Staff Picks: Testing, Flipped Classroom, Effective Teaching

This week’s Staff Picks from Getting Smart takes a close look at the positive side of testing, the idea of the “flipped classroom,” and the skills it takes to be an effective 21st century teacher.

Tom Picks a Q&A on Getting Smart, Meeting Halverson and the Richtel Rebuttal

Tom says: ”

  1.  I liked the video game Q&A on Getting Smart and Dr. Cotnoir’s list of interactivity, customization and efficiency. Click here to view the full article.
  2.  I enjoyed meeting Rich Halverson, co-author of Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology, at SREB on Thursday. His book was good, but he was even better in person.
  3. I’m still mad about Richtel’s rear-view-mirror piece and the way he took my quote out of context, but I’m glad that folks enjoyed the rebuttal and am happy to see more great pieces from Michael Horn’s piece on ForbesJonathan Schorr’s NSVF blog and eighth graders on Edmodo. Click here to view my rebuttal.”

Karen Picks the Article “A Teacher Finds Good in Testing” by Ama Nyamekye

Karen says: “This article shows the positive side of what testing and instruction can mean to a teacher  – a tool to measure and improve the teaching methods that are aimed at the education of our nation’s students. Unfortunately the politics of education gets in the way of improving education for students and teachers.  I appreciated the honesty portrayed here.  This is my favorite line from the article: ‘Standardized testing reflects the curricular priorities of a state’s education agenda. Blaming the test for the shortcomings of that agenda is like blaming the barometer for the weather.'” Click here to view the article on Education Week.

Caroline Picks the Article “Infographic: The Flipped Classroom By Knewton” by Sarah Cargill

Caroline says: “Infographics are growing in popularity rapidly. Many organizations are beginning to create these useful tools to successfully outline an event, topic or idea. The various education infographics have caught my eye- and made complex topics easy to understand in a creative way. This particular infographic shows how a classroom can be flipped to become student centered and increase outcomes for students. Now if only flipping classrooms were as easy as reviewing this graphic!” Click here to view the article on Getting Smart.

Sarah Picks the Article “Five characteristics of an effective 21st-century educator” by Meris Stansbury

Sarah says: “As we move into the 21st century and develop skills that we believe students need for the new era of jobs and careers, we must consider what skills it takes to instill these qualities in our students. I think this largely means that the DNA of teaching will need to change, requiring us to think critically about the key characteristics and elements that make up effective teaching today. Meris Stansbury’s article tackles this beautifully. If we say that our students in the future need to be adaptive to change and well-versed in technology, then that lesson should begin with the person teaching it.” Click here to read the full article on eSchool News.
What’s your favorite?

Getting Smart Staff

The Getting Smart Staff believes in learning out loud and always being an advocate for things that we are excited about. As a result, we write a lot. Do you have a story we should cover? Email [email protected]

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