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The Effects of Budget Tightening on PD
The author of this blog describes her view on how tough budget times may impact how schools should address professional development needs."Many schools are realizing that they will not be able to send as many teachers to conferences or bring in the same numbers of high ticket presenters to lead their staff development initiatives. He wanted to know if I had ideas or tips for how schools can still meet their training needs."
"For me it is a no brainer. Equip teachers to do their own PD through the building of PLNs and leverage the potential of Web 2.0 tools to bring experts in at relatively low cost. Teaching teachers to create their own free PD represents a lifetime savings for the school or district."
For more information, go to:
http://21stcenturylearning.typepad.com/
Still at Risk?
This next year marks 26 years "since the publication of the U.S. Department of Education's explosive report A Nation at Risk. Its powerful indictment of American education launched the largest education-reform movement in the nation's history, paving the way for strategies as different as charter schools and the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. But even after a vast political and financial investment spanning two and a half decades, we're far from achieving the report's ambitious aims."The article goes on to say "schools are complex social enterprises; their success depends on thousands of daily personal interactions. They are, in the end, only as good as the people in them and the culture in which those people work. So it's crucial to get everyone in a school community invested in a school's mission."
Master Mind groups are one way to deal with these complexitites and get everyone involved in the school mission.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/133846/page/1
Reccommendations for Obama
The Partnership for 21st Century Skills offeed recommendations to the Obama administration:- Coordinate the policies and actions of federal agencies in promoting and creating an aligned, 21st century public education and workforce development system, including the reauthorization of ESEA and other federal legislation.
- Establish a senior advisor for 21st century skills and workforce development at the White House.
- Form an Office of 21st Century Skills within the Office of the U.S. Secretary of Education at the U.S. Department of Education.
- Create an Office of 21st Century Skills within the Office of the U.S. Secretary of Labor at the U.S. Department of Labor.
- Support states and communities with investments to build a strong infrastructure and capacity for preparing students, workers and citizens with 21st century skills.
- Create a significant Global Competitiveness Research and Development Fund for U.S. education, and target a quarter of the funding to innovation in 21st century skills.
- Make the assessment of 21st century skills a priority.
- Support states’ ability to meet accountability requirements and foster 21st century skills.
- Ensure that schools are equipped with a 21st century technology infrastructure and 21st century technology tools.
Look for upcoming Master Mind meetings focused on 21st Century skills.
Project-Based Learning
Project-Based Learning is a way for teachers to focus on an overarching question that is relevant to the students, on identifying related key concepts and skills, on identifying the products and related criteria for exemplary performance, and on developing lessons that tie vertical skill development to content provide a strong framework for making it happen. the following article specifies how to do this:
http://www.catholicteacher.com/archive/articles_view.php?article_id=1112
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Project-Based Learning in the Community
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| by Wendy Swanson-Choi and Rod Haenke |
| Project-based learning is not just a trend; it engages students in both their lessons and the world around them. From choosing a topic through completing hte project, the authors explain how to sue this effective teaching method in the school and the larger community.
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Imagine students actively involved in solving a community problem or in a scientific discovery and at the same time learning key concepts and skills in reading, writing, math, science, and social studies. |
Top Practices Education - Consulting
Live Event Learning
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http://www.catholicteacher.com/archive/articles_view.php?article_id=981
Live Event Learning |
| by Jerry Berg and Rod Haenke |
| Students always remember how their favorite teacer made learning come alive. Live event learning—from field trips to adventures right in the school building—makes lessons both memorable and fun. The authors of this article provide step by step instructions for making live events curriculum rich experiences. |
General
What Works and Technology
Many people are familiar with Marzano's "What Works" series of best practice research summaries. This Website has done a nice job of aligning the "best practice" instructional strategies with practical teaching ideas. Samples and templates are provided."Marzano, Pickering and Pollock examined decades of research to find the teaching strategies that have the most impact on student learning. They identified nine strategies that have the "highest probability of enhancing student achievement for all students in all subject areas at all grade levels." Below is a chart showing those nine strategies with their corresponding average percentile point gains on student achievement tests. Many teachers are asking how technology can be integrated with these strategies to improve student learning."
http://gets.gc.k12.va.us/VSTE/2008/
Cutting Edge Technology Meets Traditional Classrooms
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http://www.catholicteacher.com/archive/articles_view.php?article_id=1071
Cutting Edge Technology Meets Traditional Classrooms |
| by Dr. Kathryn Smith, Barbara Lane Ulrich, and Rod Haenke |
| The lastest technology is a big part of students' lives outside of school, but limited funds and teacher training often keep it out of the classroom. The authors of this article describe easy ways to integrate popular technology into any subject. |
Metaphors to Motivate Student Learning
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http://www.catholicteacher.com/archive/articles_view.php?article_id=1064
Metaphors to Motivate Student Learning |
| by Brenda Vatthauer and Rod Haenke |
| Connect with your students and enhance learning by developing a culture built on metaphors. The author's of this article describe how teachers can use metaphors to improve everything from critical thinking skills to student attitudes.professional development |
Math Wars
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http://www.catholicteacher.com/archive/articles_view.php?article_id=891
Math Instruction We Can All Agree On |
| by Rod Haenke |
| Take mathematics lessons far beyong the textbook with the ideas and models offered in this article.
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The“math wars” of recent years could be framed as a conflict between those who advocate for direct instruction on basic facts and algorithms vs. those who advocate for a more constructivist approach through which students learn their own ways of solving problems. This article describes how to look at math resources with a skeptical eye and how to adapt different resources to make learning math more meaningful for students. |
Technology That Makes a Difference in Student Learning
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The Three E's of Technology That Makes a Difference in Student Learning
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| by Rod Haenke |
| Many teachers are skeptical about the value of computers in the classroom. Following the guide of the "Three E's," the author shows how to make technology integral to every part of school life.
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For a variety of reasons, it has never been easy to fully integrate technology into the learning process in most schools. Even today, a school is fortunate to have classrooms with more than a few (new, not worn out) computers per classroom. How can a teacher really be expected to fully integrate technology when only a few students at a time can use the computer? Even if adequate computers are available, teachers may be skeptical about their usefulness. Many teachers are skeptical about the value of computers in the classroom. Following the guide of the "Three E's," the author shows how to make technology integral to every part of school life. |
Brain-Compatible Teaching
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http://www.catholicteacher.com/archive/articles_view.php?article_id=751
The Brain-Compatible Teaching and Learning Equation |
| by Rod Haenke |
| Recent research has enhanced our understanding of how the brain learns. Apply the results of this research to your teaching methods to amke learning more meaningful for the students.
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We are just beginning to use our knowledge of the brain and how it works in the teaching and learning process. Eric Jensen, an expert on brain-based learning, said it this way:“We are on the verge of a revolution: the application of important new brain research to teaching and learning…. History will likely record that it began in the final two decades of the 20th century.” (Teaching with the Brain in Mind by Eric Jensen, 1998) So we are at the beginning stages of using what we know about how the brain works to impact teaching and learning in our classrooms. What should we do with this information? This article aims to synthesize some findings about the brain into a fairly simple-to-use formula or equation for teaching in brain-compatible ways or, as Jensen would say,“teaching with the brain in mind.” |
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