Summer Learning - Lifelong Learners Wanted

It is ok to take care of yourself before taking care of others. 

 Have you started a countdown to summer break? How will you grow as a teacher and learner this summer?

 Teachers work hard. Many of us work too hard. We do deserve a break. We deserve to escape our scheduled lives this summer. It is ok to disconnect and take a break during the summer, but the best educators are life-long learners. They do not spend the entire summer disengaged from learning. 

 How will you recharge this summer, but still find the time to grow as a teacher and leader? This post has some tips and resources to support educators as lifelong learners this summer.
Attend a Local Conference
Find at least one conference this summer to attend, learn, and make new connections. Maybe even challenge yourself to present somewhere? If you can't attend, mark your calendar and jump into the Hashtag during the conference. Here are a few local conferences I will be attending as both a learner and a facilitator. 
Enroll in a Face to Face or Online Class
Sometimes it is important to become a student again and engage in a curriculum lead by another educator. The type of class doesn't necessarily matter as long as you are learning something new. One of my favorite experiences as an adult learner has been the EdTechTeams Teacher Leader Cohorts. I am even jumping into the Teacher Leader 2 Course this summer. Here are some great online courses you might want to explore. 



Make Connections & Share Ideas
If you are already engaged in Twitter, Facebook, Voxer, Google + or someplace else as a learner, set aside an hour or two each week to learn something new. If you have not taken a dive in social learning why not get started this summer? Here are a few resources to help:
Read a Book Connected to Teaching and Learning
Educators are writing some incredible books. Find a book that catches your interest and explore. Here are a few resources to help:
Explore Blogs Connected to Teaching and Learning
Many educational blogs slow down a bit over the summer, but most keep posting. You can always set aside an hour each week to explore the archives of a favorite blog. You might even consider starting your own blog? Blogging is a great tool for reflection. Here are a few resources to help:

Bonus: Find a good Podcast, Listen and Learn. Matt Miller has a great list of Podcasts under number 3 in this post. 
What summer learning tips do you have for educators?

Question of the Week - Things That Make You Go Hmmm?



Questions Are More Important Than Answers!

 Don't get me wrong, I love to solve problems and discover answers, but too often the joy of discovery is short lived when finding the answer is an endpoint. I always hope to find answers that lead to more curious questions. In my world, the best questions lead to more questions before, during, and after my exploration of the original question.
Why am I sharing this?

 Today, I was inspired by ESPN's Golic and Wingo Show to start something new on Tuesdays. I was listening to the radio on my way to work and they were playing a game that had something to do with NBA ping pong balls, questions, and candy this question came up: 
If you could only listen to one musical group for the rest of your life, who would it be? Why?
My first thought was that this is a great question. I didn't know who I would pick, so this led me to ask more questions about who and why I would chose my musical group. I asked my office mates the same question and our conversation led us further down a path of exploration and discovery connected to why each of us would make the choices we would make. This one question led us to so many great questions and answers. I was smiling ear to ear. 

 I will be asking my students the same question today. My guess is their musical preferences will lead me in a different direction. 

 I don't know that this new idea of a question a week on my blog will lead to new innovations, or even how long it will last. I am hoping that it inspires brainstorming, conversations, and creative exploration for anyone who reads this post. I am also hoping we can have some fun with it. 

 Each Tuesday I will share a question that I hope will inspire you to share your thoughts and maybe explore something new. Please share your answer and your why in the comments below or using the Hashtag #CuriosityQs. 

 If you have a great question that I can ask, please DM me on Twitter. Full credit will be given for all questions that I share. 

 I don't want to bias your choices so I will share my exploration and final answer and why in the comments on Friday. 



9 comments:

Digital Vocabulary Resources to Engage Students


My students frequently struggle with assessment questions that rely on Tier 2 (Academic Vocabulary) and Tier 3 (Subject Specific Vocabulary). This leads me to the conclusions that  students must have have a solid foundation in all Three Tiers of Vocabulary Development.  It is important to assess on Tier 3 words, but I never want one of my students to miss an answer because of a tier 2 vocabulary word

 The research is clear, vocabulary has strong connections to student learning across content areas. If you teach, you understand how strongly vocabulary knowledge is connected to student success in your classroom. I am not just talking about memorizing and regurgitating vocabulary words connected to your curriculum. I am thinking about students reading, applying vocabulary knowledge, and analyzing text to draw conclusions based on their vocabulary understandings.  

 I am not a reading specialist or in anyway an expert on the best ways to connect vocabulary to learning, but I have explored a variety of digital tools to help teachers and students engage in vocabulary. I believe it is important that we explore and implement digital resources and activities connected to vocabulary development and application, so we've put together this document to help teachers and students explore digital resources connected to vocabulary. 



What are your favorite tips and resources to support vocabulary development in your classrooms? 
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End of the Year Blues - Exploring a New Engagement and Creativity Activity


I teach mostly high school seniors. They are great kids, but they believe in this fictional disease called "senioritis". I also teach AP Environmental Science, so the kids are a bit cooked after we take the exam in May. They also start asking in January if we will still be doing anything after the AP Exam, so the writing is on the wall that they are ready to move on without me. 

I, on the other hand, do not believe that learning should ever end. That is my curse and my challenge to overcome. I am always looking for fun and creative ways to engage my students at the end of the year. The challenge is to create a project that is engaging and fun for us all. 

Last year I had students who had the potential to be great advocates and activists. They actively cared about many of the issues we explored and were engaged in classroom discussions. With this in mind, we decided to engage in "Passion Projects". You can learn more about the project with this link. 


Most of my kids shrugged off their senioritis and created some incredible website. We enjoyed this end of year engagement together. 

While I enjoyed this project at the end of last year it is not something that I think fits my students this year. This year my challenge is a bit different. My students are much more focused on their points and less curious about the issues we have explored this year. They are more than willing to jump through the hoops for points, but as a group rarely go beyond the basics. I don't want to waste time on any end of the year passion projects if the kids are not passionate about their causes. 

This year I am going to I decided to challenge my student's creative sides with a new activity. I am also hoping I can motivate them by giving them an opportunity to compete with each other. Students will pair up and engage in something inspired by the good old "Epic Rap Battles of History". You can learn more about the activity with this link. 


If you have any suggestions or ideas, please share in the comments below. If either of the projects works for your classrooms, please feel free to copy and modify. 









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Videos Connected to Teaching and Learning - Learn, Inspire, Motivate!

When I have some extra time, I love to explore YouTube videos connected to teaching and learning. I am always looking for something new to inspire, motivate, or just to explore something new. 

 My PLN has helped me compile this YouTube playlist of favorite educational videos. We have also organized two Google + Collections with some favorite videos that we use with students. One is for Inspiration and Motivation and the other is connected to some great TED Talks. We have also been exploring Classhook, which looks like a great resource for videos connected to teaching and learning. I am also always exploring and compiling videos connected to different aspects of teaching and learning. Explore my playlists to learn more. 

 What are some of your favorite videos connected to teaching and learning? 

 Feel free to add them to the collaborative playlist or in the comments below.

Here are some of my current top choices connected to teaching and learning. 

Rubik's Cube: A question, waiting to be answered

You Can Learn Anything

This Will Revolutionize Education

OK Go - This Too Shall Pass - Rube Goldberg Machine

Inside the mind of a master procrastinator

Teaching & Learning Videos YouTube Playlist

"Our kids do not want to be taught, they want to be moved... focus a little less on figuring out how you will teach them, and a little more on how you will inspire them." Paul Bogush


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