Blogs on Learning Environments

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Adam ProvostMarch 20, 2013

Keynote speeches at educational conferences these days often identify that change is underfoot in education and that we must embrace different learning models. Most don't say how to set these changes in motion. So I got my hopes up when Carla Rinaldi was announced as the keynote speaker at the Winter Institute in Reggio Emilia, Italy this past February.

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Mary Beth HertzJanuary 9, 2013

I have spent six of my almost nine years of teaching in a computer lab. Over that time, my feelings about computer labs have fluctuated. It may seem silly for me to be in opposition to my own job, but there are times that teaching in a lab can be frustrating and isolating. On the other hand, there are times when I realized that there is no other place that my students would be learning how to program, edit videos, create music or format text documents.

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Christopher PepperDecember 11, 2012

Drug addiction, pregnancy prevention, and eating disorders are all part of the curriculum in the high school health education class I teach. As attention-getting as those topics may be, I like to start the semester by focusing on a health issue that affects almost all teens in high school today: stress.

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Bob LenzNovember 15, 2012

In my post, How an Ocean's Journey Inspires One School, I highlighted the worldwide voyage of the Hokule'a, a replica of an ancient double-hulled voyaging canoe and encouraged teachers and students to follow the journey. I also promised periodic updates and resources. Here is the first update and link to resources for students and teachers across the world:

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Todd FinleyOctober 16, 2012

"Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful." -- About Google

Google is the most powerful nonhuman teacher ever known to actual humans. Implicitly and ceaselessly, Google performs formative assessments by collecting the following data: the content, genre and media that interests you most; when and for how long you access your external cloud brain; what your hobbies and routines are; with whom you work and communicate; who will get your November vote; and whether you prefer invigorating clean mint or enamel renewal toothpaste. By continuously refining the nuance of your sociogram, Google has already customized your next web exploration and taught itself to teach.

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José VilsonSeptember 19, 2012

Believe it or not, I had a bit of a freak-out before the first day of school. All summer, I had prepared my curriculum, re-thought my lesson plans, reflected on the energies I would put out to my students, and got plenty of professional development (specifically in science and math integration). Yet, a few hours before I went to bed, I posted on Facebook, "Always nervous about the first day of school with the students. Not because I'm scared of them, but because I want to do right by them." Despite my best efforts, I always feel like I can do better. Then, on the first day, I received a text message from one of my former students saying how much she missed her teachers -- including me.

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Elena AguilarOctober 13, 2011

A friend recently got her Master's in Library Science and became the librarian at a middle school. She walked into a room that hadn't been modified since the previous librarian assumed her position some 35 years ago.

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Rebecca AlberSeptember 9, 2011
20th Anniversary Edutopia logo

In honor of Edutopia's 20th anniversary, we're producing a series of Top 20 lists, from the practical to the sublime.

Twenty Tips for Creating a Safe Learning Environment

I visit a lot of classrooms. And I'm always fascinated by the variety of ways teachers launch the new school year and also with how they "run their rooms" on a daily basis.

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Paul BogdanMarch 29, 2011

Editor's Note: Paul Bogdan was once an old-fashioned lecturing teacher centered secondary math teacher who left teaching for 14 years to build computer systems. He has come back and is reborn as a student-centered teacher trying to make a difference and trying to figure out what works in today's classroom.

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Andrew MarcinekMarch 17, 2011

Before you read another line of this post, STOP. Look around. What does your environment look like? Is it cozy? Is it uncomfortable? What do you think of the lighting? The colors? Have you ever really stopped to absorb your surroundings? Maybe it is time to start.

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