Posts by Guest Author
4 Ways to Empower Students Through Collaboration
If you want students to collaborate it is imperative that educators establish this as a norm at the beginning of the school year. Great teachers leverage group work and collaborative activities and projects in their curriculum and instruction, but oftentimes teachers “push-back” with the difficulties of having their students collaborate. I agree, it is a daunting task, but I always respond, “How have you taught them to collaborate and providing scaffolding of that skill?” This is the key! If you want your students to collaborate effectively, you must give the opportunity to do so, as well as give the necessary instruction in skills and scaffolding.
What the Learning Sciences Tell Us About Competency Education
At a recent meeting sponsored by iNACOL to think deeply about competency and assessment, we talked about what impact the last few decades of learning science should have on doing the best job planning and using competencies for learning.
Investing in Education Innovation
Ask yourself, would the next Rocketship Education or Goalbook grow in your backyard? If not, what would it take? One thing is for sure: education innovation does not happen by accident.
TheraWeb Meets Students’ Individual Learning Needs
By: Jaclyn Norton. Special education departments in schools throughout the country - namely in rural communities - experience a struggle betweenproviding immediate on-location support to students, while combating challenges that inhibit these counseling resources. Factors such as budget cuts, client distance, and shortage of counselors hinder students access to this specialized support, creating a significant demand for therapy in schools.
We Need to Develop Expert Screen Readers
Isn’t it odd that the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for reading does not introduce electronic reading until fifth grade? Since children increasingly read from screens on computers, eReaders like iPods or Kindles, and smartphones, shouldn’t they learn to read from day one on the very media they have comfortably used since they were toddlers?
A New Bumper Sticker: My Student is More Proficient Than Your Student!
How do we serve the parents like my neighbor who want to be involved in their student’s education but don’t understand the changes that are occurring? Some say it will take a minimum of three generations before the changes we are proposing become the expected classroom culture. Regardless of whether it takes a single school year or several generations, what we need to remember is that we are on this course for a long time.
Student Chooses Online Learning to Succeed
For some kids, an online school is their school of choice. That was true for Emily Boucher, the 2012 valedictorian of the Wisconsin Virtual Academy. Her hometown newspaper recently called her, "Burlington's 'Other' Valedictorian."
Then And Now: The Olympics and Education
By: Jaclyn Norton. Technique and technology is the driving force in the evolution of athletics and education. In the video below, Bob Wise, President of Alliance for Excellent Education and former governor of West Virginia, journeys back to 1948 - the last London Olympics - to examine how America’s education system changed pace over the last sixty-four years.
5 Key Ways to Implement Technology In Learning
The use of new kinds of technology will improve your teaching methods. It will serve to simplify the lesson planning process because you will have access to many new resources. Here are five ways you can include technological advances in your classroom.
Autistic Student Feels Reinspired by Online Learning
I love online learning! It has changed my life. Back in 10th grade I had a bad attitude because school was very frustrating. There were distractions all the time. Classes were really stressful to me because of the chaos. Also, the teachers talked too fast and didn’t use enough visual aids, and they changed topics a lot. Then came online learning.