The Flip: End of a Love Affair

Many teachers who opt for the flipped classroom strategy are not pursuing a student-centered approach to teaching and learning, says Shelley Wright. The traditional model is simply being reversed — not reinvented. The lecture (live or on video) is still front and center. “Learning isn’t simply a matter of passively absorbing new information while watching a lecture on video,” she says. “New knowledge should be actively constructed.”

How I Spent My Summer Vacation — Teaching US History in Six Weeks to 10 Students Around the World

Over the summer, Voices blogger Margaret Haviland taught her first online high school course — a survey of US History in six and a half weeks! Margaret journaled about her experience at her personal blog. We found her account rich in useful detail. Any teacher about to embark on a first-time online teaching experience will likely find Margaret’s narrative helpful, so we’ve posted excerpts here.

My Mind-Mapping Classroom

In this post I want to highlight my favorite Mind Mapping program – MindMeister — and talk about several ways I use mind maps in my classroom. If you think you might like it as much as I do, you can participate in an opportunity to get a free professional account for a year. (Editor’s note: Winners of the MindMeister giveaway are announced in the comments section of this post.)

Deep Learning Isn't about Technology

Embedded technology is not evidence of a transformational shift in teaching practice. It’s possible to embed technology into every aspect of teaching and learning and still have a completely teacher-centered classroom, with the teacher in control of what is learned, how it’s learned, and for the most part, how students show their learning.