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 [...]

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 [...]

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) [...]

This is a beautiful video from ASCD’s Whole Child Education. I encourage parents to check out their online resources. There are some great podcasts that are available free of charge available on their site as well.

Yesterday I “attended” a webinar put on by Education Week. It featured two experts discussing recent trends in informal science education. It’s interesting to think about how those trends affect (mostly in very positive ways!) parents and families who want to encourage the spirit of inquiry and satisfy their curiosity about the world. A few [...]

In K-12 schools across the country, administrators, teachers, and students are preparing for an annual ritual – testing season. Some of these tests are locally created and meant to measure what the student has learned in the past year. Some are high-stakes, state-mandated. Regardless, the yearly testing season can cause frustration, anxiety, and general angst [...]

This is worth the 20 minutes it takes to watch.

We all know how magic (or tragic) having the ‘right’ (or wrong) teacher can be for student learning. Professionalism, a sense of purpose and service, and a love for learning and teaching are all ‘must haves’ to ignite student learning. I recently read an interesting blog post that referenced a 1982 survey that contrasts the [...]