I have spent the last 8 years collaborating with countless teachers and students on a museum-integrated approach to learning. It doesn’t take a complete overhaul of your curriculum or your school design to extend learning using museum education strategies. Start with collections Most museums are collecting institutions. Their mission is to collect, preserve, and … Continue reading Museum Monday: Quick Tips for Using Museum Resources for Teaching-#BLOG365 Day 154 #sschat
Curriculum
Thrashing Blindly or Reaching-#BLOG365 Day 149
I have been reading The Talent Code: Greatness Isn't Born. It's Grown. Here's How. by Daniel Coyle. One quote that has stuck out for me is: The trick is to choose a goal just beyond your present abilities; to target the struggle. Thrashing blindly doesn’t help. Reaching does. Targeting the struggle. Reaching. There are … Continue reading Thrashing Blindly or Reaching-#BLOG365 Day 149
Museum Monday- Writing Museum Labels in the Classroom #BLOG365 Day 148 #sschat
One of the most fascinating discussions I ever had about museum labels was at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. A few years ago I was lucky enough to take a group of educators to DC for a week of learning in museums. We had the chance to meet with interpretative staff to learn … Continue reading Museum Monday- Writing Museum Labels in the Classroom #BLOG365 Day 148 #sschat
Museum Monday: Object-Based Engagement #BLOG365 Day 145 #sschat
Tonight I had a flashback to my social studies teaching days, to the nights when I sat up in bed searching for the perfect object to hook my students for the next day's lesson. Before I got the hang of it, it took me a lot of hunting online to find an object that would … Continue reading Museum Monday: Object-Based Engagement #BLOG365 Day 145 #sschat
I Like History, But…-#BLOG365 Day 136
Actually I love history. But, in education we are too stuck in the past. I saw this article today, "Could Our Obsession With Exams Lead to Long Term Failure." In it the author references Sir Ken Robinson "who argues that schools cannot meet the needs of the future by just refining what we have done … Continue reading I Like History, But…-#BLOG365 Day 136
Teaching Protest -#BLOG365 Day 134 #sschat #edchat
This weekend I have been thinking a lot about how we as educators are teaching the history of protest in the United States, from the Boston Tea Party to the Women's March yesterday. Teaching in elementary schools for so long has taught me the value of visuals. Written primary sources are great, but they are … Continue reading Teaching Protest -#BLOG365 Day 134 #sschat #edchat
Oh, #Homework… – #BLOG365 Day 131 #edchat #hacklearning
Oh homework, how we loathe you in my house. You take us away from family time and dinner conversations and walks around the neighborhood and play time and even recreational reading time. You invade car rides and take away sleep. You diminish social time with friends. You make us question participation in Boy Scouts … Continue reading Oh, #Homework… – #BLOG365 Day 131 #edchat #hacklearning
Museum Monday: Bottle Digging and Using Collections in the Classroom #sschat #museumed-#BLOG365 Day 130
This weekend I finally decided on a place for my grandmother's bottle collection. For two years the bottles have been packed away and I have been waiting to finish remodeling or find the perfect piece of furniture to display them (having my 3 cats in the back of my mind too!). Saturday we picked up … Continue reading Museum Monday: Bottle Digging and Using Collections in the Classroom #sschat #museumed-#BLOG365 Day 130
#whereissasha Our Exam Crazed System – #BLOG365 Day 124
No surprise I am anti-exams. Exams don't give us a clear picture of student understanding. They don't prepare students for 21st century careers. They cause anxiety for our students. They encourage low level thinking and regurgitation. They don't encourage collaboration or creativity. Last night #whereissasha blew up on social media. The teacher in me knew … Continue reading #whereissasha Our Exam Crazed System – #BLOG365 Day 124
Museum Monday: Salesman Samples- #BLOG365 Day 122 #sschat #objectbasedlearning
One of my favorite units at the museum school was a unit called "Everything Changes." The interdisciplinary unit covered changes over time. During this unit we often had the students create object timelines: a telephone through time, children's games over time, etc. Years and objects were combined to create visual timelines of how everyday objects … Continue reading Museum Monday: Salesman Samples- #BLOG365 Day 122 #sschat #objectbasedlearning
Jill Cross 