Designing Better Tests for Students
By Ben Johnson
7/3/09
I am taking a class with Cisco Networking this summer and we are doing the equivalent of a semester of a high school course in one week. We spend two hours listening to a lecture of the key points and then we take a test. In order to continue in the program, we have to pass the test with an 85 percent. Talk about high stakes!
Welcome to the Edutopia Blog
By Anonymous
7/2/09This post kicks off what I hope will become a new way to interact with you, our visitors, and the team at The George Lucas Educational Foundation.
Schools Have Become a No Parking Zone
By Anonymous
7/2/09With the fear that I might be labeled an Andy Rooney wannabe, cranky about things I can't do anything about, I am hesitant to mention the twinge of sadness I felt at the news recently that public schools have, for the most part, officially abandoned the teaching of cursive handwriting.
How to Go Global in Your Classroom
By Bob Lenz
6/30/09Given the level of technical sophistication of today's students, why not use technology to extend the classroom and collaborate globally?
How to Make Planning for Next Year Fun
By Elena Aguilar
6/27/09The end of the school year has finally arrived. You can start fantasizing about the novels you'll read, the closets you'll clean, the places you'll go. However, pulsing in the recesses of your mind is a whisper: You know you should plan next year.
Learners Thrive with a Public Audience
By Jim Moulton
6/21/09I drove over to Bates College, in Lewiston, Maine, this morning. I had been invited to see a set of culminating presentations of collaborative research projects by college students and alternative-education students from a local middle school.
Setting Boundaries Can Mean a Happier Teaching Career
By Heather Wolpert...
6/18/09Yes, there are many problems in education. But many of them boil down to the fact that we are a cadre of professionals who are often taken advantage of as part of the job requirement.
How to Bring Service Learning to Your School
By Maurice Elias
6/17/09I have found myself drawn to the topic of systematically fostering civic engagement in youth, especially high school and college-age students.
Why After-School Programs Matter
By Katie Klinger
6/12/09Society today seems more likely than ever to accept the idea of holistic solutions to educational and community problems. Each day, foundations are created to reach out to populations that are unable and unprepared to empower themselves.
How to Foster Student Feedback
By Elena Aguilar
6/9/09At the end of the year, the student survey can be your best friend -- that honest and supportive friend that gives you meaningful feedback and leaves you with something to think about.
What Parents Think About Student Achievement
By Bob Lenz
6/4/09When I talk about student achievement in the academic community, the first thing that usually comes to mind is test scores: How well does this school perform relative to others? Are students on track for college? How prepared are they for the SAT?
Surprisingly, the discussion shifts when I talk to parents.
Spring Cleaning Your Classroom
By Heather Wolpert...
6/2/09There's been so much talk lately of education reform, but we neglect to discuss just how powerful a simple makeover can be.
Students Take Action in the Community
By Suzie Boss
5/28/09When New York City's 1.1 million public school students return from summer vacation, they can look forward to rolling up their sleeves and getting busy improving the world, or at least their corner of it.
How to Stay Charged During the Final Weeks of School
By Elena Aguilar
5/26/09The Big Test is over. The long weekend is over. You're way beyond burned out and thinking mostly about summer. You can't figure out how you're going to get through the next few weeks, or how you could keep doing this year after year.
Inspiring Students to Engage and Invest in School
By Stephen Hurley
5/23/09As our two-year arts@newman pilot program comes to a close (read more about it), we are entering the process of evaluating and reporting on our efforts, posing questions for future growth, and reflecting on the incredible journey we have undertaken.
The Art of Networking on Campus
By Jim Moulton
5/20/09In my travels for work and pleasure, I have hunted agates in Scotland, searched for flints, arrowheads, and fossils in Wyoming, Texas, and Oregon, and brought pieces of obsidian home from Japan. Yes, I am an avid rock collector. But this posting is really about people and schools, not rocks.
Five Ways to Enrich Your Teaching Life
By Heather Wolpert...
5/14/09We, as teachers, can't do a lot about many of the factors that have a huge influence on student success, such as parental involvement, health care, and funding. But there are a few steps we as educators can make in protecting our professional reputation, advancing student achievement, and making our day-to-day lives a little less challenging.
Supporting Students Beyond the Classroom, Part Two
By Elena Aguilar
5/13/09I am deeply moved by the responses to part one of this blog entry about a former student of mine named Manuel. They reminded me of the hundreds of teachers I have known who reached out to students within and beyond the classroom.
Balancing Life Skills with Academics
By Bob Lenz
5/8/09In my last Edutopia.org blog entry, I talked about project learning at Envision Schools, and the ways kids are motivated to master difficult subjects by interacting with peers in an interdisciplinary environment and tackling real-world issues.
Teachers as Curators of Learning
By Suzie Boss
5/5/09Quick: Name ten excellent Web sites related to the grade level or subject area you teach.
