Students learn from each other when given opportunities to interact in small classroom settings under the direction of well-informed, qualified teachers. Teacherless online programs where children face screens to work on rote exercises miss valuable keys to learning. Yet students are bombarded with more technology; however, reports indicate how risky too much technology can be! […]
Educating Betsy DeVos
Betsy DeVos does not understand what it is like to teach in any school let alone poor public schools. She does not understand what the lives of real teachers and students are like. She does not understand the problems facing many of America’s children. These problems won’t be solved with a voucher. They also won’t […]
Students and Bears, Oh My! How Common Core Discards the Importance of Reasoning and Intuition
This post is about reasoning and intuition with students and bears, and what we have lost by focusing on Common Core State Standards and not the students themselves. There are interesting similarities. Let me start with bears. I just returned from visiting Glacier National Park. Glacier is full of bears—both grizzlies and black bears. So, […]
Lessons From M. Mouse: Or, How I *BELIEVED* Disney Could Help Public Schools
A forest of thorns shall be his tomb! Borne through the skies on a fog of doom! Now go with the curse, and serve me well! ‘Round Stefan’s Castle, CAST MY SPELL! ―Sleeping Beauty’s Maleficent casting her spell to stop Prince Phillip In 1991, I obtained credit for renewing my teaching certificate by attending an […]
How Children Learn—Listening, Jeb Bush Et Al?
How do children learn? Why do they even bother with it? The best way to answer this question is to think back to how you learned when you were young. As a child what inspired you? When you were in school, what subjects did you like? Dislike? To borrow a term from the cooking diva […]
Common Core and Early Childhood—Got Music?
The implication of all this for early education is clear. Although a teaspoon of Mozart may not make a child a better mathematician, there is little doubt that regular exposure to music, an especially active participation in music, may stimulate development of many different areas of the brain—areas which have to work together to listen […]
Educational Fun With GAMES—It’s What Motivates Students!
I know that many teachers might feel like they have no time for games and fun educational activities in their classrooms. I find that very sad. Games and free time in class can be a valuable way to bring students together and teach at the same time. And games can provide wholesome family fun. So […]