line. Kids do this naturally and it’s the adults who are touched and learn by their kindness. In the early years, children are amazingly accepting of student’s with additional needs. They offer to give them extra turns, the first worksheet, to be their partner and to carry their belongings or help them when needed. They are a great reminder to some adults about the compassion and understanding we should extend to our friends." Shirley James-Sharry, Support Teacher: Inclusive Education, St Flannan’s School Zillmere, Queensland, Australia "As an advocate for Teaching SEL, I’m thrilled to see so many schools actively participating in programs that promote kindness within their community, who are quite obviously reaping tremendous rewards." How has a student’s kindness touched the lives of those in your school, and what have you personally learned from their good deeds? 7 Teachers Explain How Students Show Kindness In The Classroom; image attribution flickr user usarmycerdec The post 7 Teachers Explain How Students Show Kindness In The Classroom appeared first on TeachThought.

Be A Creator, Not An Inheritor by Dale Schlundt, M.A. "There is no research stating it is harmful, but I wouldn’t." These are the words of my wife’s OBGYN when I asked him about spraying insect poison and its potential effects on my unborn son at the time. A very scholarly way of saying, "I don’t know". And you know what, there is nothing wrong with that reply. It reaffirmed two points for me. The first being I’ll throw out the poison and well, bugs, "Welcome". The second is it reaffirms a simple truth that we all need to be reminded of at times, there is a purpose for everyone in this society. There is an opportunity to differentiate ourselves in our profession by fulfilling a gap. A need to find the missing piece, if you will. Everyone at some point in their lives feels that their work is insignificant. The feeling that what I am doing is not unique, there will be no lasting effect. I have received that response from editors on articles I have written. I recall one that sent me a few responses from the editorial team, "great points, but nothing new here". It still hurts. Of course, there have been those more impressed then not. Nevertheless, what I strive for is to create something needed, both in my writings and my profession. Perhaps not even something new, only a new way of viewing the old. I pose the question to you, what is the difference between the individuals discussing immigration reform seeking their party’s presidential nomination? They are all arguing for the same relative concept with small variations. Legalized immigration as opposed to a lack of control over the flow of those crossing the border. However, what does every political candidate tell you they can do? "I can do it better." You know, perhaps so. Why not? Why else are we listening if they are all the same? That being said, why would we believe an individual we’ve never met and discount our own abilities to create something the world needs? This is due to the fact that we have been taught to be inheritors. To inherit information, rules, culture, and so on, without adding to them. If you think about any time while you were in school, regardless of what level, how many times did your educators ask for your opinion as opposed to giving their own? When you left your institution of education, did your employer focus on making an asset of what makes you unique or did they promote conformity in all regards? We are not taught how and when to be pragmatic. When to challenge the status quo. The Jamestown Rediscovery Project is the perfect example of the opportunities for which I am suggesting we should all strive to find. 2012 was another intriguing year, the project found the remains of a young girl who had been cannibalized. Not a common practice in our first successful English colony, this incident is something we already knew of through primary sources. Though let’s keep in mind, anyone can write anything, just take a look at Twitter. Yet, now we have corroborated that evidence so what we considered as semi-truth or potential fact, has now a much higher probability of being so. Our understanding of 400 year old history changing because there are those who do not simply accept the status quo, but felt they can both learn from as well as add to the knowledge of our world. Every profession needs these minds. No doubt there will be a M.D. that one days tells a patient, "There is now evidence suggesting certain bug poisons are harmful to fetuses, so do not spray." The patient thinks, "I am so glad I asked and thankful there are pioneers who push prenatal health forward."   Do not only inherit your world, create it.   Dale Schlundt holds a Master’s Degree in Adult Education with a concentration in American History from the University of Texas at San Antonio. He is currently an Adjunct Professor for Palo Alto College and Northwest Vista College. Dale has two new books available, Tracking Life’s Lessons: Through Experiences, History, and a Little Interpretation and Education Decoded (A Collection of My Writings) now available on Amazon. Be A Creator, Not An Inheritor; adapted image attribution flickr user sparkfunelectronics The post Be A Creator, Not An Inheritor appeared first on TeachThought.

Dear David: Here Are 70 Practical Things Every Teacher Should Know by Terry Heick Recently I found out that my best friend is in school to become a teacher. David (I call him Gravy. Or Big Bear. Long story.) kept this one quiet-had no idea until he was already in school and taking classes. To be fair, we’re not 17 anymore. I’ve known him for 30 years, and it’s easier to hang out at 15 than 40. Life slides right on by. This is a second (or third) career for him having spent most of his life doing craftsmanship of various kinds. He told me some of the things they’re studying in his teacher prep program, and he asked me if I thought it was valuable. Certainly having a solid base in theory makes sense, but the interviews he was doing with educators-"Why did you become a teacher?"-seemed only vaguely useful to respond to the demands of his newly-chosen craft. In response, I created a list of random things teachers have to know in order to survive. I’ve written lists like this before, as well as lessons on teacher survival. I’ve written about How To Burn Yourself Out As A Teacher. Some of these ideas overlap, but the big idea of this list is to show the wide range of things teachers have to know that are actually practical. Useful. A daily matter of survival. The hammers and nails and screwdrivers and saws and ladders of teaching. So, to the list. I didn’t get too Terry Heick with it. Kept the talk about wisdom and students-as-human-beings, and thought, and learning models, and compelling technology use, and play, and self-direction, and inquiry to a minimum. The rule here is day to day practicality. There are 70. Why 70? I don’t know. I had 40 and they kept coming. I stopped at 68, but then had two more. So it’s 70. That may be too many. That in and of itself may reduce the practicality of this list. Maybe numbering things instead of waxing on poetic will help there. I may add more. Add yours to the comments below. Hope this helps, Gravy. 70 Practical Things Every Teacher Should Know How to manage their time with military-like precision The difference between complex, rigorous, and just plain hard How to deliver instruction to students from a wide range of religious, socioeconomic, and ethnic backgrounds How to authenticate and contextualize academic content for students How to use class walls effectively How to deliver lessons and activities from units that are based on a scope and sequence or pacing guide The purpose of assessment How to fake it or pretend (that you gave the probe, watched the video, read the email, etc.) How to promote ideal behaviors in students How to get out of the students’ way That students come to school for different reasons How to collect money (and how to respond when a student doesn’t have any) How to self-direct their own professional development How to best spend the 1-2 planning periods a week they’ll actually get Where your mailbox is, and when to send attendance and to whom How to differentiate otherwise standardized content based on readiness or interest How to work with/on multiple committees, teams, and related groups How to bypass district internet filters, if only so you know how the students will do it That they’ll likely have to sponsor and support one or more extra-curricular activities How to master and maintain software for class rosters, grading, parent communication, etc. Where teaching has been, where it is, and where it’s going How to wash their hands When they’re working too hard That every student has something really, really special in them The difference between teaching, covering, and learning When to push, and when to pull back That your time with a child is just a blink of an eye in the span of their life What it means to understand something How to see students, not a class That students love the water fountain so very much When during the day to make copies, or how to go paperless How to fix a broken copier Which meetings you can skip, and which you can’t How to use technology better than the students When to say no What to do when you suspect a child is being abused at home, or bullied in school or online Who to go to for what How not to get caught sitting at your desk by the administrators How to organize and optimize digital and physical learning spaces How to organize physical and digital documents That you can’t save them all, but that can’t stop you from trying How to build a compelling classroom library (and this goes for any content area or grade level) How to balance content knowledge with knowledge of learning models, instructional strategies, and student needs and backgrounds How to really, truly evaluate assessment data How to capture a child’s imagination When a student is about to puke How to help parents and families understand and support How to motivate students like it’s your job, because it kind of is How important it is to not to get on the librarian’s bad side How to have a short memory for student mistakes How to give literacy probes and other "non-content"-based assessment How to work with resource teachers to meet IEP and 504 needs How to hide in their room so they can actually get something done What they can say, in person and online, that will get them fired How to meet IEP and 504 needs without a resource teacher How to use the best parts of their personality to craft a teacher voice and personality that works How to demonstrate leadership within team and department activities and initiatives How to keep students safe while making sure each student is heard and related to To be aware of and respond to all student medical conditions How to do the dog-and-pony show (in case they want to) Dozens of team-building exercises How to entertain students The best ways to get a busy, loud, disruptive, or otherwise inattentive classroom’s attention How to begin, end, and dismiss class How to eat fast How to coordinate and execute a field trip How to get the class to school activities (gym, assemblies, library, cafeteria, etc.) efficiently How to teach every second of every day with the awareness that a single word, gesture, or missed connection can stay with a student forever How to be accountable to students, colleagues, administrators, media, communities and other sources of what is at best, well-intentioned support and, and is in worst cases, pressure How to reflect on and refine one’s view of one’s self as a growing educator Dear David: Here Are 70 Practical Things Every Teacher Should Know The post 70 Practical Things Every Teacher Should Know appeared first on TeachThought.

It’s Not About The Thinking by Terry Heick It’s not the thinking behind an idea that should bother us, but rather the effect of the idea. #edtech. Content-based academic standards. PLCs. Use of data. Mandates to be research-based in our behavior. Mobile learning. Differentiation. Social media in the classroom. None of these ideas are good or bad in and of themselves. They’re just ideas. They’re value neutral, inert in isolation. We only charge them when we internalize them-think of them using our unique schema, imagine them in circumstances familiar to us, or otherwise contextualize them comfortably to avoid cognitive dissonance. By internalizing them, we smooth their rough edges for easier consumption. Who wants to feel like they have an incomplete understanding of something? At this point, though, the idea has lost its original shape. It’s misshapen-the same difference between a real dog and one a clown twists up in brown and white balloons. Moving from a concept or idea, to something we understand in our own terms is no small shift. And comes with a loss. By internalizing an idea, we also attach emotions to them-hopeful optimism, head-shaking skepticism. Or indifference. For example, I love the idea of mobile learning, so I attach positive feelings to it that can lead me to cognitive distortions downstream, where I oversimplify its function, or catastrophize our continued misunderstanding of its potential in education. I champion it, but the "it" (mobile learning, in this case) is merely an idea. The it + context is different. This is chemistry. Think of it as pattern: Idea->Integration->Effect. The idea alone is useful only as a matter of vision or artistry. As an academic or intellectual exercise. As a matter of playful dialogue or good old-fashioned bench racing. The integration is a matter of design and engineering (designer and engineer being two minds of a teacher). Ideas, integrations, and effects all matter, of course, but it’s all also recursive: One affects the other, the idea impacting the integration, the integration affecting the effect, the effect shining new light on the idea. Maybe then, instead of a linear Idea-->Integration->Effect, we might think instead of something more like a triangle:                          Idea   Integration                             Effect Changing Our Thinking And instead of "Is this a good idea?", we might ask other questions: What is "it"? What are its parts? What’s it doing? How is it working? What is this costing us? What are its effects-and not narrow effects in pursuit of a single goal, but rather macro effects on a thing in its native place? In education, these might be redressed as: What has standardizing content into a narrow range of content areas done to learning? How has a gamified system of education worked for children as they seek to become whole human beings capable of good work, compassion for the people around them, and nuanced digital and physical citizenship? How has education retreating into a tangle of policy and jargon impacted the capacity of families and communities to be served by their own learning? How do teachers respond when called to be "research-based"? Does that encourage them to pour over peer-reviewed journals of emerging pedagogies to only bring in "proven" methodology into their classroom? Or does it send them to Google to search for "research-based instructional strategies," where they find the same 6-8 examples that are tossed limp and lifeless into their next lesson plan because that’s what they were told to? Let’s broaden our view. Let’s pretend for a moment that we will eventually be able to design a system of teaching and learning where every single student will be able to master every single academic standard their local government has set out for them. What is the effect of this system? Of this mastery? What are we assuming about the standards and their mastery? That they’ll create a nation of critical thinkers that do amazing things? And this system-what are we assuming about it and its effects? What does it "do" to children? When they graduate from this hypothetical machine, will they have a strong sense of self-knowledge, wisdom, place, and familial legacy? Of critical thinking, work, and love? If not, is that okay? Is that even the intended effect we’re looking for? If not, what is? We should know, right? Ideas As Effects A flipped classroom is good, yes? 1:1? Maker education? The 3D printer in the library? Yes, as ideas. So what are they doing? What are their effects? The idea is always neutral. A "good idea" is marketing based on emotion and appearance. How is it been implemented, and more critically, what are its effects? Technology. Workshop-based PD. Snark on twitter. That grouping strategy you were planning on using tomorrow. And be careful of the metrics or evidence you’re looking for. That new questioning strategy may have 65% more engagement from student, but may have stymied the students from wrestling with the question on their own. Same with teacher self-directed PD, 3-minute hallway switches, or labeling a school as "good" or "bad." Saying something is a "good idea" can only be accepted if we move directly into a conversation about integration, and then on effect. "What are its effects?" is a complex question that deserves our thinking and most careful genius. But one even more worthy of our collective affection might be, "What is it doing to our children as they seek to become more human-to grow intellectually, creatively, and in wisdom and love?" We might then crane our necks further downstream than we are accustomed to, so that we might see what we-and they-are moving towards together. It’s Not About The Thinking; adapted image attribution flickr user tulanepublicrelations The post Change The Conversation-It’s Not About The Thinking appeared first on TeachThought.

The Basics Of Reflective Teaching: A Slo-Blog Approach by Beth Leidolf As the school year kicks off, many classes, teachers and students begin with the basics, those building blocks that provide a firm foundation upon which more valuable learning and growing will take place. With that in mind, the #reflectiveteacher community gets back to basics in this slo-blogging activity called built around the ABCs of being a #reflectiveteacher. Previously, our #reflectiveteacher challenge was a daily prompt. (You can find one example here.) While we’re going to begin a monthly series around this topic to help support teachers in reflecting on their craft, this activity is different in that’s on-going and isn’t time-bound. 8 Questions Around The Basics Of Reflective Teaching So we’re going to blog on the basics of being a #reflectiveteacher. Here are some questions to get you reflecting. What is reflection? What sorts of questions can guide my reflection? What does reflection look like in teaching? What does it look like when reflection is missing from my teaching? How can I make more for time for reflection? How can I make my reflection more seamless and authentic, as opposed to just "another thing to do"? When have I been especially reflection in the past? What does a #reflectiveteacher look like? Other Notes Suggestion: Tie each post with a letter of the alphabet. That’s 26 creative and personalized posts throughout the year, a great reflective activity! For example, I created my first blog post here. For me, A is for Adventure! Post your blog on Twitter and other social media you may use. Tag your post with the #reflectiveteacher hashtag so join the conversation! This will be a "Slo-Blogging Activity." No rush-blog at your own pace! We hope that you enjoy this Slo-Blogging activity here at #reflectiveteacher. Have fun, keep developing your reflective practice, find new blogs to read and enjoy connecting with new people! As always, thanks for sharing and for making this Slo- Blogging Challenge a success for everyone! Any questions, contact or DM Beth Leidolf at @bleidolf67 on Twitter The Basics Of Reflective Teaching: A Slo-Blog Approach The post The Basics Of Reflective Teaching: A Slo-Blog Approach appeared first on TeachThought.

Survey: Social Media Is Failing To Find Traction In The Classroom by TeachThought Staff From a press release Social media is a main form of communication and connection used by today’s students. Despite the expansion of EdTech tools as classroom resources, educators have not warmed to the idea of integrating social platforms as quickly as other types of classroom technology. A University of Phoenix® College of Education survey conducted online by Harris Poll in April among 1,002 U.S. K-12 teachers finds only 13 percent of today’s K-12 teachers have integrated social media into classroom learning, with an overwhelming majority (87 percent) reporting they have not embraced social platforms. Additionally, more teachers are citing a reluctance to incorporate social media into classroom learning than in 2013 (62 percent vs. 55 percent). Although there is reluctance, opportunities exist for teachers to harness social media’s benefits to help students understand how to use digital platforms to promote learning. Less than half of K-12 educators seem to be aware of the opportunities, with 44 percent stating social media can enhance a student’s educational experience. "We are living in a rapidly evolving world of digital and social media, and many students are totally immersed and well-versed in these platforms," said Kathy Cook, dean of educational technology for University of Phoenix College of Education and former K-12 educator. "For teachers to stay current, keep students engaged and promote learning, it is important for teachers to acknowledge the influence of social media and understand how to use it to the benefit of their students." Why the digital disconnect? A lack of tools and training top the list of educator concerns. Almost all (95 percent) of K-12 teachers say they have had some level of training related to integrating technology in the classroom; however, more than half (62 percent) have had minimal or no training in the area of interacting with students and parents through social media. Nearly half (48 percent) of K-12 teachers express the desire to learn more about integrating technology into the classroom. K-12 teachers raise many concerns, with four-in-five (82 percent) worrying about conflicts that can occur from using social media with their students and/or parents, and more than half (59 percent) stating use of personal tech devices outside the classroom makes it more difficult for students to pay attention in a group setting in the classroom. Twenty percent have also felt intimidated by students’ knowledge/use of technology devices. "Social media is here to stay, so it is critical to invest in our educators through expanded training," said Cook. According to Cook, training extends beyond providing educators tools to integrate social media into the classroom. In addition to being prepared to use social media as a learning tool, teachers also need to be able to teach students to be responsible with their online behavior. "Despite challenges, tremendous opportunities exist for teachers to play a leadership role in students’ digital lives, helping them learn how to use social media and understand its impact both in and outside the classroom," added Cook. "It is essential to train teachers in digital citizenship so that they can educate students about preserving their online integrity. One misstep can have ramifications for years to come, including among future employers." Tips for teachers in a digital world As the 2015-16 school year starts, Cook suggests the following additional tips for K-12 teachers to help them integrate social media into their classrooms to supplement school- or district-sponsored resources. Create student social media guidelines. If your school or district has guidelines for social media use, make sure you and your students understand them completely and are following the guidelines. If your school or district does not currently have guidelines for social media use, consider developing some. Try "closed" social media sites. Edmodo, TodaysMeet and other sites allow safe and secure social media experiences in a smaller school environment. You can also create private blogs or use sites such as Kidblogs or Edublogs, which limit access and comment abilities. Connect with other classrooms around the world. Projects such as Global Read Aloud andSkype in the Classroom allow you to connect students in your classroom with other students worldwide. Connect with experts worldwide. Social media tools can help you bring a variety of experts into your classroom so students can learn directly from people in the field they are studying.  You can search and connect with experts on Twitter, Skype and other social media networks. Many authors and content experts may be willing to conduct a live tweet session with your students during which they can ask questions and get immediate responses. Involve your class in a social service project. Explore projects online that your students can get involved in to help make the world a better place. Choose2Matter is one global movement that may spark imagination about how social media can be used to help others. Learn more about social media use in the classroom. Join Twitter or use other social media tools to connect with other teachers and learn about their creative uses of social media. You can also take a class to hone your own social media skills. University of Phoenix offers a two-credit Continuing Teacher Education course (TECH/508) titled Social Media in the Classroom. To learn more about University of Phoenix College of Education degree programs, visit www.phoenix.edu/education. For information about University of Phoenix programs, including on-time completion rates, the median debt incurred by students who completed the program and other important information, please visit phoenix.edu/programs/gainful-employment. Survey Methodology This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Poll on behalf of University of Phoenix College of Education between April 14 and April 27, 2015, among 1,002 U.S. teachers aged 18 and older who work full time in education teaching grades K-12. In addition, oversamples of teachers from Arizona (n=101), California (n=207), Florida (n=103), and Colorado (n=100) were also included. A similar survey was conducted between October 7 and 21, 2013, among 1,005 U.S. teachers. This online survey is not based on a probability sample; therefore, no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact Heather McLaughlin at heather.mclaughlin@apollo.edu. About University of Phoenix College of Education University of Phoenix College of Education has been educating teachers and school administrators for more than 30 years. The College of Education provides bachelor’s and master’s degree programs for individuals who want to become teachers or current educators and administrators seeking advanced degrees to strengthen their professional knowledge. With education programs available throughout most of the U.S., the College of Education has a distinct grasp of the national education picture and priorities for teacher preparation. Faculty members on average bring more than 17 years of professional experience to the classroom. For more information, visit www.phoenix.edu/education. About University of Phoenix University of Phoenix is constantly innovating to help working adults move efficiently from education to careers in a rapidly changing world. Flexible schedules, relevant and engaging courses, and interactive learning can help students more effectively pursue career and personal aspirations while balancing their busy lives. As a subsidiary of  Apollo Education Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: APOL), University of Phoenix serves a diverse student population, offering associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs from campuses and learning centers across the U.S. as well as online throughout the world. For more information, visit www.phoenix.edu. The post Survey: Social Media Is Failing To Find Traction In The Classroom appeared first on TeachThought.

Twitter With Meaning? 5 Authentic Roles For Twitter In Your School by TeachThought Staff We’ve theorized before that learning through social networks is the future. Twitter in the classroom? This is also an idea we’ve covered in the past. But what about a simple process for schools to use begin using twitter meaningfully? With that question in mind, and in conjunction with USC Rossier School of Education, we developed the following graphic. We kept it basic with 5 pathways: Resources, Student Learning, PLNs, Emerging Trends, And PD. 5 Authentic Roles For Twitter In Your School Find resources Develop Student Thinking Help Teachers Engage With A Global Professional Learning Network (See also 20 Ways To Improve Your PLN) Monitor Emerging Trends Find Professional Development Follow accounts from education’s thought leaders. The graphic has some good ideas. See also Jackie Gerstein, MindShift, Terry Heick, Audrey Watters, and more. Use twitter’s search bar-search for your what you’re interested in learning more about. This isn’t as staright-forward as a Google search, for example, but you’ll get a better sense of the kinds of information people are sharing. Know your hashtags. They’re a valuable tool to use to follow and participate in conversations on certain topics and themed twitter chats. Engage with your colleagues by retweeting important or useful resources, starring interesting tweets, asking follow-up questions, and sharing resources on or from other social channels.   Made possible by TeachThought and USC Rossier’s online Master of Arts in Teaching degree; Twitter With Meaning? 5 Authentic Roles For Twitter In Your School The post Twitter With Meaning? 5 Authentic Roles For Twitter In Your School appeared first on TeachThought.