TRANSFORMING LEARNING FROM THE GROUND UP
I fondly remember my first purpose-driven experience that exposed elementary students to Computer Science through Code.org’s Hour of Code.
As an educator, I am happy to grab tools that help simplify my work and (hopefully) save me time. In fact, making those tools is something I myself love to do! As such, I have collected several versions of graphics that put verbs into categories to support educators in their attempt to determine the Depth of Knowledge (D.O.K.) of a task.
Depth of Knowledge (D.O.K.): What is it? Why does it matter? Why has it been added to the already full plates of educators? To be honest, I didn’t really give D.O.K. much credit.
Design Thinking is a concept that has danced around my head for a few years now. It doesn’t have its origins in education, but as I’ve learned about it, I’ve discovered just how intrinsically connected it is to what we do.
“I’m just so exhausted!” The end of the school year has always been filled with mixed emotions, but this has been a year like no other.
Teachers. We see you. This has been a very challenging year for you all. It might even be tempting to chalk it up to the worst year ever.
When asked to reflect on your favorite teachers during your school-career, you may be more inclined to remember teachers who spent time getting to know you than teachers who strictly taught content.
Indiana teachers work tirelessly to spark students’ imagination and empower them as learners, all while wearing the weight of a 1,000 hats. However, many of our projects and activities that worked pre-COVID are a no-go now due to social distancing, students being fully virtual, or having an endless combination of in-person, remote, and quarantined students.
Ahhh, the sweet, sweet indicators that summer will soon be here: robins and cardinals flitting about singing happily, the grass growing and trees budding. Bees buzzing and weather warming. Students lose focus and smile as they stare out the classroom windows.
Social Emotional Learning (SEL) has become a new focus in many public school districts across the country. Once dubbed “soft skills,” school leaders are becoming more aware of the importance of SEL within the framework of both school culture and school curriculum.
Calling all early-childhood superstars: teachers, para-pro’s, assistants, directors, yes you! Is it an understatement to say that the early-childhood world is unlike anything else in education? I know, silly question, right? Welcome!
There is an explosion of data and graphs all around us—on the news, in our social media feeds, on our phones, etc. And it is becoming increasingly clear that our students need to build their data skills to succeed in the 21st century (be it at a future job or paying their electricity bills).
