I have been holding off on posting about German education because I knew it would be a meaty post that required some time to flush out. So, this will be part one of a small series on German education. I can't do justice to the German education system in one blog post! Before I begin … Continue reading German Education Part One: Project-Based Learning – #BLOG365 Day 261 @TOPTeachGermany #TOPStudyTour #PBL #PBLChat
Professional Development
Windows of Tann – #BLOG365 Day 260 @TOPTeachGermany #TOPStudyTour
The first stop on my TOP Study Tour was Tann, Germany, a small city in Hesse nestled in the Rhon Mountains. There's not a ton to do in Tann, but it was the perfect first stop on our tour, small enough to navigate on our own and quintessentially German. In Tann I became obsessed with … Continue reading Windows of Tann – #BLOG365 Day 260 @TOPTeachGermany #TOPStudyTour
Media in Germany – #BLOG365 Day 259 @TOPTeachGermany #TOPStudyTour #sschat
Hamburg, Germany is a media hub. While we were there with the Transatlantic Outreach Program we visited ARD, Germany's largest public broadcaster. The organization has a budget of about 7 billion Euros, generated mostly through a license fee paid by all German residents, companies, and city governments. ARD relies very little on commercials. In fact, … Continue reading Media in Germany – #BLOG365 Day 259 @TOPTeachGermany #TOPStudyTour #sschat
Historical Memory: Part One – #BLOG365 Day 258 #TOPStudyTour @TOPTeachGermany
During my visit with the Transatlantic Outreach Program, we stumbled upon St. Nikolai Church Memorial during our first walk through Hamburg. The spire towered above the other buildings in Hamburg as the fifth highest church in the world. At first I thought it was under renovation, but as we got closer our guide explained that although … Continue reading Historical Memory: Part One – #BLOG365 Day 258 #TOPStudyTour @TOPTeachGermany
The Power of Play: German Edition – #BLOG365 Day 257 @TOPTeachGermany #TopStudyTour
When I applied to be part of the Transatlantic Outreach Program Study Tour to Germany I had to craft a lesson based on a recent news article about some aspect of German life or culture. We had a handful to choose from and, of course, I chose the one on playgrounds in Germany. The article … Continue reading The Power of Play: German Edition – #BLOG365 Day 257 @TOPTeachGermany #TopStudyTour
Ampelmann – #BLOG365 Day 256 #TopStudyTour @topteachgermany
When we arrived in Berlin we were smitten by a cute little guy. We found him everywhere and really who wouldn't be smitten with this? The Ampelmann (translated to traffic light man) is a holdover from East Germany, one of the few leftovers of East German life. He was "born" in 1961 when a … Continue reading Ampelmann – #BLOG365 Day 256 #TopStudyTour @topteachgermany
So, You Want to Know About Bread? – #BLOG365 Day 255 @TOPTeachGermany #TOPStudyTour
I thought I knew about bread... And then I met Frau Schneider, master baker trainer extraordinaire, at the Faber Bakery in Geisa, Germany. The bakery, open since 1553, sits near the German inner border. The Faber Bakery makes 15 different types of bread, but that is just a fraction of the 400 types of bread … Continue reading So, You Want to Know About Bread? – #BLOG365 Day 255 @TOPTeachGermany #TOPStudyTour
TOP Travel Lessons – #BLOG365 Day 254 #TOPStudyTour @TOPTeachGermany
Two weeks in Germany. Fifteen social studies educators. Two German guides. Four hotels. Three train trips. Countless rides on public transportation of all types. A record of 26,000 steps in one day. And a load of lessons learned. Always take a jacket. I didn't. I had a few sweaters. But, they didn't cut it. The … Continue reading TOP Travel Lessons – #BLOG365 Day 254 #TOPStudyTour @TOPTeachGermany
Museum Monday: Point Alpha – Day 253 #BLOG365 #TOPStudyTour @TopTeachGermany
Two Mondays ago I was at Point Alpha on the Inner German border near Geisa. I knew from the moment I got there I had to blog about the interpretative strategies in the museum. The Point Alpha foundation was established to be a place of commemoration and learning in 2008. For years it was the … Continue reading Museum Monday: Point Alpha – Day 253 #BLOG365 #TOPStudyTour @TopTeachGermany
Teacher as Artisan – #BLOG365 Day 243
Back in November I wrote about the Teacher as Artist. The impetus for the post was my interactions in a MOOC on Innovator's Mindset by George Couros. Today I am reading The Artisan Teaching Model for Instructional Leadership by Kenneth Baum and David Krulwich and I am seeing a new take on the idea of … Continue reading Teacher as Artisan – #BLOG365 Day 243
Jill Cross 