On Friday, I was so pleased to be able to return to one of my favorite days of the year, High-Interest Day at Brookfield Elementary School. This is a day where I have been able to bring the concepts of physics to k-5 graders. You may be asking yourself, "Elementary students doing physics?" YES! Not just experimenting, but understanding the concepts behind the physics of electricity and sound. This is a very special day I have had the opportunity to be involved in since 2017. So, how are we able to bring the concepts of electricity and sound traditionally taught to high school 11th and 12th graders to the elementary level? There are a few keys 1) make it a hands-on experience 2) remove the mathematical calculations and make it practical. In the past, I had the luck of bringing a handful of my physics students with me to guide the elementary students through the concepts that they had learned over the course of the year. But in my new role as a Teaching and Learning Speciali
I posted about this before, but it's so good it needs to be done more. So you want to get a snapshot of your learners without collecting 100 different forms. Also, you want to illustrate to students that they are different and give them the "why" of personalization. Here's how to learn the range of your class quickly while still getting quality data. Thanks to Andelee Espinosa with the brilliant post-it note hack. 10 minutes 6 post its per student white board Set up whiteboard into a table Strength Challenge Access (how to get) Engage (how to express) Express (how to show) Students fill 1 strength and 1 challenge for each category Here are some starters for students to think about. Access (How you get information) Engage (How you Work) Express (How you show) Reading Listening Words Pictures Videos Paper Computer Copy of notes Taking my own notes Collaboration Leading