-
Giving students choice during centers in the music classroom
Aileen Miracle EducationI've been using centers for several years now and have really enjoyed the student-centered learning environment and the chance to work with students one-on-one. In today's article, I'm writing about something new I've been trying: giving students choice during centers! So why give students choice during centers? In my experience, students really love the ability to choose what they do, when they do it. Recently, after I told the students they get to choose, I had a student look at me incredulously and exclaim, "We get to choose?!?! That's cool!"
-
What is 360-degree learning, and why is it growing?
Bambi Majumdar EducationThe 2019 K-12 School Giants Report shows that many K-12 districts across the country are emphasizing hands-on, practical and personalized learning. As a result, 360-degree learning has emerged as one of the latest trends in K-12 education. A core concept for 360-degree learning is that surroundings and all aspects of students’ experiences impact education. Most of all, it considers how students engage with their fellow students, the subject matter, and how interactive these lessons can become.
-
Why cultural understanding is essential: Part 2
Douglas Magrath EducationCultural competence is an important key for success in today’s world. Language learning improves international understanding and tolerance. Learning languages enables people to develop their identities and allows them to be involved in multiple cultures. Speaking several languages makes people feel empowered and gives them choices and perspectives. Language learning involves culture as well. One can be fluent in L2, but cultural roadblocks can still interfere with communication.
-
How being mistreated because of learning disabilities made me push back
Amy Temple EducationIn 2006, shortly after moving to Florida, I was hired as a dog sitter for a couple who were living in the same residential community as me. They had the cutest Boston terrier with the calmest disposition I had ever seen in a dog. It was the perfect job. I could set my own hours and the pay was pretty good. However, the couple's true colors began to show shortly after. I think my learning disabilities were the reasoning behind the couple's behavior. They often talked down to me.
-
Why the SAT can’t be fixed
Patrick Gleeson EducationYour dear mom has fallen down a flight of stairs. She has severe skin cuts, several broken bones and a concussion. Rather than hospitalize her, you buy her a better pair of walking shoes. Will that work? For similar reasons, various attempts to reform the SAT tests that many colleges use to evaluate potential students are unlikely to help. The damage has already been done. Attempting to tidy things up by "improving" the SAT, which notoriously favors the wealthiest students and further disadvantages the poorest, is like responding to your mom’s injuries by buying her a better pair of shoes.
-
How higher education can shape the future of law enforcement
Bambi Majumdar Law Enforcement, Defense & SecurityThere has been a recent drive to improve college enrollment among law enforcement officers. To this effect, some states and colleges are introducing new curricula that match modern law enforcement training needs. Police shootings and reports of police brutality have hampered the image of law enforcement to such an extent that getting recruits for the force has become quite a challenge. In Kentucky, the state’s Department of Criminal Justice Training (DOCJT) recently announced an education initiative for law enforcement that will enable officers to get a college degree.
-
5 tips for a greener school year
Sheilamary Koch EducationOn Sept. 20, around 4 million people took to the streets worldwide as part of the largest youth-led climate strike to date. Whether you were there or at work, here are five practical tips to help ride the momentum of this historic event to create a greener classroom, school building or entire district. "If you’re not sure where to start, look at what other schools are doing," says Robert Whiteman, field studies teacher at Costa Verde International School in Sayulita, Mexico.
-
ITIL in education: A possible framework for IT service management
Hannah Price EducationTechnology is essential to teaching and learning in every school district, as learning is impacted without reliable IT infrastructure and processes. The same is true for administrative functions throughout a school district. These goals require some educational entities to turn to frameworks like Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL). Even though the ITIL framework is impactful, and is effective for some organizations in managing out-of-sorts practices, some IT leaders wonder what ITIL is and what it can do.
-
Supporting educators transitioning to a competency-based learning system
Brian Stack EducationIn a recent article, I reported on how competency-based learning (CBL) systems continue to take hold across the nation. According to the International Association of Online K-12 Learning (iNACOL), 49 out of 50 states currently have policy language in place to support CBL systems in schools and school districts. Competency-based learning is sometimes referred to as mastery learning, proficiency-based learning, and, to a lesser degree, standards-based learning. It is part of a larger movement known as personalized learning, a philosophy that puts students at the center of their learning and encourages schools to identify multiple pathways for student learning and achievement.
-
Adjectives and nouns: The semantics of discussing students
Erick Herrmann EducationEducators have discussions about students on a daily basis. In a past article, I discussed the notion of labeling students, and how labels may be helpful or harmful to students. That article focused primarily on labeling students who speak a language other than English, and the consequences of those labels. Yet we use many other labels when we are discussing our students, sometimes with colleagues, and sometimes with the students themselves. Semantics have a powerful impact. When we are discussing students, consider the words you use with your colleagues as well as with the students themselves.
All Education Articles