Project management is a topic that I teach in many of my classes. Whether its working as a member of a team or as an individual managing the project is a critical skill that the students need to develop. If the students are working as an individual, I get them to use the waterfall or [...]
I have long valued and used a constructivist approach to teaching and learning. Tasks of short or long duration where the emphasis is on constructing the knowledge, process, product or understanding is core. Students develop ownership of the concepts, ideas, product or knowledge. Learning is practical, hands on, multi-sensory, collaborative experience. There must be engagement [...]
Can you imagine how your classroom would be changed if the students could make the models and products they design there and then in the classroom? I am not just talking about a design or technology classroom. Consider the science classroom as the students are constructing models of molecules, protiens or strings of RNA or [...]
One of the things that I found interesting at the Horizon project meeting this week was the concept of “Challenging the Examination“. The concept or process was described to me in the context of a tertiary setting, where a person enters the university with significant experience and is able to sit or challenge the examination [...]
I was asked yesterday what I considered to be the four components of effective digital learning. (Why four? The person who asked me wanted four, there may be more but this is the parameters I was given.) The question intrigued me. The focus was a little bit to do with tools to use for learning, [...]
Around the outside of my classroom are whiteboards that the students use for their work. There are four of them and I seldom write on them but the students make quit extencive use of these. The students today were looking at the London Riots and examining the social and ethical issues (for IB ITGS Teachers [...]
This is an interesting report from the independent think tank – the New Zealand Institute - http://www.nzinstitute.org/ The report is focused on two proposals to reduce youth disadvantage. Reading through it a couple of things leap out for me. Here is one that is critical “Successful education requires more than just turning up at school. If [...]
How do we find a balance between safety and risk? Between exploration and curiosity and danger? It doesn’t really matter what aspect of education we look at there is SHOULD always be this discussion. Curiosity Curiosity is a critical human trait, it is a core part of creativity and has led us to explore the [...]
I was recently asked, via twitter, what sort of environment we would need to foster creativity in the classrooms. This is an interesting question. Creativity in our current teaching paradigm is sadly often an extension. The current assessment and curriculum driven and limited approach, does restrict the opportunities for creativity. I believe that creativity can [...]
A friend of mine in the UK just email me an interesting article on iPads in schools – http://www.metro.co.uk/news/869340-kent-school-gives-an-ipad-to-each-of-its-1-400-pupils This isn’t the first school I have heard of that has moved to using iPads. I have heard of schools who are replacing their textbooks with iPads for a similar cost. It makes sense when you [...]
