The Adventure is Out There.
Between May and December 2014, Sarah Weldon and three Ocean Project Leaders will be rowing over 7200 nautical miles from Monteray Bay, California to Hawaii and onto Cairns, Australia. Each day they will be hosting a free and open-to-all online class on their WizIQ Virtual Classroom, from the middle of the ocean along with 3D film footage of deep sea coral reefs and sharks or Mauna Lao, Hawaii, the largest volcano in the world.… Read the rest
We don’t call on the first child to raise his hand
As teachers we avoid calling on the first child who raises her hand, because when we do, we take away the other students’ chance to think. When the first child is called upon, all thinking stops and all the attention goes to the teacher, who declares the answer correct or incorrect.… Read the rest
Preparing For the First Class
I have taught for 12 years and would have no concerns about almost any room full children on the first day of school. I am a bit nervous, though, about my first online class. To prepare, I am:
-Planning the first class in person: While I am sure that many classes work well entirely on line, the school that I am creating is a hybrid, so my first meeting is going to be with live children, all in the same room.… Read the rest
Currently David Hasselhoff is all the rage. There is a new ad series at Cumberland Farms throughout New England, in which he is presenting a plastic cup of iced coffee in a tight shirt. These posters, and the accompanying life-sized cardboard cutout are so popular, that they are being stolen from Cumby’s at an alarming rate.… Read the rest
As part of my essay curriculum, I have traditionally had my students make outlines. I have never worried about the details of roman numerals, letters, numbers, etc. I would just have the students write their thesis, and then three reasons that support their thesis with a few details.… Read the rest
I teach middle school students and have had quite a lot of joyful success with my method for teaching the five paragraph essay. My students write an essay each week all year long. Inevitably, they say it was the most useful thing they learned to do in my class.… Read the rest
To reside in the campus or to commute?
At my university, it’s been said time and time again that our student population is half residential and half commuter. Every time I hear this, I think the chances of our population being split right down the middle like that are very low.… Read the rest
