I’m staring at our suitcases. 46 hours of travel provides for a lot of time to read. What needs to be on my Kindle or packed in my bag? Aside from the next book in the Dr. Siri mystery series and Burial Rites by Hannah Kent, I’m trying to sort out my “professional reading” for the …
Even though we all use ‘the framework’, we have all sorts of curriculums in our schools. Some schools use the PYP Scope and Sequences, others use their national curriculums and yet others look at curriculum like a buffet- take a bit of AERO Standards, some of this from the Common Core and a portion of …
I hate report cards. Hate is a strong word, but I think they are an outdated form of educational technology and we need to set a match to it. I can’t believe they haven’t gone by the waste side yet, like horse-drawn carriages or 8-tracks. It doesn’t serve where we are in education and what …
Social media is viewed as “entertainment” by many. However, many people use social media accounts like Facebook and Twitter to find their news -2/3rd to be exact. As I ponder this, I have to recognize what a powerful influence this is over our culture. Social media as entertainment may be what IS, however, it doesn’t have to be …
As an early years teacher, it’s not hard to notice that so many national curriculums are “pushing down” learning skills and content knowledge. So a common traditional approach in preschools and kindergartens has been teaching the literacy and numeracy skills through topics. You teach an “Animals” unit, a “Farm” unit or a “Weather” themed unit. …
Warning: The following blog post contains strong language and opinions that may be offensive to technophobes and Luddites. Proceed accordingly. Hey dinosaur, I’m talking to you. Don’t become fossil fuel. Evolve or get out of the classroom. Now I know what you are saying, me?–a dinosaur? How dare she!!! Well, showing students, Youtube videos doesn’t …
I don’t want to look at my phone. The chatter of mating frogs is not muted by the buzzing air con. I know it’s too early but my mind is awake even if my body is motionless. I have students on my mind. You see I made the mistake of reading Two Writing Teachers’ Blog and, as …
This question was recently posed to me and I believe it plagues many curriculum leaders so I am going to address it in this post. In my opinion, the Written Curriculum is the driving force behind dynamic teaching and learning. So, a successful Programme Of Inquiry has to be viewed through the big picture of …
Have you stopped to consider what this might mean for ourselves and students? “Cambridge Analytica is just the tip of the iceberg, and this problem doesn’t begin and end with Facebook,” Evan Greer, the campaign director for the Internet activism group Fight for the Future, told me when I asked about last week’s media circus. “It’s not …
Some people think that stress is productive, that it is “fertilizer for creativity” but I liked to call bull$*&# on that. When you are concerned about your basic needs being met, how you can the bills, it takes ninja skills to keep your mind focused. In 2007, my husband and I packed up our things …
