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What Are The Best Questions For Teaching Critical Thinking? by Terry Heick What are the different types of questions? Turns out, it’s pretty limitless. I’ve always been interested in them–the way they can cause (or stop) thinking; the nature of inquiry and reason; the way they can facilitate and deepen a conversation; the way they can reveal understanding (or lack thereof); the stunning power of the right question at the right time.
Listen to the interview with Karina Quilantan-Garza, Lauren Mobley, K.C. Boyd, and Barbara Paciotti ( transcript ): Sponsored by WeVideo and The Modern Classrooms Project I used to think librarians did three things: (1) organize and fiercely protect large collections of books, (2) check those books out to visitors, and (3) shush people. As libraries started to house more technology, I added a fourth role: manage and protect the tech.
Deep within Cantabria, Spain, the Las Monedas cave offers a stunning glimpse into the lives of our Upper Paleolithic ancestors. While much of the art attributed to this era has been studied through the lens of adult craftsmanship, a recent study shifts the focus to children. By integrating insights from developmental psychology, researchers have identified playful and imaginative marks made by young artists, fundamentally rethinking prehistoric creativity.
One of the best aspects of the work my team and I at Aspire Change EDU do is getting into leaders as part of the coaching process. During this time, we begin to collect qualitative evidence aligned with growth opportunities that they have set during initial meetings. No matter where our travels take us, one of the most common areas districts and schools want to improve is shifting from compliance to student engagement.
Deadline for abstract submission 16 th Sept 2024 Editors: Dr Natalie Djohari and Dr Gavin Weston, Bournemouth University. With the growing accessibility of generative AIs, haptic technologies and open-source software, this Teaching Anthropology Special Issue asks; ‘how is anthropological knowledge production changing in this fast growing socio-technological era?
After Valencia Abbott’s school day ended, we met to discuss her experiences as a history teacher. At the top of our time together, we discussed a quote from an article she recently wrote: “ When students sense that you are all-in for them, they are more likely to give you their best in the classroom.” “That’s not something that came about because I was in the classroom,” Valencia said.
This month on The Social Studies Show Adam and I will talk about How to Talk Bridgey a report that shares lessons for using civic terms without alienating segments of your audience. The guide summarizes five years of research on civic language and can help teachers facilitate more productive classroom dialogue. Do your students know the coded and loaded words that influencers weaponize to push their buttons?
Here is one of my favorite clips to show students when discussing revolutions. Max Fisher explains the origins of national identity in this excellent five-minute clip for the New York Times. He notes that the idea of a national identity is relatively new. Just before the French Revolution, for example, France was not really a nation. Half the people could not even speak French.
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Here is one of my favorite clips to show students when discussing revolutions. Max Fisher explains the origins of national identity in this excellent five-minute clip for the New York Times. He notes that the idea of a national identity is relatively new. Just before the French Revolution, for example, France was not really a nation. Half the people could not even speak French.
How often do you come in contact with a conspiracy theory? Maybe on occasion, when you flip through TV channels and land on an episode of “Ancient Aliens.” Or perhaps when a friend from high school shares a questionable meme on Facebook. How confident are you in your ability to tell fact from fiction? If you’re a teen, you could be exposed to conspiracy theories and a host of other pieces of misinformation as frequently as every day while scrolling through your social media feeds.
In early 2024, Spain’s culture minister announced that the nation would overhaul its state museum collections, igniting a wave of anticipation—and controversy. ✽ WHEN SPAIN’S CULTURE MINISTER, Ernest Urtasun, announced his intention to overhaul the nation’s state museum collections earlier this year, his plan “to move beyond a colonial framework” reopened old wounds and sparked heated debates about national identity and historical representation.
Like learning to read by third grade, taking eighth grade math is a pivotal moment in a child’s education. Students who pass Algebra 1 in eighth grade are more likely to sign up for more advanced math courses, and those who pass more advanced math courses are more likely to graduate from college and earn more money. “Algebra in eighth grade is a gateway to a lot of further opportunities,” said Dan Goldhaber, an economist who studies education at the American Institutes for Research, in a recent
by TeachThought Staff What is learned helplessness? Definition Learned helplessness is a psychological condition in which a person, after repeated failures or negative experiences, believes they have no control over situations’ outcomes and stops trying to improve or change them. Below is an example of Learned Helplessness in the classroom. Instructor: The biggest fear for an adolescent, written throughout this text, is not fitting in.
Listen to my interview with Claire English ( transcript ) Sponsored by Alpaca and Scholastic Magazines+ This page contains Amazon Affiliate and Bookshop.org links. When you make a purchase through these links, Cult of Pedagogy gets a small percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you. What’s the difference between Amazon and Bookshop.org? The year started off beautifully: You had your routines in place, made your expectations clear, and for a while, your students were behaving just fine.
One topic that is always popular when teaching any government course is the presidency. Honestly, students are always so engaged to learn about the person who is the leader of the United States. They want to know everything they can about the role once the person officially enters the White House. So, teaching the executive branch is always fun and exciting!
As my Aspire Change EDU consultant team and I visit classrooms on a routine basis, we strive to lead administrators, coaches, and teachers in reflecting on their practice using questioning techniques. The majority of these often revolve around engagement, and it is quickly realized that when students are compliant, it is because the adult is doing all the work or talking.
Country-level corruption is a tough KPI to quantify. So how do organizations like Transparency International and the World Bank do it? Not by comparing the fiscal, economic, and financial data of each country theyd only end up comparing (rotten) apples to (spoiled) oranges. Instead, to arrive at their Corruption Perceptions Index and Control of Corruption Indicator (respectively), they aggregate the opinions of experts in governance and corruption.
Jen Jacobs on Multidimensionality, Memorability, and Making History Come Alive A member of our EPiC grant in Michigan, Jen Jacobs, shared her journey into teaching and the impact that journey has left on her since. Sometimes teaching isnt a first job or even a first calling. For Jen Jacobs, middle school teacher and a member of our EPiC grant, the calling of teaching came later in life.
I love introducing Geoguessr to my students; I love the practical geographic skills that it combines in a games that can get the competitive juices flowing. It gets users to analyze the cultural and physical landscapes, relate a stimulus to other places on Earth, use maps at a variety of scales, etc. Guess Where You Are is an alternative to Geogussr without all the bells and whistles, but it also has no time restrictions w But I’m also a history buff and I love a good twist on a geographic g
One of my favorite sites for teaching medieval cities like Mali, Calicut, and Quanzhou is called Sites of Encounter in the Medieval World. It comes from The University of California at Davis and includes lessons with primary sources, maps, charts, and graphs. The lesson on Calicut, for example, explores the importance of the spice trade in food and medicine and even includes medieval recipes.
In recent years, a growing body of research has looked at the impact of college ‘deserts’ — sometimes defined as an area where people live more than a 30-minute drive to a campus — and found that those residing close to a college are more likely to attend. But a new study shows that these higher education deserts affect some groups of students much differently than others.
Archaeological evidence and Oral Histories show people in what is today Ghana lived sustainably for millennia—until European colonial powers and the widespread trade of enslaved people changed everything. ✽ It’s the year 2065. West Africa’s cool seasonal rains wake Abena. She rides her bike to work, where she pushes investment in cultivating insects as renewable protein sources.
WATERVILLE, Maine — For Emily Kayser, the prospect of covering her son’s college tuition on a teacher’s salary is “scary. It’s very stressful.” To pay for it, “I’m thinking, what can I sell?” Kayser, who was touring Colby College with her high school-age son, Matt, is among the many Americans in the middle who earn too much to qualify for need-based financial aid, but not enough to simply write a check to send their kids to college.
Help Students Think Critically About News With These 20 Questions This post was originally published in 2019 and updated in 2024 by Terrell Heick 1. In the article, headline, or social share, ‘who’ is saying ‘what’? That is, what specific author and publication are making what kind of claim about what topic or ideas? 2. Is what’s being stated or claimed fact or opinion?
Listen to my interview with Megan Sumeracki ( transcript ): Sponsored by Alpaca and The Gilder Lehrman Institute This page contains Amazon Affiliate and Bookshop.org links. When you make a purchase through these links, Cult of Pedagogy gets a small percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you. What’s the difference between Amazon and Bookshop.org?
Are you always searching for ways to make your lessons more engaging? Similarly, are you constantly trying to get students to be active in the thinking process? Honestly, both of these questions make teaching overwhelming! Teachers want students to enjoy school and be the ones thinking, but there is a lot to get through! There are so many standards and not enough time to teach everything.
Unless you are living under a rock, AI is all the rage right now, and rightfully so. It can revolutionize various practices by addressing gaps in efficiency, accuracy, and decision-making. By analyzing vast amounts of data, AI algorithms can uncover patterns and trends that human analysts may miss, leading to more informed and effective strategies. For instance, in healthcare, AI-powered tools can analyze patient data to predict disease outbreaks, optimize treatment plans, and streamline adminis
The origins of Indo-European languages, which today stretch from Ireland to India, have long fascinated archaeologists and linguists. A new study 1 adds clarity to this enduring mystery by examining ancient genomes across the Mediterranean. Researchers have discovered a genetic divide during the Bronze Age, which correlates with linguistic patterns between Eastern and Western Indo-European populations.
When a Pennsylvania school board in 2020 pulled over 300 books and materials from school bookshelves, a student group at the high school, the Panther Anti-Racist Union, took note. All the banned books were by or about people of color or of diverse genders (including even a student PowerPoint on helping minority students take the SAT). Faculty sponsors Patricia Jackson and Ben Hodge helped the students to first talk with the administration, after which the group decided to hold a series of mornin
The fear of retribution for teaching the truth has created such a chilling effect that an astounding two-thirds of U.S. teachers now report self-censoring discussions on race, gender identity, and sexuality in their classrooms. But there is another story about teachers buried beneath the headlines of doom and despair that must be told to fully understand this era of education; this is a story about solidarity, community, hope and resistance.
Here is a terrific site that features biographical stories of specific slaves, slave owners, and traders. It comes from the same people who created the "Slave Biographies: The Atlantic Database Network." You can read dozens of short sketches about specific slaves like Felisberta who was born in 1820 in Central West Africa. She was a household slave and wet nurse who served a wealthy family in Southeastern Brazil.
One of Shane Woods’ favorite memories as executive director of Girlstart, a nonprofit that aims to empower girls in the sciences, was as a participant taking her own goddaughter to the organization’s back-to-school extravaganza. Parsing education data into snack-sized servings. They zipped through activities with rockets and robots, and Woods asked her goddaughter — named Sailor — what she thought of it all when they were heading home.
A team of archaeologists working in Southeast Asia is pushing toward a deeper understanding of history that amplifies Indigenous and local perspectives to challenge traditional archaeological timelines. ✽ When you think of “prehistory,” what images come to mind? Dinosaurs roaming ancient landscapes? Saber-toothed tigers on the hunt? Humans huddled in caves.
MONTCLAIR, N.J. — As a high-school senior in New Jersey, Ernesto Reyes Velasco couldn’t envision himself taking the leap to become an independent college student. Neither of his parents, who are immigrants from Mexico, had gone to college. He didn’t have close friends as examples. Money was tight. But this past summer Reyes Velasco spent five weeks on Montclair State University’s campus as part of a program designed to support incoming first-year low-income students.
What Does It Mean To Be A Reflective Teacher? by Terry Heick Reflection is a fundamental tenet of learning; it is also, therefore, a fundamental part of teaching. Why it happens is a matter of humility. But how and when it happens–and with whom–is less clear. This is partly because there are multiple sides to reflection–length, width, and depth.
Listen to the interview with Andrea Castellano and Irene Yannascoli: Sponsored by Listenwise and Studyo “Make your paper dirty.” I get some funny looks when I say it at first, but it gets the point across. What I mean is I’m looking for annotations. I teach third grade, when young readers typically transition from developing readers to fluent ones, and it’s at this stage that they’re ready to begin to analyze texts on a deeper level.
The United States has experienced so many dynamic changes throughout its rich history. One of the most transformative periods was the Progressive Era, from the 1890s to the 1920s. During this time, the United States had to respond to the challenges posed by rapid industrialization, urbanization, and social issues. Ultimately, teaching the Progressive Era must address these concerns while showing how people had to work hard to improve society.
Change is an inevitable constant in education. If it isn’t, it surely should be. While it can be met with resistance, effective leaders understand that it is often necessary for growth, innovation, and, most importantly, to meet the needs of students. As a principal, I vividly remember spearheading several major change initiatives such as improved grading practices, Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), selection and implementation of a new evaluation system, development of the Academies at NMHS, adopti
Neanderthals, often regarded as robust and resourceful survivors of the Ice Age, have left yet another clue to their remarkable ingenuity. Archaeologists have uncovered evidence 1 of a 65,000-year-old hearth in Gibraltar that may have served as a "glue factory," used to produce tar for hafting weapons and tools. This discovery not only predates the arrival of modern humans ( Homo sapiens ) in the region by 20,000 years but also highlights the Neanderthals' sophisticated engineering and teamwork.
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