"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