Let’s review, shall we? During the last school year, I touched on a wide range of subjects, both serious and not-so-much. On a few of them, I received many comments. On many of them, I received none. Good or bad, I think some of them are worth revisiting. And the passage of time may mean you have stronger opinions now than you did then. Perhaps, now that it’s summer, you have a few extra minutes to leave a comment. I read every comment readers post and hope for feedback every time.
Here are some of the blog posts I’d still like to hear from you about:
Blinded by Science Standards? In which I discuss the Next Generation Science Standards, name-drop some of our most adored Evil Genius scientists (Dr. Strangelove, Dr. Moreau, Dr. Scholls), and ask what you think will motivate more of our students to pursue their STEM interests.
Why Not Talk About Homework? In which we survey the debate about how much is too much or whether homework is even necessary at all. I invite you to return to this topic and answer the questions “What’s your personal philosophy on homework?” and “Do you strive for consistency from night to night and year to year?”
Time Out for Test Prep. In which I ask you to calculate the amount of teaching time you may have lost to preparing your students for a standardized test. I wrote this blog in response to an article I read from an ESL teacher who figured she had lost as many as 47 days to test prep.
Take the Tech Outside. In which teachers are presented with a number of ways to take classroom technologies outside. This is probably a good one to have bookmarked for back-to-school, when you don’t necessarily think of taking classes outdoors.
Surviving Math No-Man’s Land. In which I confess to many years of math illiteracy, point out how that has slowly become literacy, and tout the benefits of our new Fold & Solve: Math series.
This Year’s Must-Read Series. In which I ask you what books have been most popular with your students this school year. Is it the latest Wimpy Kid? Or something else?
Invoking Curiosity. In which I celebrate the Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s successful landing of the Curiosity rover on Mars and ask if you’d be talking a lot about Curiosity during the school year. Well? Did you?