It’s that time of year. Take your students outside for fresh air and supercharged STEM learning! Courtesy of the STEMblog, here are “5 Ways to Take Technology Outdoors.” 1. Mobile Devices – Smartphones and tablets, with their wide array of apps, a camera, and GPS abilities, are great tools for documenting outdoor observations. As a…
STEM
How Fast Is the Future Arriving?
Mix tapes. They were the best. I used to spend hours and hours putting together what I consider to be some of the world’s best music mixes ever. Ever. Without dispute. I was to the mix tape what a modern deejay like Deadmau5 is to electronic dance music. The advent of the recordable CD (or…
Blinded by Science Standards?
The only things I love more than science itself might be mad scientists and evil geniuses. Dr. Emilio Lizardo, Dr. Moreau, Dr. Frankenstein (that’s Frahnk-uhn-steen), Dr. Joyce Brothers, Dr. Scholl’s, Dr. Strangelove. Mad, I tell you! But if none of these villains have done the job of motivating more young people to take an interest…
This Is Your Brain on Awesome, Part 2
Tuesday, I introduced you to the first five of Louis Cozolino’s “Nine Things Educators Need to Know About the Brain.” An article excerpted from Cozolino’s book, The Social Neuroscience of Education: Optimizing Attachment and Learning in the Classroom, appeared at the Greater Good blog. Here, then, are the remaining four insights from Cozolino: 6. The…
This Is Your Brain on Awesome, Part 1
A few weeks back, the folks at UC Berkeley’s Greater Good blog published an article entitled “Nine Things Educators Need to Know About the Brain.” The article is excerpted from Louis Cozolino’s new book, The Social Neuroscience of Education: Optimizing Attachment and Learning in the Classroom. Cozolino, a professor of psychology at Pepperdine University, wants…
What, Me Worry?
I may be a bit old fashioned when it comes to my philosophy on education. And while the jury is still out, I do remain uncomfortably curious about what a Common Core future means to young learners. My initial reaction sees a narrowing of the curriculum, and I feel like lodging complaints like an old…
The Rigors of Math According to CCSS
Regular readers know that math and I get along about as well as oil and water, or perhaps open flames and gasoline. However, I do find it fascinating that the Common Core State Standards have what is called the “Standards for Mathematical Practice.” These are eight types of math expertise teachers should look for in…
Reason to Be a Green Teacher: #12,624
That magical thing lurking around the corner, big and green and wet with rain? That’s spring. Yes, spring is just ahead, just around the bend. So now’s the time to plan your class garden. Wait. What? What class garden? The one you’re going to plant this year. The one that is going to make your…
So Shiny and New
It was a marvel. A toy for teachers. But not just any toy. It was a toy we wanted to play with so badly we were nearly straining out of our shoes. As the salesman demonstrated its marvels, we felt a little like Ralphie in A Christmas Story; we wanted one of those fantastic interactive…
Math at the Core
Okay, class, raise your hand if you’re implementing Common Core State Standards for Math this school year. Hmmmm, that’s an impressive show of hands. (I assume.) Here at The Mailbox, we’ve been keeping a close eye on the similarities and changes coming to the upper grades courtesy of Common Core. We’re aligning our upper grades…