Program for educators looking for practical strategies that can be used in the classroom immediately. Topics include authentic learning, social and emotional development, 21st century learning, underachievement, and gifted education.
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Productive Struggle - this is when students are given a task that is a challenge to solve and through this struggle they not only learn the possible answer, but also the process. But how do we actively do this in our classrooms where students are often times afraid to make mistakes?
Gears of Genius - we use the word "genius" as an adjective to describe a person or idea, but how do we actually get someone there? What does it take to produce a genius idea? It is not just one thing. It is a combination of curiosity, creativity, challenge, and critical thinking. But how do we foster those ideas and skills in the classroom?
Creating Brain-Busting Bulletin Boards - often times the bulletin boards in classrooms are simply white noise that students do not pay attention to. But what if you could make them part of the educational process and get students involved? Here are some ideas for doing this.
What is Critical Thinking? - critical thinking is one of those terms that can mean a lot of things. In the case of skills taught in school, what does critical thinking mean? And why is it so important to teach it to our students?
Chances vs. opportunities for challenge - when we try and challenge our students in the classroom there are two ways to do this. Planned challenge where we prepare things ahead of time, and teachable moments where we see a spark of curiosity we want to tap into. Learn how to do both of these.
Academically Challenging vs. Intellectually Stimulating - academically challenging is how most of school is set up, where things gets progressively more and more difficult. Intellectually stimulating is where students are challenged in their thinking. Which one is used more in school and how can we balance these?
The needs of gifted students - gifted students have specific needs that are often not addressed or overlooked. Why is it important to address these needs and how can you ensure they are growing as learners?
What is Creative Thinking? - we identify some students as creative thinkers. But what does this actually look like? This is the definition of an outside the box thinker. They usually have multiple possible answers and make connections others don't see.
Flexible Grouping - when we put students into groups we must be purposeful about it. This is because in order for their needs to be met, they must be in the best environment for them to grow. But placing them properly is only half of the battle. Once they are in groups they must know how to work and collaborate to be successful.
Compacting Curriculum - is everything we are required to teach necessary for all students? What if they already know what we are going to be teaching? Do they need to learn it again or can we streamline the learning so that students are skipping over material they already know or have learned quicker than the pace set by the teacher? One solution is compacting the curriculum where we cut the fat…
