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 [...]

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 [...]

This is worth the 20 minutes it takes to watch.

I read an interesting blog post by Dan Brown, a teacher and author of The Great Expectations School: A Rookie Year in the New Blackboard Jungle. He is the also the author of an education blog called Get in the Fracas. Here is an excerpt: “I have a clutch of students who read for pleasure, yet [...]

I love this – it has all the elements of perfect learning: 1. Science tools. 2. Dirty kids. 3. Excitement. 4. Mystery. 5. Discovery. 6.Higher-Level Thinking. In fact, one student said, “This is probably the best science class ever,” (Angus Stewart). What is all this referring to? One teacher teaching science the way it should [...]

There are two things I like about the recent Washington Post Editorial I read about year-round schooling. Firstly, I like the concept itself, for some pretty simple reasons: Kids learn more and forget less. Parents who work can cope a little better. There is no reason (not educationally, not practically) in today’s world for the [...]

I love this. It has all the elements of a great learning experience: “Advanced science students at Zionsville High School extracted and analyzed dolphin DNA this month in an ongoing collaboration with the Indianapolis Zoo, the University of Indianapolis and other research facilities.” IndyStar.com  Purpose – check. Relevance – check. Inquiry – check. Intrinsically motivating [...]

We were outside eating dinner at the picnic table when my youngest, who is 3, began playing with large, thin pieces of wood we have out back (we are building a tree fort). He crossed them and said, “Did I make an X?” He had, so we asked him if he could make a “T” [...]

“Tell me and I forget, show me and I may remember, involve me and I understand.” – Chinese Proverb Constructivist learning, experiential learning, whatever you want to call good teaching where the student is intimately involved as meaning-maker is desirable for the development of true understanding. UC Davis has some wonderful resources for teachers, home [...]

As a parent and teacher, one of the great joys of my life has been watching students discover the world around them – not ‘teaching’ them about it, but guiding them in such a way that they encounter and discover for themselves. Some of my favorite science questions ….. What happened? I wonder what would [...]