Latest Blogs on K-12 Education Reform

You'll find practical classroom strategies and tips from real educators, as well as lesson ideas, personal stories, and innovative approaches to improving your teaching practice. If you have any thoughts or comments about these blogs, please don't hesitate to let us know.

The Educator's Village: Creative Commons for Classroom Lessons

By Andrew Marcinek
5/22/12

Andrew Marcinek is an instructional technologist at Burlington High School in Burlington, MA. He is also a regular blogger at Edutopia.org. Follow him on Twitter @andycinek.

Michael Milton (@42ThinkDeep on Twitter) is history and English teacher at Burlington High School in Burlington, MA. In explaining why he writes a blog, he says, "My goal is not to say, 'Do this, it is awesome! I am rock star teacher!' My goal is to share in an attempt to better myself and my teaching ability."

In March, Burlington High School hosted the New England 1:1 summit. This event brought together over 350 teachers, superintendents, IT administrators and some parents. One of the highlights of the day was our student panel. The panel was comprised of eight Burlington High School students, ranging from freshmen to seniors, who led an interactive session with the audience. Our students did a great job answering questions, but I was particularly moved by response from one student. The questioner asked, "How do you refrain from the obvious distractions that the iPad presents while in class?" The student took the mic and answered, "Distractions are nothing new in the classroom, however, why don't teachers take the tools that distract us and turn them into learning tools?"

How to Rewire Your Burned-Out Brain: Tips from a Neurologist

By Judy Willis MD
5/22/12

Dr. Judy Willis (@judywillis on Twitter) is an authority on brain research as it relates to learning. She is a regular blogger at Edutopia. You can also find her online at RADteach.

For many of you in the northern hemisphere, the school year is coming to a close, and with it comes a likely drop in the stressors that build up and promote teacher (and administrator) burnout. It therefore may not seem timely to suggest interventions to prevent or reduce burnout. However, it is often not until we are away from a high-stress situation for a while that the brain can move out of reactive survival mode and into a relaxed state where it can ponder the big picture.

Six Engaging End-of-Year Projects

By Rebecca Alber
5/21/12

In her work with UCLA's Graduate School of Education, Rebecca Alber assists teachers and schools in meeting students' academic needs through best practices. Alber also instructs online teacher-education courses for Stanford University.

I don't know about your students, but so many of mine, coupled with Senioritis, were DONE after state testing. (The well had run dry, no blood from a turnip -- all those sayings applied!) With just a few precious weeks left in the school year, what do you do to keep the kids energized and onboard with learning?

Let Students Innovate

By Dominick Recckio
5/18/12

Dominick Recckio is student body president at Port Byron High School in Central New York, and a National Honor Society member. About his membership in the Edutopia community, he says, "I am here to present a student perspective which is otherwise missed and passed over in education reform discussions."

Today's high school students are creative and have a strong aptitude for technology. And many of us are interested in making our high school experience better, not just for ourselves, but for our peers as well. Studying and a strong work ethic will always help to take students to the next level, and are certainly perfectly viable options to create one's own path to success. But many of us are available and interested in helping our schools innovate through new technologies.

Five-Minute Film Festival: DIY Education at the Maker Faire

By Amy Erin Borovoy (aka VideoAmy)
5/18/12

Amy Erin Borovoy is Edutopia's digital media curator, and she has a passion for content at the intersection of online video, new technologies, and education. Follow her on Twitter @VideoAmy or subscribe to her YouTube channel for more videos for educators.

Teachers who love hands-on learning and the DIY movement are a match made in heaven -- and nowhere is this better represented than the Maker Faire. I'm lucky enough to have participated in this event three times, as both a visitor and a maker, and it's still challenging to describe this celebration of people-powered technology, art, science and ingenuity, where you are as likely to encounter fire-breathing robots as you are fluffy electric cupcake cars. Since 2006, Maker Faires have been held annually in the San Francisco Bay Area, and there have been Maker Faires in Austin, Detroit and New York, with community-organized Mini Maker Faires sprouting up around the country. And the 7th annual Bay Area Maker Faire is this weekend, May 19th and 20th -- get tickets now!

Whether you can experience a Maker Faire in person or not, you can certainly take inspiration from the boundless enthusiasm and creative risk-taking of everyone who participates -- and don't forget to be a maker yourself. Here are some videos to inspire you.

PBL Program Shows How to Tap Local Expertise

By Suzie Boss
5/18/12

Suzie Boss (@suzieboss on Twitter) is a journalist and author of Reinventing Project-Based Learning: Your Field Guide to Real-World Projects in the Digital Age. She's also a regular blogger on Edutopia.

Technology executive Blake Lewin could be sending his sons to a high school within walking distance of their home in Gwinnett County, Georgia. Instead, they're up at 5:30 each morning -- without complaining -- for the 20-mile commute to the Center for Design and Technology.

Using Technology to Teach Health and Wellness

By Mary Beth Hertz
5/17/12

Mary Beth Hertz (@mbteach on Twitter) is an elementary computer teacher in Philadelphia, PA and a regular blogger on Edutopia. You can read more of her work on her own blog at Philly-teacher.

We often see applications of digital technologies in the core subject areas like literacy, math, science and social studies, but how can digital technologies be applied in other areas? Since the days are getting warmer and swimsuit season is upon us, I figured that I'd share some resources for teaching health and wellness in the classroom.

Summer Learning Tips

By Danielle Moss Lee
5/17/12

Dr. Danielle Moss Lee (@HEAFNYC on Twitter) is President and CEO at Harlem Educational Activities Fund (HEAF). With a background in administration and non-profits, she's passionate about educational equity, college access, curriculum and youth development. Read her blog at http://www.heaf.org/blog/.

As we glide through the month of May, I know that many teachers and students are steadily dreaming of how to spend their summer vacations. Some will be off to sleep-away camp, some will travel to faraway places, and many others are still trying to figure it out. But for many families, the summer will also bring a level of anxiety. In the age of budget cuts, the opportunities for quality programs and government subsidized summer jobs will be few and far between. According to the National Summer Learning Association, many low-income and underserved students will face two to three months' summer learning loss in reading and math, while affluent and better resourced students may show slight gains in reading over the summer because of their access to summer enrichment.

What does this mean?

Fostering Relationships in the Classroom

By Larry Ferlazzo
5/16/12

Larry Ferlazzo (@LarryFerlazzo on Twitter) and Katie Hull Sypnieski teach at Luther Burbank High School in Sacramento, California. Their book, The ESL/ELL Teacher's Survival Guide, will be published this summer by Jossey-Bass; this article is an excerpt. Larry also writes a popular blog for teachers and has written several other books.

Students and teacher need to develop positive and trusting relationships in an effective classroom. It is also critical that all students, especially English language learners, develop trusting and enriching relationships with each other. There are many activities which can be used for both introductory purposes and throughout the year to build and maintain positive relationships in the classroom. Some activities which work well to introduce students to each other and to the teacher can be used again at later points in the year as students' interests change and as they gain new life experiences. While this is certainly not an exhaustive list, it contains several suggestions we have found successful and which could easily be adapted for use with different levels of students.

College and Career Ready: One Student's Story

By Elena Aguilar
5/16/12

A former teacher and instructional coach, Elena Aguilar is now a transformational leadership coach in the Oakland Unified School District.

My former student, Brenda, graduated with a BA in psychology from Mills College, in Oakland, just a few days ago. Brenda was eight when I met her; she was a third grader in my class in an overcrowded, underfunded school in deep east Oakland. She was sweet and bright and we connected.

The Homework Trap

By Kenneth Goldberg, Ph.D.
5/15/12

Kenneth Goldberg, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist who has worked with people of all ages for 35 years. Before starting his private practice, Dr. Goldberg served as clinical director for a children's resident treatment facility, as director of a psychiatric day-treatment program for the chronically mentally ill, and as the head of a rural mental-health center. He's the author of the new book The Homework Trap: How to Save the Sanity of Parents, Students and Teachers, excerpted below.

As a clinical psychologist, I don't have strong opinions about whether or not homework should be given. I have doubts about its value, but I believe in deferring educational decisions to those who teach our kids. My concern is not homework, per se, but homework policy and its effects on some kids. I believe that anywhere from 10 percent to 25 percent of all children have such serious problems completing their assignments that, on balance, the overall effect of demanding that they comply does more harm than good. In speaking to countless parents and teachers, the feedback I get is nearly universal. Everyone has a homework horror story to tell.

5 Tips to Avoid Teacher Burnout

By Andrew Miller
5/15/12

Andrew Miller (@betamiller on Twitter) is a National Faculty member for the Buck Institute for Education, an organization specializing in 21st century project-based learning, as well as for ASCD, an organization providing expertise in a variety of professional development needs. He is also a regular blogger for Edutopia.

Baptism By Fire! That's what I call the first year of teaching. No matter how much preparation and mentoring you have received, you are building the plane as you fly it. To make sure you don't crash and/or burn (yes, pun intended!), I put together some hard-learned lessons from my experience as a new teacher. In addition, these are good recommendations and reminders for veteran teachers. When you get hunkered down in the day-to-day while the year presses on, you tend to forget what really works well, because you are working so hard. I hope you find these five tips useful!

Adolescents, the Wilderness, and Schools

By Mark Phillips
5/14/12

Mark Phillips is a columnist for the Marin Independent Journal and the The Answer Sheet. He volunteers with the California Film Institute's Educational Outreach Program and serves on the Board of the Buck Institute for Education. You can find him @MarkPSF on Twitter or on Facebook.

Among the highlights of the two weeks my wife and I recently spent exploring Bryce, Zion and other wilderness wonders of the Southwest, was watching a beaming little girl, about six or seven years old, get sworn in as a Junior Ranger by a National Park Ranger. That moment capsulized all the moments during the trip when we watched kids of all ages drinking in the trails and vistas. We were continually struck by how many happy, engaged kids we saw. This wilderness experience was clearly enriching for them and for their families. At the same time, it reminded me about the relative absence of these experiences from the lives of most kids, and about how little of this connection between children and the wilderness is cultivated by most schools.

Leading the Way in Social, Emotional, and Character Development Standards

By Maurice Elias
5/14/12

Rutgers University professor Maurice Elias serves as director of the Social-Emotional Learning Lab and principal investigator for its Developing Safe and Civil Schools initiative. He is also academic director of Rutgers's Civic Engagement and Service Education Partnerships program.

In 2012, Kansas became the first state to create and adopt a set of social, emotional, and character development (SECD) standards. These standards have been aligned with the Kansas Common Core Curriculum Standards, College and Career Readiness, 21st century skills, and other state and federal mandates.

Behind the Next Generation Science Standards

By Eric Brunsell
5/11/12

Eric Brunsell (@brunsell on Twitter) is Assistant Professor of Science Education @ UW-Oshkosh. He is the facilitator of Edutopia's STEM group, and a regular blogger for Edutopia.

The public draft of the Next Generation Science Standards were just announced at http://www.nextgenscience.org/. Public comments on this draft will be accepted over the next three weeks. A second public draft and comment period will occur in late fall. Background information on NGSS can be found here.

Five-Minute Film Festival: Beat Standardized Test Stress!

By Amy Erin Borovoy (aka VideoAmy)
5/11/12

While we here at Edutopia believe firmly in the idea of authentic comprehensive assessment, high-stakes standardized tests are a reality most teachers must deal with. Any educator will tell you that accountability is critical to a good system of teaching and learning, but most teachers I know dread state test time. To give you a break from the stress of the tests, I've pulled together a few videos on the lighter side of testing -- a few protest songs, a few silly parodies, and a few schools that turn test-time into an opportunity to get creative.

A Great Reason for Appreciating High School Teachers

By Bob Lenz
5/11/12

Bob Lenz is chief education officer and co-founder of Envision Schools. Lenz has served public education as a teacher, a student-activities director, a school-reform leader, a consultant, and a principal.

I am very grateful for all teachers -- early childhood, elementary, middle, and college. But the world I know best is the work of high school teachers. If you add it up, the average high school teacher works about 70 hours per week and this is just the "business" side of the job.

What Exactly Is "Understanding?" And How Do We Assess It?

By Terrell Heick
5/10/12

Terry Heick is interested in learning innovation in pursuit of increased social capacity. He is editor of Edudemic Magazine for iPad, Director of Curriculum at TeachThought, and a regular blogger for Edutopia.

Assessing understanding might be the most complex task an educator or academic institution is tasked with. Unfortunately, professional development gives a lower level of attention to developing quality assessments, training that is rarely commensurate with this complexity. The challenge of assessment is no less than figuring out what a learner knows, and where he or she needs to go next.

In other words, what does a learner understand?

Collaborative Team Teaching: Challenges and Rewards

By Marisa Kaplan
5/10/12

Marisa Kaplan (@EdGeeks on Twitter) is a former New York City teacher. Certified in special education, her main area of expertise is in modifying curriculum and learning strategies to meet the needs of all students. Read her blog at EdGeeks.com.

What does CTT stand for? Some people think it's "creative thinkers thinking," or "cool teachers teaching." Others say it's "conflict tackling together." While CTT means all of the above, it stands for "collaborative team teaching" and refers to the idea of a co-teaching partnership.

Sendak: Where the Wild Rumpus Began

By Gaetan Pappalardo
5/9/12

Gaetan Pappalardo teaches third grade in West Deptford, NJ and blogs regularly for Edutopia. His first children's book, Louie Licks and the Wicked Snakes, was released in Fall 2011. Follow him on Twitter @gaetanp.

For my son, Max

Now Playing>>
Artist: Pearl Jam
Album: Vs.
Song: Animal

When I started teaching twelve years ago I found a copy of Where the Wild Things Are in the library left to me from the previous teacher. It is a 1965 edition of the book (I guess the value just went up). I remember sitting on the carpet and reading it. It was the beginning of my teaching career. Now years later I'm only realizing the true power of Wild Things. As authors and teachers, we wish to leave an impression, a footprint, behind that says, "I was here." Now I get to read Wild Things to my son and daughter and students so they too will someday pass it along as well. Thank you, Maurice. Let the wild rumpus begin!!!

Latest Blogs on K-12 Education Reform

You'll find practical classroom strategies and tips from real educators, as well as lesson ideas, personal stories, and innovative approaches to improving your teaching practice. If you have any thoughts or comments about these blogs, please don't hesitate to let us know.

Blogs

Transformational leadership coach in Oakland, CA

Edutopia consulting online editor and teaches online education at Stanford

Writer about sustainability and project learning

STEM educator

Ed consultant and Edutopia New Teacher Group facilitator

Director of the Social-Emotional Learning Lab at Rutgers

Associate Professor of English Education at East Carolina University

Elementary school computer teacher

An education consultant, master teacher, and trainer

Founder of Envision Schools and four urban charter high schools

High school technology integration specialist

Ed consultant and online educator

President, CEO of Harlem Educational Activities Fund

Deputy director of the Learning First Alliance

Columnist and professor emeritus of secondary ed at San Francisco State

English teacher and tech curriculum specialist

Edutopia community manager

Neurologist, former teacher, author, and lecturer

Teacher at a middle school in San Gabriel, CA

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