The Turn

One door closes, another door opens; one semester done and another starts tomorrow: Beginnings and endings: the critical points in the lessons we learn and deliver. Here are 3 quick resources to help with the semester:

1.  The 8 Minutes that Matter the Most: ideas for starts and finishes of a class period

"The eight minutes that matter most are the beginning and endings. If a lesson does not start off strong by activating prior knowledge, creating anticipation, or establishing goals, student interest wanes, and you have to do some heavy lifting to get them back. If it fails to check for understanding, you will never know if the lesson's goal was attained."

2.  "I Do, We Do, You Do"-- the gradual release of responsibility

3. "Using Extroverts"--classroom strategy based upon knowing the kids

"That" Week

Oh, that...

We find ourselves in the midst of the odd week+ where finals are completed and... now what? For full-year classes, forging ahead makes sense, but for others-- how do we enrich and make things meaningful? Here are some wonderful ideas from Sarah Brown Wessling's blog post, "Winter Break: Learning Resources That Won’t Feel Like Work – 2014 Edition," based on the amount of time you may have to investigate. Included are links to a wide variety of sources from Soul Pancake to ESPN's 30 for 30 series.

Here's another good insight from Dr. Richard Curwin, from edutopia.org: "Questions Before Answers: What Drives a Great Lesson?'

• "Our minds are set up to not care about answers unless we have a question. The greater the question, the more compelling it is, the more we want the answer. We learn best when questions come before answers."
• "Compulsion more than simple curiosity drives them to learn the information that follows. It's what I felt when I finally wanted to read my car manual so that I could set the clock."

Worth Consideration for Parents, teachers, and Administrators

I also ran across this edutopia.org piece over Winter Break. Although some of the points may be disagreeable to some, I think it's work a look. It's called "8 Myths That Undermine Educational Effectiveness," The eight key "myths" addressed:

1. Teachers Are the Most Important Influence on a Child’s Education
2. Homework Boosts Achievement
3. Class Size Does Not Matter
4. A Successful Program Works Everywhere
5. Zero-Tolerance Policies Are Making Schools Safer
6. Money Doesn't Matter
7. College Admissions Are Based on Academic Achievement and Test Scores
8. Merit Pay for Teachers Improves Student Performance