Nocking the Arrow

"Students who are encouraged to think about grades, stickers, or other “goodies” become less inclined to explore ideas, think creatively, and take chances." - Alfie Kohn Earlier this year, after reading Scott McLeod's alert , I wrote about Gallup's report indicating students become less engaged in school as they advance through their program. David Perkins says this decline in student engagement is the result of a relevancy gap , a difference between our prescribed curriculum and learning experiences that offer a significant " life-worthy " return for students. Later, I asked David White if guiding students towards greater digital residency , in other words, providing more opportunities for interactive digital learning, would increase student engagement.  David said, " There is ongoing research based on this premise, but any conclusions should include sound pedagogical practice. " As someone who always enjoys learning, and usually enjoye...

Attending school open house events always leaves me emotionally conflicted because there are many times when I can't, or don't want to, believe what I'm hearing. I have trouble understanding many of the rules that some teachers include in their syllabus. I feel the need to challenge published grading policies and procedures that are clearly unfair to students. But I keep my parent hat on and keep my educator card in my pocket as I search for more understanding. Maybe I'm just getting old and losing perspective about classroom management and student evaluation. Regardless if you are a teacher, student, or parent, you can help me with the writing of a more balanced and informed post by sharing your thoughts in the following five-question survey. The policies and procedures included in this short form are from documents distributed to parents during last month's open house season. Loading... I will share results and comments in a follow-up post. Th...

Should current students learn how to use email?   As someone who celebrates a clean email inbox about once every five years, I found it interesting that the topic of student email usage was on the agenda of our recent high school leadership meeting. The focus of this brief conversation concentrated on these questions. How can we get students to utilize their school email account better?  Should we be teaching students how to communicate with email? When and where should email usage skills be taught?  Who's responsibility is this? Why do we want kids to check their email? Those around the conference room table agreed with the importance of students checking their email to stay informed about upcoming events and opportunities. Others mentioned it as being an important part of "digital executive functioning." Time was running short when someone said, " Kids don't use email. " This brief statement sent my mind scurrying in several simultaneo...

Cross-posted on my Schoology Blog Educators are expecting professional learning to represent the ideals of modern education. A popular topic focuses on reimagining physical learning spaces in schools. What about digital learning spaces, how can we reimagine them? One way is to take a traditional learning activity, such as a professional conference, and give it new life with inviting and engaging digital spaces. Here are three ways you can raise your EdCamp game using  Schoology . Use Schoology to " flip " the essential introductory material. Last Saturday, we hosted  EdCamp Illinois  at Palatine High School . Our three-hundred ticketed attendees received an email message a few days before our "unconference" containing a course code and simple instructions for creating a Schoology account. The first folder of course materials included maps, schedules, and instructions for making the most of the EdCamp experience. This strategy helped us shave ninety minu...