I teach Physics, Calculus, Programming (Processing, Java, Web), and other classes as my school sees fit. I am a freelance writer with the Cedar Rapids Gazette and GOOD Magazine. I teach at the University of Iowa, and I started a company dedicated to helping teachers give good feedback and store it: BlueHarvestFeedback.com
Blog Posts
In light of last week's release of the Next Generation Science Standards1 (NGSS), I'm reminded of a quote from a veteran teacher in my building:
"Do they really think the reason kids aren't proficient is because we don't know what to teach?"
Read More.The frustrations teenagers experience with school are more a case of statistics and lack of experience than that of work ethic or "attitude" problems. These statistics are not tied to socioeconomic status, weight or time spent in a seat; they're genetic and experiential. We have a bell curve of...
Read More.In a conversation with a veteran educator -- a man with years of experience teaching English and acting as a headmaster -- I was confronted with a prejudice so ingrained in my teaching that I was almost embarrassed to admit it.
He said, "You know, when I ask a student to write a paper...
Read More.Is there anything quite so vilified as our students' love of video games? The slightly lame-sounding trope in the teachers lounge is, "If they'd just study and stop playing those games!"
Read More.This summer was quite literally a windfall for any teacher involved in educating students about STEM ideas. In one summer we were treated to the physics-laden Olympics, the engineering marvel of NASA's Mars Curiosity, and the statistically significant fingerprint of the Higgs Boson. It's little...
Read More.Editor's Note: Today's guest blogger is Shawn Cornally, author of the Standards-Based Grading. Here, he presents a...
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