Social and Emotional learning is important in more ways than one! :)
NC Ahead in Race to the Top!
The United StatesEducation Department Report: NC is Ahead in the Race to the Top
Innovation in support for teachers and struggling schools, along with the infusion of new technology are among the reasons North Carolina is at the head of the pack at the halfway point of its Race to the Top initiative, according to a report released by the U.S. Department of Education today.
Read more by visiting www.ncpublicschools.org and clicking on the appropriate link under News Releases.
Innovation in support for teachers and struggling schools, along with the infusion of new technology are among the reasons North Carolina is at the head of the pack at the halfway point of its Race to the Top initiative, according to a report released by the U.S. Department of Education today.
Read more by visiting www.ncpublicschools.org and clicking on the appropriate link under News Releases.
2013 Big Themes in Learning
It will be exciting to see how the three themes listed below will evolve in 2013.
1. SMART USE OF TECH.
2. ADVANCE OF THE COMMON CORE.
3. LEARNING OUT OF SCHOOL.
1. SMART USE OF TECH.
2. ADVANCE OF THE COMMON CORE.
3. LEARNING OUT OF SCHOOL.
January is
National Creativity Month
Yes...January is National Creativity Month! Although every month should be filled with CREATIVE opportunities for your students it is a great time to remind them of their own creative abilities. You can also provide learning experiences that give students creative outlets.
Here are some activates provided by Eye on Education that can help you to celebrate this month with your students:
Here are some activates provided by Eye on Education that can help you to celebrate this month with your students:
- Daily Writing Prompts—Have your students keep a journal and give them daily prompts (you can find fun creative ones by clicking here). Use prompts such as "If you could have any superpower, what would you choose?" or "If you could give one million dollars to any person, who would you give it to and why?" These questions will trigger creative thinking in your students.
- More Than Meets the Eye—Show your students an image of clouds, or an optical illusion that can be viewed many different ways and ask them to write what they see in the image. Visual thinking is a great way to encourage creative problem solving. You can also expand this by asking students to write a short story based on the image they see. Here are two examples you can use: "Woman Playing in a Man's Ear," and "Old Woman, Young Lady."
- "What If?"—Divide the class into groups and ask them to come up with the most unique "what if" question and answer they can think of. After the groups have finished, have the class compare them and vote on the most creative one. Examples can include: "what if people didn't need to sleep?" or "What if we 'elected' presidents by lottery?"
President Obama's Words during Newton Vigil Speech
“This is our first task, caring for our children. It’s our first job. If we don’t get that right, we don’t get anything right.”
Project Based Learning infused with Technology
There are many reasons to embed technology into your Project Based Learning units of study. This link from edutopia give you just a few.
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/technology-improve-PBL-andrew-millerutm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+EdutopiaNewContent+%28Edutopia%29
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/technology-improve-PBL-andrew-millerutm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+EdutopiaNewContent+%28Edutopia%29
Vocabulary is SO Important!
Find out why teaching student vocabulary is key for 21st Century Learning.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/06/vocabulary-test-results-us_n_2249647.html?utm_hp_ref=education
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/06/vocabulary-test-results-us_n_2249647.html?utm_hp_ref=education
Holiday Ideas for English Language Learners
This a great link from The New York TImes Education section. You can preview free lessons and ideas that to help your ELL and all students learn about various Holidays. Enjoy!
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/06/ideas-for-english-language-learners-celebrate-the-holidays/
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/06/ideas-for-english-language-learners-celebrate-the-holidays/