I'll admit it. I've used them before. Worksheets. I have wasted paper and provided everyone the same work on those worksheets. I have taught with them, assessed with them, and used them under the guise of differentiation. We all make mistakes, right? Let's break apart the word worksheet. Work. Sheet. Worksheets are designed to give students something … Continue reading Step Away From the Worksheets-#BLOG365 Day 76
Education
Learning Never Exhausts the Mind – #BLOG365 Day 74
I saw this as the Thought of the Week on a school website today. Yes, learning energizes your mind and opens you up to new opportunities, new ideas, new perspectives. But, learning is exhausting. I think I disagree a bit with da Vinci. Learning makes me tired! I have this amazing picture of my son … Continue reading Learning Never Exhausts the Mind – #BLOG365 Day 74
The Heart of Understanding – #BLOG365 Day 73
I have been thinking a lot lately about what it means to get to the heart of a subject, the essence of a subject. I don't know that we are doing enough of this in classrooms today. I was rereading Making Thinking Visible this weekend and the authors recommend making a list of all the things you do … Continue reading The Heart of Understanding – #BLOG365 Day 73
Museum Monday: Our Not So Pretty History Through Objects- #BLOG365 Day 72
Go ahead, take a guess at this Monday's object. Where do you think they came from? What time period? Have they been modified or changed? Do they represent something? I came upon these objects by accident this morning while looking for objects to help a friend with an object-based lesson. Although I just called this … Continue reading Museum Monday: Our Not So Pretty History Through Objects- #BLOG365 Day 72
What This Election Has Taught Me – #BLOG365 Day 69
After a sleepless night I awoke to the realization that our job as educators is more important than ever. Yes, I knew this before. But, today every educator should be reflecting on their responsibility to facilitate the kind of learning that leads to civic responsibility and critical thinking. Education breeds open mindedness, understanding, and empathy. When … Continue reading What This Election Has Taught Me – #BLOG365 Day 69
If You Only Ask – #BLOG365 Day 67
Yesterday I was working on a project at work and was looking for some artifacts to share with our teachers. Fortunately, or unfortunately, I am one of those people that purge pretty frequently. I know it is shocking given my obsession with antiquing and ephemera. But, when it comes to every day stuff I clean … Continue reading If You Only Ask – #BLOG365 Day 67
Using Art to Teach Reading – #BLOG365 Day 65
Over the last few days I have shared Picturing America a few times with colleagues. It's funny how resources float in and out of your mind. I don't think I had thought about Picturing America for months. But, yesterday I asked a friend "do you ever using art to teach history?" Today I have … Continue reading Using Art to Teach Reading – #BLOG365 Day 65
Sometimes You Just Need to Reset – #BLOG Day 64
Yesterday was a rough day. My husband has been traveling for 2 weeks. My son had a camping trip and basketball try outs and it was Halloween. Last week was Homecoming so we had to dress up by theme each day (a.k.a. extra work for overworked mamas). Couple all that with some difficult conversations at … Continue reading Sometimes You Just Need to Reset – #BLOG Day 64
Teacher as Artist – #BLOG365 Day 62
I asked one of the teacher groups I am working with to read this post by George Couros, the 10 Essential Characteristics of a 21st Century Teacher. In it, he writes about the teacher as artist. It was an idea that stuck with the teacher group. Couros doesn't write about teacher's being organized or flexible. He … Continue reading Teacher as Artist – #BLOG365 Day 62
Museum Monday: Object Stories – #BLOG365 Day 60
I have written a few times about using object stories in the classroom. Most recently in this blog post for ASCD Inservice. One of my favorite apps to do this with is Voicethread. There are plenty of apps (Chatterpix and Explain Everything), but I like Voicethread because it allows people to comment on the object … Continue reading Museum Monday: Object Stories – #BLOG365 Day 60
Jill Cross 