Teacher Gets Through Week of Fidget Spinners Alive

Last week, the writers here at educationrickshaw.com took our school's swim team to Dubai to compete in a meet with over 800 participants. One of the highlights of the trip (for the kids) has been the visit to the Dubai mall, famous for the Burj Khalifa and its indoor aquarium. Many of the students that attended … Continue reading Teacher Gets Through Week of Fidget Spinners Alive

5 Quick Projects That Make Use of Green Screen

It might come as a surprise to some teachers that all it takes to replicate the green screen effects that we all see in the movies and on the news is a free green screen app and some green butcher paper. Once I put up my own DIY green screen in my classroom, my students … Continue reading 5 Quick Projects That Make Use of Green Screen

5 Easy Ways to Share Learning Experiences with Students

This post is now quite old! Check out my newer posts, my workshops, and my podcast.  We've talked before about how to give your class back to your students. Today, I want to look at a similar idea of how we can create a shared learning environment where the teacher and students are partners in … Continue reading 5 Easy Ways to Share Learning Experiences with Students

How Teachers Can Prioritize Building Confidence and Risk-Taking

Growing up, I was painfully shy. If I ever dared to raise my hand (or got called on without doing so) all of the other students would immediately ask me, “Why is your face so red?” This created a vicious cycle of not wanting to raise my hand because I didn’t want my face to … Continue reading How Teachers Can Prioritize Building Confidence and Risk-Taking

“The What” vs. “The How” of Education

After reading the above tweet, I've been thinking a lot about this idea that we may very well spend too much time talking about what we should teach rather than how we should teach. And the more I think about it, the more I crave conversations that concern the how of education. Learning-focused conversation is learner and … Continue reading “The What” vs. “The How” of Education

5 reasons to Drop Math Worksheets and Use “Smart” Online Programs

To learn a new math skill well, we know that students need to get adequate practice with it – successfully answering a number of problems before considering the skill mastered. Traditionally, students have gotten this practice with photocopied worksheets or a textbook. However, with the technology we now have, online “smart” programs like IXL do … Continue reading 5 reasons to Drop Math Worksheets and Use “Smart” Online Programs

How to Set Up a Week of Free Inquiry for Anywhere, Anytime Learning

When I was just a first year teacher, I placed a lot of value on my ability to control student behaviors. While students were quiet and well-behaved to the passing observer, I could sense that I was not facilitating the kind of learning experiences that I wanted from my teachers during my own education. The … Continue reading How to Set Up a Week of Free Inquiry for Anywhere, Anytime Learning

A Letter to My Student About Goal Setting, Body Image, and Healthy Living

I've talked about goal-setting before on educationrickshaw.com, including the SMART model. As my school nears Student Led Conferences, using Seesaw as our digital portfolio, my students have all set goals to achieve during the remainder of their time under my care. While most of my students chose goals centered on improving in a particular academic … Continue reading A Letter to My Student About Goal Setting, Body Image, and Healthy Living

Kids should read a book and build a freaking fort

Motivating kids to become lifelong readers is every teacher's goal, but I'll be the first to admit to having to resort to crummy prizes and rewards, including candy and toys, to get kids to read a book. In this short post, I want to offer a fun alternative: The blanket fort. Set a goal with … Continue reading Kids should read a book and build a freaking fort

Can a Class Teddy Bear Raise Achievement?

A few months ago I attended a fantastic session on how teachers can do their own Action Research at an AISA conference. In the session, I decided that I wanted to see if teaching my 2nd grade students specific strategies for what to do when they get stuck would help raise their achievement. To make … Continue reading Can a Class Teddy Bear Raise Achievement?