Curating resources & sharing stories to empower teacher & student ownership, wonder, and daring.
As I continue to pursue my one-word goal of synthesis, I’ve decided to give another graphic a shot! I love the process of visually uniting the learning concepts on my mind, as well as the opportunity to sift through recent ideas from my PLN that have inspired me most. I would love your feedback on this project! (Below is the jpeg version. See the clickable version here!)
featured image: DeathToTheStockPhoto
This is part of a series of inquiry-based provocations for essential elements of the PYP. For more, click here.
The notion of home elicits powerfully personal responses from us all. So what do our students gain when we help them inquire into what that means for more than just themselves?
This week’s provocation can be easily applied for the IB PYP “Who We Are” unit of inquiry (see more provocations for units of inquiry here), but it can also apply to other units involving geography, economics, humanities, adaptation, and change.
Resource #1: This House, Once, by Deborah Freedman
A fabulous picture book to get kids thinking about where each element of a home comes from.
Resource #2: Subprime, by Beeple
A fascinating video to elicit thinking about how the idea of home has evolved over the years.
Resource #3: “This Home was 3D Printed in Only 24 Hours and for Just $10,000” (Futurism article and video)
A remarkable view of the possibilities of the future in home construction.
Resource #4: The Bedrooms of Children Around the World, by BuzzFeed
A powerful video to show the vast differences in what today’s children call home.
Provocation Questions:
featured image: DeathToTheStockPhoto
Whether you are beginning the PYP Exhibition or otherwise would like to recharge your students’ teamwork skills, this week’s provocation centers on collaboration.
High expectation, clear collaboration with intention, and active coaching! Love the wisdom from @mssackstein at @masscue #maleads17 #edtech pic.twitter.com/4wAMPFOk4L
— Caitlin E. Krause (@MindWise_CK) March 10, 2017
One word of caution however: spend more time “coaching from the side” than you do lecturing from the start. Chances are, they’ve heard it all before, and they need hands-on, timely feedback more than anything! (I’ve definitely gotten this all backward in the past, giving far too much time and energy to the initial instruction and then expecting them to put it into practice effectively).
Resource #1: “They All Saw A Cat” by Brendan Wenzel
Both the advantage and disadvantage of collaboration lies in the fact that we all have different perspectives. Enter “They All Saw A Cat” to get kids thinking about what this means.
Resource #2: 21 Balançoires (21 Swings) by Daily tous les jours
Every time I watch this, I keep forgetting that the background music was not, in fact, a professional soundtrack, but was created by these people simply cooperating with one another on the swings. Sure to evoke serious thought from your students!
Provocation Questions:
featured image: DeathToTheStockPhoto
This is part of a series of inquiry-based provocations for essential elements of the PYP. For more, click here.
The PYP unit, How the World Works is designed as:
“An exploration of the physical and material world; of natural and human-made phenomena; of the world of science and technology.”
I believe one of the biggest overarching concepts — stretching across the “physical and material world” –is the concept of perfection. We search for it. We strive for it. We pay billions for it. And yet, it remains elusive.
Moreover, imperfection possesses its own beauty — the persistence, the originality, the innovation.
Below are three resources that could take your class in many different directions as they explore the idea of perfection/imperfection in the world around them:
Resource #1: Unsatisfying, by Parallel Studio
Resource #2: Forms in Nature
Resource #3: Audri’s Rube Goldberg Monster Trap
Provocation Questions:
featured image: DeathToTheStockPhoto
The content for this week’s provocation began with me investigating all this viral talk on #FakeNews. The more I researched, the more I came to two conclusions:
1. The need for educators to help students discern accurate sources is not new, though the stakes are getting higher if we don’t succeed.
2. Rather than focusing on the current FakeNews frenzy, it’s more valuable for us to step back and examine the big concepts surrounding the issue.
So yes, this provocation is useful if you’re wanting to talk to your students about Fake News. But more importantly, it’s more useful for helping your students recognize all that online research entails: the good, the bad, the ugly, and why all that matters for them.
Resource #1: “Where Things Come From”
Resource #2: What IS Media Literacy?
Resource #3: What is Media Literacy?
Another resource from TED_Ed on verifying factual news.
Provocation Questions:
featured image: DeathToTheStockPhoto
My online bookmarks are a mess. The only thing that irritates me more than the fact that they aren’t doing me any good in their jumbled mess of folders is that they aren’t doing anyone else any good there either.
Fixing that today with this little graphic of resources, strategies, and ideas that I couldn’t help but bookmark over the years (even though I knew it meant adding to the mess). It also links to a few of my posts that included many of those bookmarks to further help me organize my favorite resources/strategies.
As you browse, please remember that innovative ideas will only make an impact when wielded by innovative teachers–individuals committed to thinking outside the box, encouraging student empowerment, and cultivating a personal growth-mindset. Also know that they aren’t intended as a silver bullet for classrooms everywhere; some might be more/less useful than others to you and your circumstances.
But I hope that you will be able to find something new, useful, and/or inspiring from this graphic!
I decided to frame the entire thing around the 4 C’s of 21st century education (I wanted to use the ISTE standards for students, but it proved too much for the visual I intended, but if you check those out, you’ll see a lot of parallels anyway). Please let me know what you found most useful, or if you have additional ideas to share! Enjoy!
When I began this extended parental leave from teaching, I could never have dreamed how much I would still wind up learning even while away from the classroom. How many people would be willing to teach me. How often my thinking would be pushed.
When I share blog posts and articles by others in my PLN on social media, I often include a quote that was meaningful to me. I want you to know that each time I do this, it’s because you’ve taught me, challenged me, and lifted me. And I am so very grateful.
Here are 20 articles that particularly made me think in 2016. Their impact has been such that I have continued pondering them long after reading them. They continue to shape and inspire my thinking, writing, and living. Thank you for making my continued professional learning possible, and for enriching my life in all facets!
Working with Adults will Make Me More Patient with Children by Taryn Bondclegg:
Are You the Only Judge? by Edna Sackson:
The Least We Can Do by Pernille Ripp:
The Key to Learner Agency is Ownership by Bill Ferriter:
What If, It’s Not the “Program?” by Faige Meller:
Part of the Journey… by Jina Belnick:
Best. First. Week. of School. Ever by Taryn Bondclegg:
Student Led Conferences by Mr. Ullman:
Life Without a Number System by Graeme Anshaw:
Giving the Writing Process Back to Our Students (Part 2): Teaching Students To Find Their Own Mentor Texts by Jessica Lifshitz:
Slowing the Hands of Time by Darian Mckenzie:
Language by Megan Morgan:
Positive, Negative, or Neutral? by George Couros:
Going Gradeless Part 2 by Jonathan So:
Independent Reading: A Research Based Defense by Russ Walsh:
Allow Choice But Insist on Depth by Sam Sherratt:
Cuisenaire Around the World by Simon Gregg
Tools for Student-Driven Learning by Richard Wells:
Enliven Class Discussions With Gallery Walks by Rebecca Alber:
The New Liquidity Of Learning by David Culberhouse:
featured image: DeathToTheStockPhoto
