Check out my very first attempt at creating a podcast!  I decided to talk about the moral focus of Gratitude, which is an Endeavor Charter Academy focus for grades 3rd thru 5th grade during the month of November. Enjoy!

Gratitude Podcast

How does personality relates to inquiry-based teaching?

I just read on a blog called MindShift (KQED.org, Public Media for Northern CA) an article by Thom Markham about the fact that a teacher must have certain personality characteristics in order to be a successful inquiry-based teacher.  He states that "If an inquiry-based system is to succeed, we’ll need human beings in the classroom who know their field, but who also radiate the kind of positive, non-judgmental love that helps students open their minds and hearts."  How refreshing to hear that it does matter how students relate and respond to their teachers!  No matter what curriculum a teacher is asked to teach, it's a "caring relationship that helps children flourish."  He goes on to further list questions that each teacher should ask themselves:  "Are you optimistic?  Are you open?  Are you appreciative?  Are you flexible?  Are you purposeful?"  I think this article is one that every educator should read and evaluate themselves.  I think we all already knew the importance of our relationship with our students, but it's nice to hear how much it really matters in order for deeper learning to take place.

Markham, Thom. Do You Have the Personality to be an Inquiry-based Teacher? Mindshift Blog. kqed.org. Posted 21 Nov 2013.

The Social Web: Learning Together

I feel a bit overwhelmed after reading Will Richardson's Chapter 6 in Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms.  I found his review of Twitter, Diigo, and Delicious to be very interesting and informative, but can't help but feel the one can spread themselves too thin in the use of so many Web2.0 tools.  For myself personally, I like having a blog that is connected to a few select RSS feeds that I can read right from my blog's homepage.  I bookmark my favorite websites on the bookmark bar of my web browser, and others in their respective folders within "My Favorites".  I use Facebook and Instagram to remain connected to friends and family, but have not created a Twitter account to follow other educators or connect with the parents of my students.  I have 4 e-mail accounts to keep track of for work, college, junk mail and bills, and a personal account for a select few people in my life.  That is really about all I can manage.  I find that sites like Feedly and Delicious are easy to use and wonderful in concept, but yet have no time to really use them effectively.  I guess we each have to decide which web2.0 tools works for us individually, and not get overwhelmed by all the choices.


Richardson, Will. Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms.  Corwin, 2010. 

Better Listeners and Speakers

I believe that students today do have a harder time carrying on a conversation with others, due to so much of their communication taking place through text, tweets, Facebook, or even through online games and chats.  I find that they are awkward when placed in small groups in person to have discussions about their writing or topic being studied.  I was happy to find out that I am on the right track to promoting better communicators, according to an article that I read on Edutopia today. The article, Teaching Your Students How to Have a Conversation by Dr. Allen Medler, shared 8 ways to encourage good listening and speaking.  In my class, I am currently encouraging "Turn-Taking", by passing a small stuffed animal to whoever will be doing the talking while the others practice listening.  I also try to "model a good conversation" and encourage visual cues by using "SLANT" in my classroom.  SLANT stands for Sit up, Listen, Ask Questions, Nod to show interest, and Track the speaker with your eyes.  I am going to add Medler's "Put thinking ahead of knowing" next, which is the practice of having "students wonder out loud or speculate about a response by having them say 'I'm not sure about that, but I think_____'".  This is a much better skill to cultivate, rather than the "I don't know" response some students give because they fear being wrong.  I encourage all my fellow educators to read this article and evaluate themselves on how they are cultivating better listeners and speakers in their classrooms.

Medler, Dr. Allen. Teaching Your Students How to Have a Conversation.  Edutopia. Online Article.  5 Nov 2013.  

Math@Work

As teachers, we continually try to make connections for students on how their learning translates into a real-life situation.  Which brings me to a new article I read today, Math@Work - Discover Math Where You Might Not Expect It.  Richard Byrne wrote this article on his blog called Free Technology for Teachers.  He shares that there is a new video series out by Scholastic called Math@Work that shares how math is used in the fashion design industry.  Bryne states that while not every student is going to have an interest in fashion design, it could spark an interest in students to find other careers that involve some type of math skills.  I think this is a great way to show the relevancy of why we learn math, and how it can found in careers that we might not realize.  It would be so neat to showcase a math-related career either weekly (too ambitious?) or at least monthly (more manageable to start).


Here's a sneak peak:

Math@Work Web Series: A Sneak Peek from Tim Gunn. YouTube.  Uploaded on 5 Nov 2013.

Click on this link to view the Premiere Episode of  Math@Work.

How many Twitter accounts do you have?

Jeff Dunn, in his article How and Why Teachers Should Have Multiple Twitter Accounts, suggeststhat as an educator you should have 3 different Twitter accounts.  This article on the Edudemic.com explains that by utilizing more than one Twitter account allows others to follow you more specifically with a purpose.  The following chart was created by @iPadWells on iPad4schools.org.  I do not have a Twitter account myself but, after reading this article and reviewing the chart below, I think it might be about time to network in more technological way...that's not Facebook.  I think it would be so neat to have a Twitter account for my class, in which parents could subscribe in order to follow what's happening in the classroom daily or weekly.  I think this will have to be a New Years Resolution for myself as an educator.  What about you?  Are you on Twitter with your class?

Click for a larger view

Dunn, Jeff. How and Why Teachers Should Have Multiple Twitter Accounts.  Edudemic.com.  Website.  Posted on 11 Nov 2013.  Retrieved on 24 Nov 2013.

Independent Thinking in the Classroom

As a 5th grade teacher, I am somewhat frustrated with the lack of independent thinking on behalf of my students.  Some students can't even understand how to complete a worksheet without me actually reading the directions to them.  I try to remind them that when they are taking the MEAP, I am unable to help them with problems and that they need to learn to think for themselves.  Which is why this article on Edutopia caught my attention: 3 Strategies to Promote Independent Thinking in the Classroom by Margaret Regan.

Regan began by saying that children "are happiest when absorbed in complex activities...by focusing on tasks and outcomes that stretch their skills, these young people are more likely to grow into contented adults."  Really?  It seems the more complex the activity, the more complaints I get from students.  Hmm?  I began reading further into the article.

The 3 strategies Regan listed to cultivate improved focus are:
1. "Sequencing instruction" - so that students find information more intriguing, which then promotes self-discovery.
2. "Recovery from mistakes" - take time for students to learn from past mistakes in a way that makes it okay to make mistakes in the first place.
3. "Setting Goals" - have a "big question" of the week that promotes increased engagement.

While I agree with her ideas, I still can't help but feel that students have to willing and motivated be engaged in a more self-discovery, learning from mistakes, and engaged with the big idea of the week.  I feel that a handful of students would be willing, but the rest would repeat the same daily lack of motivation I see already.  Am I wrong to think this?  Maybe it's just the class I have this year?  Maybe I just implement these strategies and hope the others are captivated by what they see the others doing.  It bears more thinking and planning on my part, for sure.

Regan, Margaret. 3 Stategies to Promote Independent Thinking in Classrooms.  Edutopia.  Online Article.  Posted 22 Nov 2013.  Retrieved 24 Nov 2013.