Mo Physics Mo Problems

Recharge Ed occurred Saturday morning at Kettle Moraine Middle School. It was an UnConference focused on personalized learning. After a long week,  it was a wonderful experience.  So what was recharging about getting up at 6:00 A.M. on a Saturday to go to school? Traffic on a Saturday at 7:00 a.m. is actually quite light.  Feels pretty good to own the interstate even when I-94 only has one lane open. Pulling into Kettle Moraine Middle School to see a parking lot full of cars. Seeing a fellow science teacher from Brookfield Central High School walking in the door right ahead of me. Freshly brewed coffee when you walk in the door. Staff from Kettle Moraine School District taking their time on a weekend to host an event. It's really something to look at a schedule and see so many wonderful options available. (Links will take you to session notes. So, click away) Being in rooms where teaching are sharing the many ways (so many ways) they are finding to improve instr

Heck, you don't have time to even read this.  So, start listening to educational podcasts to help create a broader Personal Learning Network. I'll get to the why later in this post if you got the time. My Favorite Podcasts for Teachers #EdChat Radio Click here for link in iTunes. Every Classroom Matters Click here for link in iTunes i am ME. Click here for link in iTunes On the Vendor Floor Click here for link in iTunes K-12 Greatest Hits Click here for link in iTunes So "why" podcasts? To be honest I don't really have time to read many blogs no matter how good they are.  If I'm in front of a screen dealing with educational content, I'm usually designing lessons,  correcting student work, or working on my graduate coursework.  So, even though I do write blog posts, they function mostly for personal reflection and synthesizing ideas. My primary PD occurs not with visual input, but with auditory

Meanwhile, a teacher begins her lesson by presenting the learning outcome ... Teacher : Today’s learning objective is " I can drive from the capitol building in Madison to Miller Park in Milwaukee in time for the game tonight ." Student 1: Why are we starting in Madison? We all live in different places? Teacher: Ok. Let’s go with, " I can drive to Miller Park in Milwaukee in time for the game tonight ." Student 2: I don’t like baseball, why do I have to get to Miller Park? Teacher: That’s true, how about I give you some choice in where you go. I can drive to a major landmark in Milwaukee in time for the game tonight . Student 2: If I’m not going to the game why do I have to get there in time for the game? Teacher: That’s true, how about I give you some choice in where you go. I can drive to a major landmark in Milwaukee in 12 hours . Student 2: Where did you come up with 12 hours?  Seems kind of random.

So, I made a resoultion so here it goes.  This will just be a place for me to list the articles that clicked with me and some quick takeawyas from each.  By no means is this any sort of annotated list.  Just reflections from my week in Edutopia.  Be sure to visit the links to read the actual articles that sound interesting. I imagine I’ll develop a better format as time goes on. But this was a resolution I need to be able to keep.  So, I’m keeping it without overextending myself. Encouraging Neurodiversity in Your Makerspace or Classroom http://www.edutopia.org/blog/encouraging-neurodiversity-in-makerspace-classroom-patrick-waters Students with neurodiversity needs can find great outlets in a makerspace and can shine. Students with Tourette Syndrome can find a flow to lessen tics in certain physical activities. Hands-on and station activities are a good way to channel energy of students with ADHD A great article providing ALL the cognitive benefits of makerspace

Yes, JJ Abrams latest movie is Star Wars VII . But, I'm thinking of these scene in his version of Star Trek. About the future meeting the past. Almost three years ago, I was asked to describe my preferred learning environment.  As we enter 2016, 3 years have passed since I wrote this proposal.  Looking back on the proposal, I'm still amazed at the support that I was given from all of my administration. I was even more encouraged by my students' willingness to change and their enthusiasm to try new ideas and run with them. How would you answer the following questions if they were laid before you Describe your preferred future environment? What formative (short-term, less than 6 months) and summative (long-term, year-end, 2 years out) data can be used to demonstrate the impact of your preferred future? How can you leverage initiatives currently underway (e.g. literacy, Art & Science of Teaching, etc) to better align your preferred future with the wor

So, you're scrolling through your Twitter feed and come across an interesting headline.  You hope to read it later so you like it, flip it, pin it, or email it to yourself.  But of course you never get around to reading it. I discovered that the majority of the posts I plan to read come from Edutopia.  So I decided to try something this week. For 3 days, I'd spend 20 minutes reading posts directly from Edutopia's site and RSS feed. I limited myself to 20 minutes to see how much I'd get out of it. I was surprised by how many posts I burned through and got great insights from. I've listed some takeaways below: Feedback should focus on effort not simply intelligence. This is feedback for a growth mindset. Space should be given for teachers to try new things and make mistakes and reflect. This is growth mindset for professional development. Am I willing to focus on motivation as a goal for unmotivated students? If so, I have to spend time focusing

It's almost like once you're made aware of how broad STEM fields are, one starts seeing them everywhere.  Today, we went to see the new film Joy by David O. Russell which tells the story of inventor, business mogul, and STEM girl  Joy Mangano.  Joy's ideas come from the world around her.  Her innovations solve authentic problems she faces. At a young age, she saw that her dog would tie itself up and choke itself. This was a problem of importance to her and she looked for a solution.  So, her first great invention was a dog collar that had reflective tape for visibility and an anti-chocking release.  Sadly, she didn't have the resources to have it patented and others eventually sold a similar collar idea to be manufactured by the Hartz Mountain. The invention that brought her success was the Miracle Mop.  A truly innovative device I remember from my youth. The idea was born from a need that Joy had.  Her creativity made her see that there had to