The silver bullet for closing the achievement gap these days seems to be formative assessment. In simple terms, formative assessment is any ongoing activity that helps teachers gain information about student learning—information they can then use to adjust their instruction and provide more specific feedback to students who are then motivated to reach their learning
Read More… from 8 Digital Formative Assessment Tools to Improve Motivation
A few years ago, I wrote an article for students about the surprising amount of sugar that Americans eat. Toward the end of the article, after explaining how sugar is added to some foods you wouldn’t expect (crackers! tomato sauce!) and describing how consuming too much sugar can impact your health, I mentioned that some
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An after-school program that heightens students’ curiosity about STEM and makes learning fun Every day after school, in the 9 Dots Community Learning Center (named for the 3×3 puzzle that challenges one to think outside the box) in Los Angeles, underserved middle school and elementary students are defining their own futures. 9 Dots’ free program
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Introduction Middle level educators have a deep awareness of their students’ tremendously social nature. Young adolescents yearn to be connected with their peers, whether sharing excitedly during lunch, on the school bus, or in the hall- ways, and regardless of whether they are face-to-face, across a room, or immersed in a screen. Digital tools, including
Read More… from “Think bigger about science”: Using Twitter for learning in the middle grades
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I must be honest with you. With the surge of technology resources that I am being asked to use within the classroom, I feel far from confident in my abilities. I am inclined to blame my ignorance on the fact that I was not born into the technology craze and did not have a cell
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Creating learning opportunities that promote problem solving in today’s world. One fine September morning, a class of eighth graders funneled into Angela’s fourth floor classroom expecting a new logic problem, math puzzle, or challenge. But not that day. Instead, the students noticed 12 small, sphere-shaped mechanical robots placed around the classroom. They looked like something
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