I recently read an article on edutopia.org, the George Lucas Educational Foundation site, about Brain-Based Learning. What follows is the last blog about some of their thoughts and tips with my two cents added in. Tip #4 Work to create a non-static classroom where routines vary, inquiry is valued and hands-on is an everyday occurrence.… Read More »
I recently read an article on edutopia.org, the George Lucas Educational Foundation site, about Brain-Based Learning. What follows are some of their thoughts and tips with my two cents added in. Tip #2 Growth Mindset** is loosely defined as believing people can grow and change their brainpower by the actions they take. It believes learning… Read More »
Definition: Scaffolding- breaking up learning into chunks Teachers as well a classroom assistants and parents use scaffolding whenever they break apart skills. Those pieces, or chunks, allow students to learn parts and then put the pieces together to understand the whole. Here are a few ideas on how to break learning into manageable pieces. Model/Demonstrate/Show… Read More »
Checkout these back-to-school materials to enhance your school year. SAVE 20% and receive FREE shipping and a thank you gift on each item you purchase between now and September 30th. *Free shipping and *Free 30-pack of note cards that say ‘A Note from the Teacher’ are limited to shipping to U.S. addresses. (Classroom assistants and parents… Read More »
Congratulations! You’re stepping into a great profession of hardworking, dedicated people with their first priority…kids. So where should you start? Begin by asking these questions: What are the school and district philosophies. What are their missions? What are their major goals and how do they work to meet them? How do they fit into their… Read More »
The more meaningful the activity, the more engage the students. Connections to their lives and their background of information helps. Allow students to control as much of their learning as possible. That doesn’t mean to make it easy. It means to make it meaning-filled so they use skills they have developed or are in the… Read More »
Over the past few years I’ve written lots of math games for Grades 1-6. It started when I taught math and wanted to provide kids with opportunities to work on various skills on their own or with a partner when they had free time or after they’d completed their assignments. Eventually they became part of… Read More »
Use these 5 techniques to help students get started on classroom work, small group work AND at home during homework hour: Active Listening Work with students at their eye level. Establish eye contact. Ask follow-up questions to indicate you know what was said. Develop a habit of valuing all questions asked. Questioning Strategies Ask “What”… Read More »
Looking for ideas for students, classroom assistants, or volunteers? Remember to (1) Checkout my FREE downloads (http://www.educatingamerica.paddyeger.com). (2) Examine sample pages of my book, flipbook, and workbook. You may purchase them from my website or through bookstores and online. (3) Found a great resource I might share with my followers? Have ideas you’d like to… Read More »
In an age of cell phones, social media, and texting we are losing active listening and direct conversations. One way to reestablish those connections in classrooms or in groups is to use an increased amount of cooperative learning. The process may be as simple as Think-Pair-Share or as complex as cooperative learning groups. Both share… Read More »