The way teachers teach their students has, I believe, a direct correlation to the way in which they learn themselves. We have all read in the latest teaching journals that teachers of today have to be devoted to lifelong learning. But what does that mean, really? What elements affect teacher learning and then in turn affect how that teacher teaches?
Every teacher who has attempted to integrate technology into the classroom knows that getting parents on board can sometimes be a challenge. Your efforts to engage students and develop digital skills can become the scapegoat explanation for problems that have nothing to do with tech. So how do educators get these parents into our corner? Here are some strategies I’ve used successfully to gain parent buy-in.
Physics teacher Dolores Gende is shifting her teaching to a student-driven learning model by selecting some areas of focus each year. This year it’s assessment. “I see assessment as an ongoing process that informs me and my students and gauges the progression of learning. I partner with my students, and they appreciate not being constrained by fixed deadlines and dead-end quiz scores. They prefer the ample opportunities we create to demonstrate they can accomplish all of our Learning Objectives.”
If you missed our book launch party for The Connected Teacher: Powering Up — here’s the archive of the complete hour, plus audio clips of readings by teacher authors Patti Grayson, Brian Crosby, Kathy Cassidy, Marsha Ratzel and Shelley Wright. Be inspired and motivated by their personal stories of connected learning and teacher transformation. And some great conversation.
I’ve been thinking, experimenting and testing out ideas about how to move math instruction forward in my classroom, using technology and Problem-Based Learning as much as I can. It’s a daunting task even if I’ve done it before in science. We aren’t all the way to PBL yet. But I think a recent inquiry activity we did is foundational — it begins to shift responsibility for learning onto the students’ shoulders.
Public blogging, says teacher Ann Michaelsen, has proven to be the best way for her Norwegian high school students to sharpen their English writing skills. “When I do something everyone can see,” says one student, “I make it as perfect as I can.” Assessment data: Eleven of her students are finalists for the 2012 EduBlog award for student blogging.
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