by Kathy Cassidy | Oct 21, 2011 | Less Teacher, More Student, Passion Based Learning, The How of 21st Century Teaching, Voices
I have wondered for a long time how passion and project based learning would change my primary classroom. I have read with fascination the blogs of teachers who made this shift, but I have yet to find an example of a primary teacher sharing this change. Having an entire class of pre-readers and writers in your classroom alters the playing field for exploring your passions. This year, I decided to find out for myself what the difference would be in my grade one learning space.
by M.E. Steele-Pierce | Oct 17, 2011 | Less Teacher, More Student, Making The Shift, The Teaching Life
My colleague Tanny McGregor works daily in West Clermont (OH)’s Dept of Teaching & Learning. She’s also the author of the best-selling “Comprehension Connections” and a sought-after speaker and professional developer. In this interview we talk about digital literacy and her upcoming book on helping students meet the challenge of Common Core standards in English/LA. “If I want my writing to be authentic,” she says, “if I want it to be current, if I want it to matter, then I need to be planning lessons, modeling lessons, reflecting upon instruction. It’s too easy to forget what it’s like to be in the classroom.”
by Shelley Wright | Oct 11, 2011 | Less Teacher, More Student, The How of 21st Century Teaching, Voices
My English class is currently in the midst of learning about modern-day slavery. This past week I learned how crucial the role of the teacher is in the inquiry classroom. In fact, during the course of the week, I came to see that an inquiry teacher has at least five roles to play in this exciting, sometimes frustrating, and always unpredictable process.
by Marsha Ratzel | Sep 30, 2011 | Less Teacher, More Student, Making The Shift, The How of 21st Century Teaching, Voices
I’ve always done inquiry science, but it’s been more teacher-directed than I wanted. Over the summer I took an e-course in “Unleashing Student Passion,” hoping to find a better approach. It was challenging for me because it exposed so many places where I want to be better. I needed to stop holding students back from becoming the learners they will need to be as they grow up. I have always helped students learn the science and be curious. But I knew it was time to take another step, to help the kids in my classroom kindle their own passion for learning.
by Dolores Gende | Sep 6, 2011 | Less Teacher, More Student, The How of 21st Century Teaching, Voices
I believe that every person is unique and every child can learn, but I recognize that students learn best when engaged — where expectations are appropriately challenging within an environment that is both safe and that contributes to the dignity and self-worth of all. I also believe that engagement depends on quality interactions resulting from connections that happen inside and outside of the classroom. Here are some of the Engagement+Connection ideas I plan to use this year.
by Shelley Wright | Sep 2, 2011 | Less Teacher, More Student, Student Life, The Compelling Need for Change, Voices
I wonder what effect our societies’ low expectations of adolescents has on their development? What does it do to one’s identity when often we give our teenagers so very few meaningful roles or real work to do? That the five hours they spend in classes a day often results in rote learning that is frequently memorized the night before an exam and then forgotten. What if instead, high school students spent five hours a day constructing an identity while responding creatively to their moment in history? What if they were told they can change the world now?
