STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and coding toys make playtime ultra educational. STEM is now a major part of most school curriculums, and plenty of parents are eager to give their little ones a head start when it comes to cultivating a love of learning within these fields. After all, the earlier you can grasp these increasingly important skills, the better. While all kinds of toys and plain old imaginative play can help your kid learn and problem solve, coding toys for kids are a great option.Toy makers are seizing on the STEM frenzy creating cool coding toys that foster problem-solving abilities, logical thinking, and design strategies. Coming in the form of robots, gadgets, and games, these gizmos teach as much...
Adults know that setting goals are important, but how can you teach your students to set SMART goals that make an impact on their learning? Elementary age students generally haven't developed an understanding of how to set goals or even that goals are a "thing". As a teacher, teaching students how to set goals can seem daunting - especially for young learners - 2nd and 3rd grade in particular. But it CAN BE DONE - and I'm going to help you do it! #keepreadingYoung students are motivated to perform well in school based on how much they want to please parents or their teachers. Their desire to get an A on a test, or read fluently is solely based on...
How to Show Kids the Joy of Reading - The AtlanticHow to Show Kids the Joy of ReadingDeloris Fowler had seen educational reforms come and go. Then one of them surprised her. Editor’s Note: In the next five years, most of America’s most experienced teachers will retire. The Baby Boomers are leaving behind a nation of more novice educators. In 1988, a teacher most commonly had 15 years of experience. Less than three decades later, that number had fallen to just three years leading a classroom. The Atlantic’s “On Teaching” project is crisscrossing the country to talk to veteran educators. This story is the 20th in our series."Look at this cloud,” Deloris Fowler coaxed her third graders during a science lesson about different types of...
Russ on Reading: Reading Instruction at a Distance: Read Aloud, Read Along, Read Alone, Read AgainReading Instruction at a Distance: Read Aloud, Read Along, Read Alone, Read Again Whether teaching at a safe distance in school, or online, or some combination of the two, teachers and students face a unique challenge this year. While reading instruction for our most vulnerable readers will necessarily look much different from normal practice, many best practices can still be used effectively. An instructional design I would recommend is Read Aloud, Read Along, Read Alone, Read Again. Let's take a look at these four elements and see how we can use them in this brave new teaching world.Read AloudThis well-documented and effective reading strategy can...
I learned fluent German in just 10 months, and I want to share how I did it. At the age of 16, I moved to Germany alone, attended a German high school, and lived with a host family for 10 months. Returning home to the U.S., I had reached a C1 (advanced) level of fluency, read over 15 books in German, and given a speech to nearly 2,000 German students in their native language. What’s more, my airfare, housing, basic meals, and even a month-long language camp, all organized by an exchange agency, were completely free. I can appreciate this may sound unbelievable, so let me explain how it was possible. It All Started When My Sister Met a German...
