As a teacher, I loved to focus on the processes of learning. In other words, the habits of mind and the reasoning and logic skills that students need to develop. As a parent, I bemoan the focus of content over process in many of our schools. A high school in California is a shining example [...]

I recently presented for a group of museum educators at a national history conference. The presentation was focused around best practices in education and how to engage student audiences. The main take-away? NOT with a “I’m standing up, you’re sitting down” presentation! Indeed, rather than ‘research’ what students are looking for in a field trip, [...]

Just read an interesting article about a new Facebook app that transforms the social-networking site into a study group. Students answer “What are you working on” and the Facebook tool finds others working on the same thing. You can read more about it here. I think we can be sure that social networks are not [...]

This awesome video from Colonial Williamsburg gives a glimpse into their Junior Interpreters program, as well as what they have to offer to visitors with children. As the interpreters explain in the video, Colonial williamsburg’s Junior Interpreters know what it’s like to grow up in the past. After completing their training, these young interpreters teach [...]

Ah, summertime. That feeling is fleeting – soon replaced by, “how long until school starts?” Around my household, I often have lofty summertime goals that include expeditions to places of culture, extended summer reading lists, journalling, and kitchen science experiments. These are too-soon replaced by piles of laundry, swim practice, lazy mornings, and more running [...]

In these days of high-stakes achievement testing, it is all too common for schools to focus on the “basics” of knowledge – the “who/what/when/where” in place of the harder-to-evaluate “how” and “why.” Asking higher level questions leads to higher level thinking. As parents, we can transcend the “lowest common denominator” standards and focus on the [...]

I’m dating myself by saying this, but when I think of the band They Might Be Giants I think of the songs Particle Man and Birdhouse in Your Soul. These days, teachers everywhere are using videos by this offbeat band to teach their kids about science. The song below, called Roy G. Biv, teaches about [...]

It can be helpful to tactile learners to view writing as a process of constructing. A story board is a good way for the tactile learner to approach writing. A story board is a moveable idea board. It can be: the surface of a desk and a packet of sticky notes; a cork board, some [...]

When I wear my ‘consultant’ hat, I’m usually working with a local theatre company or a small museum, helping them design curriculum and materials to use with schoolchildren. What I always emphasize is that cultural organizations such as museums, zoos, theatres, and galleries have intrinsic value (not only for schoolchildren but for all of us) [...]

We all know that physical exercise is important for kids – it kind of goes without saying. What we sometimes forget is that physical exercise has serious implications on learning. When I taught 4th grade, I had the fortunate situation of my classroom being next to the school track. There were days when I sensed [...]