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The power of student-led conferences
Brian Stack EducationEach time the image above appears in my social media news feed it makes me angry. The image compares and contrasts a parent-teacher conference in 1961 with one from 2011. It suggests that 50 years ago the conference was an opportunity for parents and teachers to "gang up" on students, while today the pendulum has shifted with parents and students "ganging up" on the teachers.
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Rewarding failure hinders personal growth
Michael S. Haro, Ph.D. EducationLack of discipline. Not paying attention to what one is doing. Unwillingness to listen, develop and grow. These are all ways of defeating ourselves before we even get out of the starting gate. Life is our avenue to success. It can be an avenue with rays of sunlight, birds singing, smiles from friends or strangers, or a phone call from a special someone. All are signs along the roadside of our journey. They allow us to witness love, experience unconditional love and trust, and overcome doubts and fears. We learn to see more clearly that failure is a momentary status, to overcome with new direction and effort.
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Green spaces can have positive effects on gray matter
Bob Kowalski EducationOn beautiful sunny days, schoolchildren and working adults share a common thought: wishing they could play hooky and head to the park. Research shows that would be a smart move. Nature and green spaces boost brainpower.
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Restorative justice: Creating tomorrow’s peacemakers
Debra Josephson Abrams EducationRegardless of how hard teachers work to create safe, welcoming environments in which our students can thrive, we cannot escape classroom disruptions that threaten to jeopardize not only our lessons but also the well-being of our students and, in fact, ourselves.
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Vocabulary doesn’t have to be a bore
Savanna Flakes EducationDo your students cringe when you say, "We have new vocabulary terms to learn"? These students may recall the previous times they have copied words over and over again and looking up exhaustive lists of words that lack a connection to one another.
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The latest in project-based learning
Brian Stack EducationA recent Getting Smart Podcast highlights how project-based learning (PBL) connects the real world with deep impact. Blogger Bonnie Lathram highlights the Flight by Design engineering and math course at Washington state's Raisbeck Aviation High School and also a STEM program in South Carolina's Westwood High School as great examples of PBL programs for which "students are engaged in authentic and meaningful project work" that promote "deeper learning outcomes for more students." On Twitter, the hashtag #PBL is always trending with educators sharing their experiences with PBL.
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Communication is key when teaching students with LD
Hailey Golden EducationFor parents of children with ADHD, every task throughout the day can be a struggle — from getting up in the morning and making it to school on time to getting homework done and going to bed at night. These struggles are not isolated to kids with ADHD; all parents have one issue or another with their children. But, for a child with ADHD, the small fits can quickly turn into something big — especially when you break a structured routine.
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Will we really see federal restraint in new K‑12 law?
Bambi Majumdar EducationThe Every Student Succeeds Act — the new federal K-12 education law — has received plenty of accolades already, but even its advocates are unsure of the level of federal intervention going forward. At the National Governors Association's winter meeting last week, governors from across the country voiced their concerns about Washington bureaucrats' inability to stay out of state implementations. Going by past history, this is a valid concern indeed.
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Using content materials for ESL instruction
Douglas Magrath EducationStudents need to transfer their ESL skills to their academic subjects or careers. Unfortunately, this process does not always occur. Students who do well in the controlled environment of a high-level ESL class may not be able to make the final leap to a regular class.
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Do students think best on their feet?
Dorothy L. Tengler EducationThinking on your feet has always been thought of as how to perform well under pressure, staying composed — when the floor is all yours, making a quick decision or giving an answer quickly. But now, the concept is being taken to another level.
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