June, 2024

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Ditch the Drill and Choose to Thrill: Personalization with Student Choice

A Principal's Reflections

There is a saying out there that I hear often: learning is learning. While I don’t discount this view, I firmly believe there is so much to it at the individual level. Preferences and experiences play a significant role in how we all learn, and interests do as well. When asked to do the same thing at the same time in the same way, it is pretty much a fact that a few people will thrive, some will get by, and others will struggle.

Tradition 475
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The Difference Between Constructivism And Constructionism

TeachThought

The Difference Between Constructivism And Constructionism by Terry Heick While working on the learning theory visual overview , I realized I couldn’t clearly explain the difference between constructivism and constructionism. So I did a little research and initially didn’t find much to ease my confusion. The Difference Between Constructivism And Constructionism Constructivism is–more or less–the same thing.

Artifacts 320
educators

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How Semantic Pulse Surveys Can Boost Your School Climate

Cult of Pedagogy

Listen to my interview with Karen Borchert ( transcript ): Sponsored by Alpaca We have a lot of conversations about what should be done to make schools better. In these conversations, I hear a lot of ideas and I have a lot of ideas, but I think there’s one practice that should be done by any school that wants to improve, and it’s simple and free: Ask the people who are directly affected.

Pedagogy 246
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Decomposing decision-making: a cognitive dimension to teacher rehearsal

A Psychology Teacher Writes

A significant challenge for teacher educators is how to help large groups of teachers get better. Professional development often fails to cater for individual needs because it’s unlikely that in a room full of teachers everyone is in roughly the same place in terms of knowledge, experience and expertise. Bespoke approaches, such as instructional coaching, might be more effective but are not easily scalable (Coe, 2023).

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AI: Another Big Adjustment for Educators

World History Teachers Blog

Edsurge just published a new story by Jeffery R. Young about new features of AI that will require educators to make even more adjustments. First, Open AI is making its latest generation of Chatbot free to anyone. Second, new tools make it easier for students to skip notetaking in class. For example, one tool allows students to simply record a teacher's lecture.

Education 162
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Would You Rather: Transfer and Apply

Catlin Tucker

The first and second blogs in this series focused on providing meaningful choices when students are acquiring information and making meaning. In this third and final installment of our “Would You Rather?” series, we will explore how we can provide students with choices that enable them to transfer and apply their learning effectively. Understanding that not all students express or communicate their understanding in the same way is crucial.

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Student Voice as an Engagement Strategy

A Principal's Reflections

Imagine a classroom buzzing with curiosity, where questions fly like sparks and exploration thrives. Engaged learners are joyful learners. When students are genuinely invested, a sense of wonder takes hold. They delve into challenges with a smile, their eyes alight with the thrill of discovery. This joy of learning is contagious, fueling a classroom where knowledge isn't just absorbed; it's embraced.

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AI Literacy: A Framework to Understand, Evaluate, and Use Emerging Technology

Digital Promise

The post AI Literacy: A Framework to Understand, Evaluate, and Use Emerging Technology appeared first on Digital Promise.

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Does instructional coaching have a PR problem?

A Psychology Teacher Writes

Before we think about instructional coaching, let’s talk about teaching. It’s clear from just spending a short time reading statements from politicians, reports in the media, or discourse on social media that teaching also has something of a PR problem. Part of the issue is that few people outside of the teaching profession seem to really understand just how complex and challenging teaching is (see more on this here ).

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AI Might Save Teachers Time. But What Is the Cost?

ED Surge

As an educator reading headline after headline about AI in education, it’s hard to not get lost in an existential tailspin to the tune of Billie Eilish’s “What was I made for?” (if AI can do all of this.) Integrating generative AI into education is complex. The field of AI is the Wild West right now — we’re working it out as we go. As an assistant professor of edtech, I often think about the implications of AI on teaching and learning, especially as I experiment with implementing various practic

EdTech 145
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Sign up for our next seminar featuring Dr Emily Rees Koerner, 3rd July 4pm BST

Women's History Network

Wednesday, 3 July 2024, at 4pm BST Sign-up now for our online-only zoom webinar here.

Education 143
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Personalize: Meeting the Needs of ALL Learners

A Principal's Reflections

Fate has a funny way of bringing together people with similar views and passions. In March of 2022, I worked with a school system in Provo, Utah. During a roundtable discussion, I was asked to discuss key aspects of personalized learning that are critical to successful implementation. There were a lot of people in the room who listened to what I had to say and seemed to be hanging on every word.

Tradition 393
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When Schools And Parents Don’t Talk

TeachThought

by Terry Heick Having gone on for decades now, discussions around the idea of ed reform are a bit tired. They seem pointless. Exhausting. A waste of time and creative bandwidth. Bottom-up change is exhausting and top-down change is exhausting for entirely different reasons. Rather than state or federal policy, make schools and communities accountable to one another.

K-12 285
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Demonstrating Success with Verizon Innovative Learning Schools

Digital Promise

We first met Nakia, a student at Chilhowee Middle School in rural Benton, Tennessee, in 2018. “Polk County is one of the counties you don’t think about very much,” she said of her town of fewer than 2,000 people. “We’d look at another school that has technology, and we’re like, ‘Wow, I wish we had those possibilities.’” Those possibilities became a reality for Nakia and her classmates when Chilhowee became a Verizon Innovative Learning School in 2017.

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Why schools are teaching math word problems all wrong

The Hechinger Report

CENTRAL FALLS, R.I. — When Natalia Molina began teaching her second grade students word problems earlier this school year, every lesson felt difficult. Most students were stymied by problems such as: “Sally went shopping. She spent $86 on groceries and $39 on clothing. How much more did Sally spend on groceries than on clothing?” Both Molina, a first-year teacher, and her students had been trained to tackle word problems by zeroing in on key words like “and,” “more” and “total” — a simplistic ap

Teaching 138
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Latest AI Announcements Mean Another Big Adjustment for Educators

ED Surge

Tech giants Google, Microsoft and OpenAI have unintentionally assigned educators around the world major homework for the summer: Adjusting their assignments and teaching methods to adapt to a fresh batch of AI features that students will enter classrooms with in the fall. Educators at both schools and colleges were already struggling to keep up with ChatGPT and other AI tools during this academic year, but a fresh round of announcements last month by major AI companies may require even greater a

Education 143
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Teaching the Cold War

Passion for Social Studies

Honestly, there are so many topics to teach in any history course. While students are naturally engaged in some, others require more planning to hook them in. Thankfully, that is not the case when teaching the Cold War! Students are also so eager to learn about the rivalry and hostility between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. There is such a fascination when learning how these two competed for political, economic, and ideological superiority.

Teaching 130
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Personalize Your Strategic Plan: Meet the Needs of All Learners Through a Personalized Strategic Vision

A Principal's Reflections

The following is a guest post by Dr. Richard Schroeder. Many sayings show how important it is for an organization to have a strategic plan. Without a strategy, a goal is only a wish. A map is only useful if you know where you are. Without a strategic vision in place, a strategic plan is useless. All roads lead nowhere if you do not know where you are heading.

K-12 263
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Learning Goals Examples for College Students

TeachThought

Learning Goals Examples for College Students Setting specific goals isn’t just about ticking off checkboxes; it’s about charting a path toward academic excellence and personal growth. As a college student, you juggle lectures, exams, and study sessions. That’s where learning goals come into play—they help you focus, measure your progress, and keep your eyes on the prize, whether acing your finals or mastering a complex concept.

History 213
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Lift Every Voice in Tech: Black Talent Share How to Transform the Tech Industry

Digital Promise

The post Lift Every Voice in Tech: Black Talent Share How to Transform the Tech Industry appeared first on Digital Promise.

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Math ends the education careers of thousands of community college students. A few schools are trying something new

The Hechinger Report

ALBANY, Ore. – It’s 7:15 on a cold gray Monday morning in May at Linn-Benton Community College in northwestern Oregon. Math professor Michael Lopez, in a hoodie and jeans, a tape measure on his belt, paces in front of the 14 students in his “math for welders” class. “I’m your OSHA inspector,” he says. “Three sixteenths of an inch difference, you’re in violation.

Education 137
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When Teaching Students Math, Concepts Matter More Than Process

ED Surge

As a mathematics education researcher, I study how math instruction impacts students' learning, from following standard math procedures to understanding mathematical concepts. Focusing on the latter, conceptual understanding often involves understanding the “why” of a mathematical concept ; it’s the reasoning behind the math rather than the how or the steps it takes to get to an answer.

Teaching 139
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How Did Religion Spread Along the Silk Roads

World History Teachers Blog

Here's an excellent overview of how different religions spread along the Silk Road. It's from Crash Course Geography so it may not be noticed by those of us who teach history.

Geography 130
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Internet Culture

Geography Education

I never thought that I would be so emotionally invested in people dancing to Germans rapping tongue-twisters, but that is the modern era of cultural production and the amazing impacts of cultural diffusion. Barbara’s Rhubarb Bar–it sounds silly, and it is, but that doesn’t mean it’s simple. In fact, the deeper you go, the more delightfully complex this cultural phenomenon becomes.

Cultures 130
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Explore The Best Writing Tools For Students To Enhance Your Skills

TeachThought

Writing Tools for Students: Digital Writing Aids In the vast ocean of academic tasks, writing is a challenging and crucial skill for success at school and beyond. Whether drafting an essay, composing a research paper, or jotting down notes for class, having the right tools can make all the difference. With a wide array of digital writing aids, finding the most effective ones can be daunting.

Research 186
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A New Initiative to Strengthen STEM Career Pathways in San Diego

Digital Promise

Digital Promise’s new STEM Pathways initiative, in collaboration with community partners, aims to reimagine the Pre-K to workforce pipeline

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The quest for ‘embodied equity’ on college campuses focuses on neurodivergent students

The Hechinger Report

Niki Elliot skipped the fifth grade. She was so smart that she could have skipped another, she said, but her mother didn’t want her in class with older boys. And so she was always bored in school. She had a “near photographic” memory and didn’t need to study, she said, so she never learned how to. She remembers finishing her assignments in five minutes and spending the next 30 waiting for her classmates to catch up.

K-12 137
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Should College Become Part of High School?

ED Surge

Last year, when Jayla Arensberg was a sophomore at Burnsville High School near St. Paul, Minnesota, a teacher showed her a flier saying that a program at the school could save her $25,000 on college. “I said, ‘I really need that,’” the student remembers. She was interested in college, but worried that the cost could keep her from pursuing higher education.

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2024 Mellon Emerging Faculty Leaders

Institute for Citizens & Scholars

The Institute for Citizens & Scholars has named 10 scholars as Mellon Emerging Faculty Leaders (MEFL) for 2024.

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Preparing Students for the 2024 Election: Voter Education & Engagement Workshops for College Teachers

APSA Educate

Political Science Educator: volume 28, issue 1 The Teacher-Scholar By Elizabeth A. Bennion ( ebennion@iusb.edu ) In this edition of The Teacher-Scholar , I want to draw people’s attention to a range of voter education and engagement workshops designed to … The post Preparing Students for the 2024 Election: Voter Education & Engagement Workshops for College Teachers appeared first on APSA.

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Explore Top Online Learning Tools For Students To Enhance Your Studies

TeachThought

Online Learning Tools For Students: From AI Tutors To Smart Notebooks Technology has transformed how you interact with your educational materials. From AI tutors that provide personalized learning experiences to digital platforms that organize notes efficiently, these innovative tools are transforming traditional learning methods. As a student, adapting to these technological advancements can significantly enhance your academic performance and make your study sessions more productive.

Tutoring 172
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Helping Teachers Connect Math and Science in Middle School Classrooms

Digital Promise

The post Helping Teachers Connect Math and Science in Middle School Classrooms appeared first on Digital Promise.

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One state radically boosted new teacher pay – and upset a lot of teachers

The Hechinger Report

DECATUR, Ark. — When Ashlyn Siebert started looking last year for teaching jobs near Decatur — her rural hometown — she knew she wouldn’t make as much as a first-year teacher 16 miles away in Bentonville, home to Walmart’s headquarters. The story was the same in dozens of other small towns across Arkansas. If teachers wanted to earn more, they had to move to a bigger school district.

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What 40 Million Messages Tell Us About Parent-Teacher Communication

ED Surge

Something crucial was missing from classrooms over the past school year: millions of students who were part of the chronic absenteeism crisis that plagued districts large and small. Parsing education data into snack-sized servings. Could better communication between schools and parents alleviate the problem? That’s the theory one nonprofit has. It partnered with Google for a massive, AI-powered analysis of 40 million messages in its app to find how parents and teachers are exchanging information

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Juneteenth: Teaching Outside the Textbook

Zinn Education Project

Dancer at Juneteenth celebration in Washington, D.C. Photo by Carol M. Highsmith. Source: Library of Congress Juneteenth — June 19th, also known as Emancipation Day — is one of the commemorations of people seizing their freedom in the United States. Celebrate. But We Can’t Teach? This beautiful tradition of Black freedom should be taught in school.

Teaching 111
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Navigating and Building Your Leadership Team: A Guide for New Superintendents

Education Elements

“Congratulations!” This is a common note sent via email and shared on LinkedIn as so many of my friends and colleagues transition into the first year of their superintendency on July 1 st. As I reflect on my 10+ years having the privilege of working alongside district leaders and observing what works and where some have experienced pitfalls, I want to share some thoughts on the importance of building your leadership bench.

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Hurricanes never cross the equator. Here’s why.

Strange Maps

Here are four things about hurricanes that you may not know. One: They’re the local name of a global phenomenon. Large tropical storms in the western part of the Pacific Ocean are called typhoons. In the Indian Ocean, they’re called cyclones. In the North Atlantic or the eastern part of the Pacific, they’re hurricanes. The term “tropical cyclones” is often used as a catch-all term.

Cultures 106