Saturday, September 25, 2010
Remember me?
Wow, it's been a great start to the school year! My students are a lot of fun and I have a fantastic student teacher working with me. Getting back into the swing of things schoolwise along with starting a new exercise schedule and a sixteen year old son who is now driving has made life busy. I think things are starting to settle down some...I hope to several new posts up soon about my professional learning community experience thus far.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Summer Vacation is almost over!
My school's in-service starts August 23rd so my summer vacation is quickly fading. I've enjoyed the beach, read many books, and went on a family vacation to Busch Gardens.
While I took a break from the blog this summer, I did do some school things.
I went to Washington, DC for a Professional Learning Community Conference by Rick & Becky DuFour. Our school took our world history and geometry teachers to learn how to work effectively in PLCs. I am sold! Again, it's all about teachers working smarter, not harder to help ALL kids learn. With Delaware's Race to the Top requirement of 90 minute meeting time each week, this training will help us be effective with that time.
My new favorite quote from Rick DuFour is "Don't tell me you believe that all students can learn. Tell me what you are doing for those that aren't."
I've also been working on my Teacher of the Year portfiolo for the Delaware State Teacher of the Year competition. It is due in the beginning of September so I want to get it finished and turned in so I can concentrate on the new school year. Wish me luck--the winner will be announced 10/26/10.
I also did a workshop for a neighboring school district "Successful Teaching in the Block Schedule"---I love it when teachers can look beyond where they teach and work collaboratively to help each other help ALL students!
I will be posting more frequently to the blog now that the school year will be starting. Some upcoming topics include: Classroom Webpages, Teaching in the Block, Professional Learning Communities....
As always, I'm looking forward to the start of school (if only that didn't mean the end of my beach days!)
While I took a break from the blog this summer, I did do some school things.
I went to Washington, DC for a Professional Learning Community Conference by Rick & Becky DuFour. Our school took our world history and geometry teachers to learn how to work effectively in PLCs. I am sold! Again, it's all about teachers working smarter, not harder to help ALL kids learn. With Delaware's Race to the Top requirement of 90 minute meeting time each week, this training will help us be effective with that time.
My new favorite quote from Rick DuFour is "Don't tell me you believe that all students can learn. Tell me what you are doing for those that aren't."
I've also been working on my Teacher of the Year portfiolo for the Delaware State Teacher of the Year competition. It is due in the beginning of September so I want to get it finished and turned in so I can concentrate on the new school year. Wish me luck--the winner will be announced 10/26/10.
I also did a workshop for a neighboring school district "Successful Teaching in the Block Schedule"---I love it when teachers can look beyond where they teach and work collaboratively to help each other help ALL students!
I will be posting more frequently to the blog now that the school year will be starting. Some upcoming topics include: Classroom Webpages, Teaching in the Block, Professional Learning Communities....
As always, I'm looking forward to the start of school (if only that didn't mean the end of my beach days!)
Want to earn FREE stuff?
Swagbucks is an online search engine that allows you to earn points each time you do an internet search. Once you sign up and download the search bar, ALL you have to do is search the internet to earn FREE stuff! Each day you search you earn points in your swagbucks account. Once you accumulate points, you can purchase items in the swagbucks online store. Only 450 points are needed for a $5 Amazon gift card!
I average about 11-13 points a day--not bad for just searching the internet. This seemed too good to be true to me but I've gotten and used three gift cards so far so believe me--it's legit! I've used the amazon gift cards to help fund my love of books!
Sign up today to start earning FREE stuff! If you use the swagbucks icon on the left side of my blog (scroll up), I earn points for my account too! If you prefer, you can just go to the swagbucks site as well (I just don't get points this way.)
I love swagbucks! :)
I average about 11-13 points a day--not bad for just searching the internet. This seemed too good to be true to me but I've gotten and used three gift cards so far so believe me--it's legit! I've used the amazon gift cards to help fund my love of books!
Sign up today to start earning FREE stuff! If you use the swagbucks icon on the left side of my blog (scroll up), I earn points for my account too! If you prefer, you can just go to the swagbucks site as well (I just don't get points this way.)
I love swagbucks! :)
Monday, July 5, 2010
Using RAFTS in the Classroom
No, not a raft in the ocean or pool....but in your classroom. RAFT stands for Role, Audience, Format, Topic and it is a learning activity in which students select (everyones loves a choice!) an assignment tied to the unit of study but with variations on the specific topic and format.
In our World History class, my team teacher Lucilla and I created a RAFT for our Black Death unit. We then reviewed the RAFT with students discussing each option and showed an example of a modern day public service announcement for H1N1.
Overall, the students really liked the assignment. We got some great poems about the Black Death as well PSAs. The cool thing about the RAFT is that it allowed us to assess students in different learning modalities.
Included below is the RAFT assignment and an example of one student's poem. Enjoy!
In our World History class, my team teacher Lucilla and I created a RAFT for our Black Death unit. We then reviewed the RAFT with students discussing each option and showed an example of a modern day public service announcement for H1N1.
Overall, the students really liked the assignment. We got some great poems about the Black Death as well PSAs. The cool thing about the RAFT is that it allowed us to assess students in different learning modalities.
Included below is the RAFT assignment and an example of one student's poem. Enjoy!
How could the RAFT work for you?
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Explicitly Teaching Vocabulary in Your Class
My recent experience:
Several of our staff went to a workshop a few weeks ago on teaching vocabulary. Although I know that vocabulary is important, in the past I’ve been guilty of just giving students words and definitions. In the workshop we learned (really reviewed I had learned it before—just never really thought I had time to do it) some cool low prep ways to teach vocabulary and my team teacher(Lucilla) and I decided to give up 30 minutes of our valuable “teaching time” to try one of these strategies.
Here’s what we did:
We picked 7 important words for the unit. Most were big concept words like imperialism, nationalism…
We had students fold a sheet of paper to make 4 columns with these labels: Word, Meaning, Picture, and Related Words
Then students copied words and meaning from the board. As they copied I further explained the words as they would relate to the new unit.
Then students drew pictures to illustrate the meanings and came up with related words.
We were amazed by the effort students put into the picture and the related words. In fact, some students used vocabulary words they learned in their English class. (Go 9th grade English teachers!)
We then used the words each class in context of the lesson.
Was it worth the time?
Yes! In the assessment given to one of the classes yesterday, the lowest grade was an 85!
Now I know there are other variables that could have affected this outcome, but I can’t help but believe that this activity helped the students really understand the important vocabulary.
We will definitely be using this really easy strategy again! :)
Several of our staff went to a workshop a few weeks ago on teaching vocabulary. Although I know that vocabulary is important, in the past I’ve been guilty of just giving students words and definitions. In the workshop we learned (really reviewed I had learned it before—just never really thought I had time to do it) some cool low prep ways to teach vocabulary and my team teacher(Lucilla) and I decided to give up 30 minutes of our valuable “teaching time” to try one of these strategies.
Here’s what we did:
We picked 7 important words for the unit. Most were big concept words like imperialism, nationalism…
We had students fold a sheet of paper to make 4 columns with these labels: Word, Meaning, Picture, and Related Words
Then students copied words and meaning from the board. As they copied I further explained the words as they would relate to the new unit.
Then students drew pictures to illustrate the meanings and came up with related words.
We were amazed by the effort students put into the picture and the related words. In fact, some students used vocabulary words they learned in their English class. (Go 9th grade English teachers!)
We then used the words each class in context of the lesson.
Was it worth the time?
Yes! In the assessment given to one of the classes yesterday, the lowest grade was an 85!
Now I know there are other variables that could have affected this outcome, but I can’t help but believe that this activity helped the students really understand the important vocabulary.
We will definitely be using this really easy strategy again! :)
Monday, April 12, 2010
What the brain research tells us about learning...
Research is from Teaching with the Brain in Mind 
by Eric Jensen. Awesome book! I highly recommend it! It explains the research on learning and then HOW teachers can best utilize this research.
“You can teach more and faster, but students simply forget more and faster.”
In-depth learning (as opposed to superficial) learning requires time for organizing, integrating, and storing new information.
Our short term memory (frontal lobes) can take in only three to seven chunks of information before we go into overload.
The bottom line is that learning connections require time and maintenance. Therefore we should present new info in small chunks and then allow students time to process it.
12-15 minutes is the suggested chunk of time for new instruction for Grades 9-12.
“Less is more. Too much, too fast, it won’t last.”
by Eric Jensen. Awesome book! I highly recommend it! It explains the research on learning and then HOW teachers can best utilize this research.“You can teach more and faster, but students simply forget more and faster.”
In-depth learning (as opposed to superficial) learning requires time for organizing, integrating, and storing new information.
Our short term memory (frontal lobes) can take in only three to seven chunks of information before we go into overload.
The bottom line is that learning connections require time and maintenance. Therefore we should present new info in small chunks and then allow students time to process it.
12-15 minutes is the suggested chunk of time for new instruction for Grades 9-12.
“Less is more. Too much, too fast, it won’t last.”
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Oh No! Spring Break Ends Today!
Well...that went fast. I hope everyone enjoyed their time off as much as I did.
Son2 got an honorable mention in his category at the Science Fair which wasn't bad at all since he had never done this competition before. Believe me, he took notes and he is already planning his project for next year.
Son1 has less than 3 weeks until his first year of college is complete. He is busy wrapping up his committments and preparing for exams. One year down, three (no, maybe five more with grad school) to go!
It will be a busy back to school week for me...in addition to teaching my classes--tomorrow I have to finish grading some projects to include in 3rd mp grades which are due Tuesday am. Wednesday night, I have a vacation bible school meeting at church. Thursday, I'm hosting a workshop for new teachers at my school and Friday, I'm in Dover at a vocabulary workshop. All good things...just all in one week!
Thanks for stopping by. Be sure to leave a comment with feedback as to what you'd like to see on this blog.
Happy last day of Spring Break! :)
Son2 got an honorable mention in his category at the Science Fair which wasn't bad at all since he had never done this competition before. Believe me, he took notes and he is already planning his project for next year.
Son1 has less than 3 weeks until his first year of college is complete. He is busy wrapping up his committments and preparing for exams. One year down, three (no, maybe five more with grad school) to go!
It will be a busy back to school week for me...in addition to teaching my classes--tomorrow I have to finish grading some projects to include in 3rd mp grades which are due Tuesday am. Wednesday night, I have a vacation bible school meeting at church. Thursday, I'm hosting a workshop for new teachers at my school and Friday, I'm in Dover at a vocabulary workshop. All good things...just all in one week!
Thanks for stopping by. Be sure to leave a comment with feedback as to what you'd like to see on this blog.
Happy last day of Spring Break! :)
Monday, April 5, 2010
Free! Free! Free! Studycards for your students!
Another FREE Resource!
Studystack.com is a free resource that allows you to make study cards and review activities for your students. The website is free but teachers do need to register to create study activities.
Features include online review activities including study cards, matching activities, hangman, fill in the blank….There is also a print option in which teachers and students can print paper copies of study cards in various sizes and a two column study chart. If you don’t have the time to create your own cards, there are literally hundreds of study activities from many content areas from other teachers available to use.
There is also an option for students to download the study items to their cell phones or ipods!! How cool is that???
To use any of the activities, all students need to do is to go to the site and click on selected review. Because the site has so many study activities (it can be confusing), I put a link on my classroom website that takes students to the exact study activity for the unit. Students can then study online or print out needed materials.
Additionally, I also print study cards out and give to some students who need some extra scaffolding. One thing I have learned is that some students struggle in even making their own flash cards for review. It doesn’t help them to study from incorrect or unclear review cards.
While it does take some time to create the study activities, once they are done you have them. I made my Sociology study activities three years ago and students are still using them. While some of my activities may change, the essential content of my course does not change.
Here’s a link to the home page of the website http://www.studystack.com/
Check out this link to one of my Sociology reviews:
http://www.studystack.com/menu-86627
Students tend to like the electronic review and teachers love free—what a deal! :)
Studystack.com is a free resource that allows you to make study cards and review activities for your students. The website is free but teachers do need to register to create study activities.
Features include online review activities including study cards, matching activities, hangman, fill in the blank….There is also a print option in which teachers and students can print paper copies of study cards in various sizes and a two column study chart. If you don’t have the time to create your own cards, there are literally hundreds of study activities from many content areas from other teachers available to use.
There is also an option for students to download the study items to their cell phones or ipods!! How cool is that???
To use any of the activities, all students need to do is to go to the site and click on selected review. Because the site has so many study activities (it can be confusing), I put a link on my classroom website that takes students to the exact study activity for the unit. Students can then study online or print out needed materials.
Additionally, I also print study cards out and give to some students who need some extra scaffolding. One thing I have learned is that some students struggle in even making their own flash cards for review. It doesn’t help them to study from incorrect or unclear review cards.
While it does take some time to create the study activities, once they are done you have them. I made my Sociology study activities three years ago and students are still using them. While some of my activities may change, the essential content of my course does not change.
Here’s a link to the home page of the website http://www.studystack.com/
Check out this link to one of my Sociology reviews:
http://www.studystack.com/menu-86627
Students tend to like the electronic review and teachers love free—what a deal! :)
Friday, April 2, 2010
Hooray, Hooray Spring Break Starts Today! :)
Don't get me wrong--I love my job. However, I do enjoy my breaks as well. I think breaks are important as they give us a chance to unwind and recharge--especially at this point in the school year. My senior students are ready to just hurry up and graduate already and the warmer weather and spring sports schedule has my underclassmen ready to be done as well. Truthfully, I am ready for warm weather and time off as well.
My plans for my break include:
1. Getting the deals I posted about earlier from Staples
2. Getting a pedicure to get ready for sandal weather
3. Going to the Delaware Valley Regional Science Fair where my 15 year old son will be competing
4. Finishing the book Drive--the Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us
by Daniel Pink. At some point, I'll share his ideas in a post. Long story short, research strongly supports internal motivation over the carrot and stick policy. His ideas so apply to education.
5. Reconnecting over dinner or lunch with some good friends
6. Enjoying my family (this should really be at the top of my list)
7. Checking out my favorite money saving blogs including mycouponteacher.com, moneysavingmom.com, and hip2save.com. It was through these sites that I decided that it would be neat to have a similar blog for education--hope my readers agree!
8. Starting the planning for a Genocide Unit for our World History group (maybe...)
9. Adding a few more posts to this blog :)
What are your spring break plans? How do you recharge for the final stretch of the school year?
Leave a comment to share!
My plans for my break include:
1. Getting the deals I posted about earlier from Staples
2. Getting a pedicure to get ready for sandal weather
3. Going to the Delaware Valley Regional Science Fair where my 15 year old son will be competing
4. Finishing the book Drive--the Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us
by Daniel Pink. At some point, I'll share his ideas in a post. Long story short, research strongly supports internal motivation over the carrot and stick policy. His ideas so apply to education.5. Reconnecting over dinner or lunch with some good friends
6. Enjoying my family (this should really be at the top of my list)
7. Checking out my favorite money saving blogs including mycouponteacher.com, moneysavingmom.com, and hip2save.com. It was through these sites that I decided that it would be neat to have a similar blog for education--hope my readers agree!
8. Starting the planning for a Genocide Unit for our World History group (maybe...)
9. Adding a few more posts to this blog :)
What are your spring break plans? How do you recharge for the final stretch of the school year?
Leave a comment to share!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Two (or five) heads are better than one...
Two (or five) heads are better than one…..
A picture paints a thousand words….
Both of these phrases support today’s post.
I’ve been blessed to work with some wonderful teachers at my school. My fellow World History teachers (Jamie Carlson, Deb Kenton, Tammy Morley, & Matt Lewis) and I share lesson activities with each other as well as work together creating many of our assignments.
In my last post, I shared research supporting non-linguistic representations (pictures) in the high school classroom. In addition to formative assessment, pictures can be used to help students process new information.
In our World History World War I Unit, we modified the Etch-A-Sketch concept from Tools for Promoting Active In-Depth Learning
to create a graphic organizer to accompany a PowerPoint we created. However, we went from pictures to words this time instead of taking written notes and then drawing pictures.
Our Lesson: Teacher presents their own material to cover the big ideas and details of how WWI was a “new kind” of war. Students will sketch as they view the material, and then will discuss the big ideas and details. Afterwards they will put the class interpretation into words and phrases.
Here’s the note organizer.
We got some great drawings of soldiers in the trenches with flamethrowers and of tanks and other new technology in the war.
Your turn:
How have you used pictures or visuals in your classroom?
Leave a comment to start our discussion.
A picture paints a thousand words….
Both of these phrases support today’s post.
I’ve been blessed to work with some wonderful teachers at my school. My fellow World History teachers (Jamie Carlson, Deb Kenton, Tammy Morley, & Matt Lewis) and I share lesson activities with each other as well as work together creating many of our assignments.
In my last post, I shared research supporting non-linguistic representations (pictures) in the high school classroom. In addition to formative assessment, pictures can be used to help students process new information.
In our World History World War I Unit, we modified the Etch-A-Sketch concept from Tools for Promoting Active In-Depth Learning
to create a graphic organizer to accompany a PowerPoint we created. However, we went from pictures to words this time instead of taking written notes and then drawing pictures.Our Lesson: Teacher presents their own material to cover the big ideas and details of how WWI was a “new kind” of war. Students will sketch as they view the material, and then will discuss the big ideas and details. Afterwards they will put the class interpretation into words and phrases.
Here’s the note organizer.
We got some great drawings of soldiers in the trenches with flamethrowers and of tanks and other new technology in the war.
Your turn:
How have you used pictures or visuals in your classroom?
Leave a comment to start our discussion.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Got 5 minutes?
Got 5 minutes?
Need a quick easy way to have students summarize what they have learned at the end of class?
Have students show you their understanding through pictures or drawings.
It is a win-win activity. Students love to draw and it will give you a quick assessment of who got the lesson and who may need some review. (I’d rather walk around the room and have fun looking at student drawings than take home 140+ written assignments, what about you?) Put it in your lesson plan as formative assessment or assessment for learning and your supervisor will be impressed too.
Additionally, brain research supports that we store drawings in a different part of our brains than text so this activity stores the content in two places in the brain increasing the likelihood of retention!
Research from Classroom Instruction that Works
(Robert Marzano, Debra Pickering, & Jane Pollock)
Dual coding theory—knowledge is stored in two forms linguistic and imagery. The more we use both—the better we can remember and think about information.
They cite seven research studies showing gains between 19-38% using non-linguistic representations.
That’s a huge gain—I’d like to gain 19-38% more interest on my savings account! :)
While I usually just use plain paper and give students a topic to illustrate there are many specific drawing strategies and pre-made handouts available.
Check out Episodic Notes from John Burke’s Tools for Thought
(also available in ST’s school library) and Etch-A-Sketch or Sketch to Stretch from Harvey Silver, Richard Strong, & Matthew Perini’s Tools for Promoting Active In-Depth Learning (many ST teachers may have a copy of this book from Silver’s visit to Sussex Tech some years ago…)
Check out some of the products from my students:
We were studying the Black Death (Bubonic Plague) in World History. The first drawing illustrates how the Black Death spread throughout Europe while the second drawing explains how the Delta 32 gene in some people’s DNA protects against the Black Death and AIDS.
All it took was five minutes and some extra paper.
Great return of student assessment for the time invested!
Need a quick easy way to have students summarize what they have learned at the end of class?
Have students show you their understanding through pictures or drawings.
It is a win-win activity. Students love to draw and it will give you a quick assessment of who got the lesson and who may need some review. (I’d rather walk around the room and have fun looking at student drawings than take home 140+ written assignments, what about you?) Put it in your lesson plan as formative assessment or assessment for learning and your supervisor will be impressed too.
Additionally, brain research supports that we store drawings in a different part of our brains than text so this activity stores the content in two places in the brain increasing the likelihood of retention!
Research from Classroom Instruction that Works
(Robert Marzano, Debra Pickering, & Jane Pollock)Dual coding theory—knowledge is stored in two forms linguistic and imagery. The more we use both—the better we can remember and think about information.
They cite seven research studies showing gains between 19-38% using non-linguistic representations.
That’s a huge gain—I’d like to gain 19-38% more interest on my savings account! :)
While I usually just use plain paper and give students a topic to illustrate there are many specific drawing strategies and pre-made handouts available.
Check out Episodic Notes from John Burke’s Tools for Thought
(also available in ST’s school library) and Etch-A-Sketch or Sketch to Stretch from Harvey Silver, Richard Strong, & Matthew Perini’s Tools for Promoting Active In-Depth Learning (many ST teachers may have a copy of this book from Silver’s visit to Sussex Tech some years ago…) Check out some of the products from my students:
We were studying the Black Death (Bubonic Plague) in World History. The first drawing illustrates how the Black Death spread throughout Europe while the second drawing explains how the Delta 32 gene in some people’s DNA protects against the Black Death and AIDS.
All it took was five minutes and some extra paper.
Great return of student assessment for the time invested!
Monday, March 29, 2010
Free Resource!
Free Resource!!!
(The couponer in me loves free.)
Easy note organizer that works in any class in any grade!
Having students take notes from a PowerPoint, textbook, presentation, etc????
Create a stapleless book for students to record their notes. The premade note sheet takes you just minutes to create and really helps students organize their notes.
This resource can be found for FREE at
http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/student-interactives/stapleless-book-30010.html
Online generator guides you in creating and even folding (that’s where I really needed help!) the booklet.
Examples of how I have used it in my class:
* As a test review activity
*As a note organizer as new material is presented
You could even have students create their own books as an assignment.
Check out the pictures of my students using them!
Took a whole 10 minutes to create!
The ReadWriteThink website is one of many free teacher sites that I discovered through the Thinkfinity website. More on that great resource in later posts. Stay tuned!
(The couponer in me loves free.)
Easy note organizer that works in any class in any grade!
Having students take notes from a PowerPoint, textbook, presentation, etc????
Create a stapleless book for students to record their notes. The premade note sheet takes you just minutes to create and really helps students organize their notes.
This resource can be found for FREE at
http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/student-interactives/stapleless-book-30010.html
Online generator guides you in creating and even folding (that’s where I really needed help!) the booklet.
Examples of how I have used it in my class:
* As a test review activity
*As a note organizer as new material is presented
You could even have students create their own books as an assignment.
Check out the pictures of my students using them!
Took a whole 10 minutes to create!
The ReadWriteThink website is one of many free teacher sites that I discovered through the Thinkfinity website. More on that great resource in later posts. Stay tuned!
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Cheap classroom supplies this week at Staples
I bet most of you spend some of your own money on your classroom (thank you to the Fed for the teacher tax credit.)
In addition to being a teacher, I am also an avid deal seeker and couponer. Therefore I must share the deals this week at Staples.
Look what $1 will buy you
Check out these deals and others at http://www.staples.com/
Staples--that was easy!
No, I am not a paid advertiser of Staples--just a teacher seeking bargains!
In addition to being a teacher, I am also an avid deal seeker and couponer. Therefore I must share the deals this week at Staples.
Look what $1 will buy you
- scissors
- 12 pack of pens
- 6 pack of highlighters
- 100 sheet composition book
- 200 sheet spirial notebook
- 500 sheet ream of copy paper--regularly 6.29 - 1.29 off = 5 cost - 4 rebate = final cost of $1 (I bet you math teachers could put that savings in an equation for me LOL)
- 100 pack of photo paper--9.99-8.99 rebate = $1
Check out these deals and others at http://www.staples.com/
Staples--that was easy!
No, I am not a paid advertiser of Staples--just a teacher seeking bargains!
Welcome!
Welcome! I’m Sandy and I’m a high school social studies teacher. In addition to teaching students, I am also involved in professional development for new and experienced teachers at my school. One resource that all teachers lack is TIME.
My vision for this blog is one stop shopping for busy teachers. I’m thinking a place for teachers of all grades and subjects to quickly catch up on the latest research in learning, get cool ideas for their classrooms, and collaborate and connect with fellow teachers.
A former student of mine (with a strong interest and desire to be a successful businessman) told me once “Mrs. Furbush, it’s all about working smarter, not harder.”
(Thanks Terrell!) So my hope is to help us all do just that.
Some planned features include:
Got 5 minutes? –quick activities to incorporate in your classrooms
Latest Research---brief updates on the latest research on learning
Classroom Tips---strategies to make your classroom run smoother
Interactive Discussions---teachers sharing their thoughts and ideas
Guest Blogs---info from other folks in the field
Research indicates that collaboration is a powerful resource for teachers. Unfortunately, our schedules often lead to isolation in our classrooms. Let’s open up those classroom doors and work together to become better teachers.
“A cord of three strands is not easily broken.”
Please introduce yourself in the comments section:
What do you teach? How long?
What would you like to see in this blog? What would you like to share with others?
My vision for this blog is one stop shopping for busy teachers. I’m thinking a place for teachers of all grades and subjects to quickly catch up on the latest research in learning, get cool ideas for their classrooms, and collaborate and connect with fellow teachers.
A former student of mine (with a strong interest and desire to be a successful businessman) told me once “Mrs. Furbush, it’s all about working smarter, not harder.”
(Thanks Terrell!) So my hope is to help us all do just that.
Some planned features include:
Got 5 minutes? –quick activities to incorporate in your classrooms
Latest Research---brief updates on the latest research on learning
Classroom Tips---strategies to make your classroom run smoother
Interactive Discussions---teachers sharing their thoughts and ideas
Guest Blogs---info from other folks in the field
Research indicates that collaboration is a powerful resource for teachers. Unfortunately, our schedules often lead to isolation in our classrooms. Let’s open up those classroom doors and work together to become better teachers.
“A cord of three strands is not easily broken.”
Please introduce yourself in the comments section:
What do you teach? How long?
What would you like to see in this blog? What would you like to share with others?
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