When I began writing this blog post, I planned to list examples of ways that we can get students explaining their thinking in the classroom, whether that is through writing, drawing or oral expression. I jotted down a few ideas I’ve used in my own class, and then decided to do a little research. I … Continue reading Stop Letting Students Think They’re Right When They’re Wrong!
Does Hands-up Damage Classrooms?
https://youtu.be/J25d9aC1GZA?t=5m20s I recently watched BBC's Classroom Experiment with Dylan William (YouTube video above). While the program is interesting on so many levels, I was especially drawn to William's first intervention that effectively bans hand-raising from the classrooms he works with, and replaces the practice with popsicle sticks. You can also read more about it in, … Continue reading Does Hands-up Damage Classrooms?
Top Barriers for Not Using Tech in The Classroom
Something became clear to me at AISA Conference 2017 when keynote speaker, Dr. Sonny Magana, asked the educators in the audience to raise their hands if they felt content about the state of educational technology in their schools. For a brief moment a room full of educators from a variety of schools, backgrounds, and teaching positions was … Continue reading Top Barriers for Not Using Tech in The Classroom
How Can 13+ Social Media be Leveraged for Elementary Students?
I've always instinctively felt that educators are missing out on a goldmine of learning opportunities by avoiding or banning social media use in the classroom. Do a quick Google search and you'll find a large variety of opinions on social media in the classroom, ranging from "It's cool, but how to use it?" to "It … Continue reading How Can 13+ Social Media be Leveraged for Elementary Students?
10 Year Olds Ask You to Play Their Games for #HourofCode
The #HourofCode is a special time that is meant to demystify the skill of coding for all ages of learners. In previous years, my students have created a Caine's Arcade-style event for the community where the frames of the arcade machines were made out of cardboard and the screens were the students' iPads. You can … Continue reading 10 Year Olds Ask You to Play Their Games for #HourofCode
After 100 Years of the Same Teaching Model It’s Time to Throw Out the Playbook
Thank you for visiting educationrickshaw.com! My name is Dr. Zach Groshell and... I wrote this blog a while ago and I no longer agree with many of the points in here! I could delete it, but then I'd never be able to go back and compare what I used to think with my current beliefs … Continue reading After 100 Years of the Same Teaching Model It’s Time to Throw Out the Playbook
Why Would Anyone Want to Become a Teacher – My Interview with a Newly Qualified Teacher
Lorraine is a newly qualified teacher of middle school math and science at Khartoum International Community School. She was actually a teaching assistant/student teaching intern in my Year 5 classroom for a year while she worked towards her certification. We recently sat down and talked about her thoughts and feelings about the profession as part … Continue reading Why Would Anyone Want to Become a Teacher – My Interview with a Newly Qualified Teacher
Empowering Students to Take Creative Action
Action can come in many forms, and, depending on the group of kids you're given, students' attitude towards action ranges from the enthusiastic to the idealistic to the unsustainable to the irresponsible. While taking action is a major component of the IB PYP, it can be tricky for teachers to get it right. https://youtu.be/WN0yCYVBD5U In … Continue reading Empowering Students to Take Creative Action
Making Required Homework More Effective: An Experiment in My Class
It is increasingly common knowledge that homework is modestly effective in the upper grades, but barely effective at all in elementary. While we all have our own thoughts and opinions on how to empower students to engage in learning activities at home, most schools have specific policies in regards to homework, including how many minutes … Continue reading Making Required Homework More Effective: An Experiment in My Class
10 Great Resources for Teaching Mindfulness
In addition to presenting about BLE design at the AEC Conference 2017 in Nairobi, Stephanie and I had the opportunity to attend a mindfulness workshop by the amazing Robyn Harwood (@rsharwood1). Since this powerful experience, I've begun to explore how teaching mindfulness can impact my community of learners. Here are some of the resources that … Continue reading 10 Great Resources for Teaching Mindfulness
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