WHAT WORKS IN EDUCATION The George Lucas Educational Foundation
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Blogs on Student Engagement

Student Engagement

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Get advice from educators on how to build a positive climate for learning, improve student curiosity, and enhance classroom collaboration.

13
Tips for Beating the Clock in the Classroom
Ben JohnsonMarch 25, 2013
Tags Best Practices, All Grades

In Texas, there are 180 days of instruction, taking away 30 days for state testing so that leave 150 days for instruction. Let's say that a teacher gives a curriculum-based test once every two weeks and the district benchmark test three times a year. That is 21 less days of instruction or 129 days. Now, schools typically have three days of teacher in-service. Five special assemblies, two holiday parties, two half days, four emergency drills and three sick days takes away 15 more days bringing it to 111 days.

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4
April Fools' Day in the Classroom: Six Resources for Teachers
Matt DavisMarch 22, 2013
Tags Current Events, Open Education Resources

I still remember April Fools' Day when I was a fourth grader. A reading comprehension worksheet went out to the class, and in minutes, we were all dumbfounded. The story and questions were incomprehensible, written in complete gibberish. But our teacher went along with the joke. We had a half hour to finish it, and it was going to be worth a substantial amount of points.

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1
Inquiry, Curiosity, Exploration and the Common Core
Karen LeaMarch 15, 2013
Tags Common Core Standards, Lesson Plans, Upper Elementary (3-5), Middle (6-8), High (9-12)

Planned a great lesson? Excited to teach the content because you know what you've planned will excite students and they will learn? Ever planned a lesson like that and then wondered what went wrong? We all have. We have all been there. But there are three keys to avoiding that. No guarantees -- sometimes a lesson just flops. But we can be strategic in including at least one of the following keys to avoid the lesson that just doesn't motivate our students.

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5
Building a Sense of Urgency in the Classroom
Ben JohnsonMarch 12, 2013
Tags Best Practices, All Grades

I am certain you feel the pressure of the testing season soon to be upon us. We want our students to do their very best and we see and feel the urgency (hopefully not panic) that we want them to feel. True learning, which is more than answers on a standardized test, is a naturally urgent process if students are engaged and have a real reason to learn.

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3
Five Ways to Get Girls into STEM
Karen D. Purcell, P.E.March 7, 2013
Tags Achievement Gap, Student Engagement, All Grades, Math, Science

As a society, we learn about the world and advance our well being through science and engineering. The United States may be known around the world for its higher education, but compared to many other leading and steadily emerging countries, we lack a strong focus on educating scientists and engineers. One significant reason that we have fallen behind is that we do not encourage our female students to pursue career paths in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).

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7
Celebrate Pi Day: Seven Classroom Resources for Pi Learning
Matt DavisMarch 5, 2013
Tags Current Events, Lesson Plans, Open Education Resources

Happy 3.14159265358979323846264 Day! That's right, Pi Day is coming on 3/14, and the annual celebration offers a great opportunity for students to explore Pi! (And maybe enjoy some pie, as well.) Of course, there are plenty of great teaching resources online to help your class celebrate Pi Day, and we here at Edutopia thought we'd help.

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10
How Are Happiness and Learning Connected?
Rebecca AlberMarch 4, 2013
Tags , All Grades

We've all heard of the fight or flight response. We go into survival mode when threatened by something or someone. We either put up our dukes (literally or metaphorically) or take off running (literally or metaphorically). Students often go into survival mode when they feel threatened by an overwhelming cognitive task or confusing text, or when they are called on and don't know the answer, or are confronted or teased by another student (or a teacher!) Can one even learn in such a setting?

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4
National Nutrition Month: Best Web Resources for Teachers
Matt DavisMarch 1, 2013
Tags Current Events, Curriculum, Health, Nutrition, Open Education Resources

Along with Women's History Month, March is also National Nutrition Month. If you're planning on incorporating nutrition, we've compiled a few of our favorite resources here. You'll find lesson plans that cover the science of cooking and digestion, as well as links to a variety of helpful source materials on the Web.

Of course, we just touched on a few, but we'd love to hear if you have plans for incorporating National Nutrition Month into your lesson plans. What resources are you planning to use?

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1
Women's History Month: Seven Lesson Plan Resources for Teachers
Matt DavisFebruary 28, 2013
Tags Current Events, Lesson Plans, Open Education Resources

March is Women's History Month, and International Women's Day, March 8, is also a part of the celebration each year. For educators and students, the month provides a wonderful opportunity to dig deeper into women's contributions, struggles, and triumphs throughout history.

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1
Read Across America 2013: Reading Comprehension and Seuss-Themed Resources for Teachers
Matt DavisFebruary 25, 2013
Tags Current Events, Lesson Plans, Literacy, Open Education Resources

Dr. Seuss's 109th birthday is March 2, and since 1998, Read Across America has shared the same date. Each year, teachers, students, and parents are encouraged to read their favorite books together to honor the author who once said, "You’re never too old, too wacky, or too wild to pick up a book and read to a child."

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