Articles written by Tammy Andrew
Showing 1-100 of 214 Articles
|
Leo Tolstoy's Educational Philosophy
Leo Tolstoy promoted the need for community supported education where children are free to chose what and when to learn.
|
|
Educational Efforts of Leo Tolstoy
Leo Tolstoy was a driving force behind educational changes in Russia by challenging ideas of who and how to teach.
|
|
Low-Prep Differentiated Activities
Differentiated instruction can be implemented with some quick to prepare activities that can be easy to implement in the classroom.
|
|
Modifying Assessment Strategies in the Classroom
One simple way to differentiate instruction is to use different forms of assessment.
|
|
Erupting Volcano Classroom Activity
Volcanoes are a common topic when learning Earth science. Young students can enjoy a hands on activity that exposes them to the basics of volcanoes.
|
|
Introduction to Differentiated Instruction
Varying teaching practices and strategies to meet the needs of all students in a class is the basis for the theory of differentiated instruction.
|
|
How to Make Bread Bowls
Bread bowls are easy to make and add a special touch when serving stews and chowders.
|
|
Tips for Taking a Family Day Hike
Taking a hike with a family can be an enjoyable and inexpensive way to spend time as a family.
|
|
Family Dinning at the Peterborough Diner
The Peterborough Diner is a combination of past and present American eating in a railroad dinning car tucked to the side of Depot Square in Peterborough, New Hampshire.
|
|
Inexpensive Gifts for Quilters
Finding the perfect gift for someone who quilts can be challenging on a budget, but there are several inexpensive gifts that are useful, too.
|
|
How to Prepare and Use Fresh Pumpkin
Pumpkins are a fall favorite. It is easy to take a fresh pumpkin, cook it, puree it, and turn it into flavorful desserts.
|
|
Stuffed Blue Hubbard Squash
Stuffed squash makes a festive main dish for meals. Blue Hubbards provide unique color and large centers make it perfect to stuff for a vegetarian entree.
|
|
Best Classroom Party Themes
Turn the next classroom holiday party into an educational experience by combining current studies or review material with student desires for a celebration.
|
|
Random Number Math Games
Practicing arithmetic can become repetitive, but a deck of cards adds a way to provide random numbers and encourages students to check their work.
|
|
Corn Bread Additions and Variations
A basic corn bread recipe can become an exciting side dish or meal by adding some colorful and healthy options to the batter.
|
|
Indirectly Involving Kids With Holiday Meals
Let kids help prepare parts of a holiday dinner without being in the kitchen by engaging them in activities that result in food preparation or table decorations.
|
|
Directly Involving Kids With Holiday Meals
A little planning and a space to work provides kids an opportunity to be a part of the action in the kitchen while families cook a holiday meal.
|
|
How to Dry Apple Pieces
Apples begin to rot when they are kept too long. Instead of throwing them away, dry the apple flesh once it is too overripe to eat whole.
|
|
Fair Use Guidelines for Educational Multimedia
How copyright law applies to student and teacher created multimedia projects, whether in the classroom or posted online.
|
|
Best Holiday Clothespin Classroom Activities
Some clothespins, scraps of fabric and small craft accessories combine create fun in the classroom when kids make holiday inspired ornaments.
|
|
Understanding the Career Pathways Program
Career Pathways provides educators with a program to help students identify how their interests and abilities can become a career.
|
|
Lexile Scores and Reading Choices
Reading abilities for school-age children are measured by standardized exams and reported with a Lexile score that parents can use to choose reading material for kids.
|
|
Freeze-Ahead Side Dishes
Relax during the holiday entertainment season by freezing side dishes in advance. All can be prepared at least two months early.
|
|
How to Shape Fancy Dinner Rolls
Dinner rolls are easy to create from a favorite bread recipe. It only takes a few minutes to shape something special for dinner or entertaining.
|
|
Squiggle Art Composition Assignment
Combine art skills and creative writing with a simple exercise designed to encourage students to use their imagination.
|
|
Online Citation Generators
Students can find help creating properly formatted citations in different styles from a variety of online citation generators.
|
|
Understanding Educational Fair Use
The basics about fair use and how materials under copyright can be used in the classroom.
|
|
Best Classroom Gift Exchanges
Give holiday gift swaps in school an educational theme at the next classroom party. These can be traditional purchased gifts or cost free presents.
|
|
Nut Butter Classroom Activity
Introduce students to food based oils through a simple science experiment designed to press the oil out of nuts.
|
|
Best Holiday Tree Poem Project
Fun holiday classroom project that combines student poetry with a creative winter mural for a bulletin board or wall.
|
|
Multitasking Myth Classroom Activity
Classroom lesson that shows students how multitasking does not mean they get more done.
|
|
Teaching Children About Input and Output
Add an activity to a discussion about input and output devices by having students bring examples from home that might not be available at school.
|
|
Classroom Ritual Ideas
Creating and routinely using classroom rituals makes it easier for students to know what to expect.
|
|
Best Often Overlooked Holiday Song for Children
Simple lyrics and an easy melody makes "Here Comes Suzy Snowflake" a fun winter song to sing at circle time or the upcoming holiday concert.
|
|
Math Comic Strip Activity
Combine creativity and math to help students demonstrate their understanding of a topic by creating a short comic strip sequence to explain a specific concept.
|
|
Math Coloring Project
Most kids, from elementary to high school, like to color. Combining artistic desires with math review engages students while reinforcing their understanding of math.
|
|
Creating Classroom Rituals
Classroom rituals and routines allow students to know what to expect and help them be better able to adapt to change in activities during the school day.
|
|
Creating Project Mission Statements
Students can create a mission statement to explain why they are creating the project and who will benefit from the results.
|
|
Promoting High School Video Journalism
Teens enjoy using technology and the web. High schools can engage students with current events and journalism by adding a video and online component.
|
|
Pumpkin Math Classroom Activity
Cool weather and fall holidays are the inspiration for a fun classroom activity that combines math and pumpkins. It can be used as a project or part of a classroom party.
|
|
Creating Lessons Using Different Learning Styles
Every child learns differently. Changing the method of instruction to include audio, visual and tactile learners makes it possible for all students to succeed.
|
|
Creating Lessons That Use Multiple Intelligences
Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences suggests incorporating various teaching methods in a lesson to include eight different ways of learning.
|
|
What are the Multiple Intelligences?
Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences shows how students learn differently. It can also help with modifying lessons to meet the needs of all students.
|
|
Creating Digital Portfolios with Students
Whether using technology to create an assessment or capture images of a project, an ePortfolio provides a digital way for students to make choices about their work.
|
|
Digital Portfolios for Professional Development
Electronic portfolios are not just for student work, teachers can use them to show standards based evidence of professional growth and to exhibit successful lessons.
|
|
Preparing Classrooms for Flu Season
Concerns about the spread of the flu at schools is emphasizing the desire for teachers to keep clean classrooms and educate students about staying well.
|
|
Teach Entrepreneurship in the Classroom
Providing experiential learning opportunities helps students combine different subjects with their own interests and learn some of the basics of entrepreneurship.
|
|
Cell Phones and School Safety
Student cell phones are considered disruptive in the classroom. They are also being found to hinder safety efforts during a school crisis.
|
|
How Hands Spread Germs
A lesson about hand washing or germs can easily be extended into an activity that explores how germs can quickly spread throughout a classroom.
|
|
Reduce Spread of Germs in the Classroom
The threat of flu has many worried about exposure at school. There are some precautions teachers can take in the classroom to limit students' exposure to flu germs.
|
|
Cyberbullying and Freedom of Speech
Cyberbullying is considered a form of free speech in the US, but it is still possible to protect children while they are online.
|
|
The Sociopolitical Context of Teaching
Teachers are as unique and diverse as their students. Understanding sociopolitical aspects of teaching helps teachers put their own biases into context.
|
|
Preparing to Create a Classroom Website
Creating a website for a classroom is not only about the content. Teachers also need to consider how to create the site and where it will be hosted.
|
|
Guidelines to Create a Classroom Website
There are five important things for teachers to consider when creating a new website or revising an old one.
|
|
How to Animate Classroom Stories
Teachers can add problem solving and technology skills to writing assignments by extending the lesson to have students create videos with Scratch.
|
|
Simple Tool for Planning Classroom Web Content
Storyboards are a visual tool for creating graphic content. This makes them ideal for helping teachers decide on and plan a classroom website.
|
|
What is a Storyboard?
Graphic organizers, such as storyboards, allow students to use sketches and written descriptions while planning how to organize their ideas for a writing assignment.
|
|
Using Storyboards to Develop Lesson Plans
Storyboards provide teachers with a visual tool when creating lesson plans for use in the classroom.
|
|
Using Storyboards in the Classroom
Storyboards are a useful writing tool for students to use when writing stories, creating presentations or to facilitate group projects.
|
|
Create Rigorous Lessons Using Psychomotor Domain
The psychomotor domain from Bloom's taxonomy provides questions and a familiar structure from which teachers can develop more rigorous lessons.
|
|
How to Write Learning Objectives
Bloom's taxonomy is ideal for writing learning objectives once the desired outcome of a lesson is known.
|
|
How to Write Competencies
Creating competencies for lessons and courses can be accomplished by applying Bloom's taxonomy to the desired outcomes.
|
|
Competencies Verses Learning Objectives
Competencies and learning objectives are two related educational terms, but they do not mean the same thing.
|
|
End of Year Technology Projects
Easily adaptable end of year projects that give students a hands-on opportunity to apply skills and knowledge gained in a technology course.
|
|
Reduce the Cost of College with AP Courses
As families' finances tighten, college costs appear less affordable. The College Board recently published findings showing that AP courses can help.
|
|
Using Scratch to Teach Problem Solving
Scratch is a versatile and simple learning environment for programming, which makes it ideal to teach problem solving skills to children.
|
|
Teaching Middle School Kids Technology
Teaching technology at the middle or junior high level includes combining experiential learning with student interests.
|
|
Fun Classroom Award Categories
Make the end of the school year fun and memorable for children by giving each student a creatively named award.
|
|
How to Make a Memory Book
Memory books provide children with a way to remember the good times at school. Some paper, photos and creativity will make the event memorable, too.
|
|
End of Year Classroom Awards
Classroom awards are a fun way to end the school year by recognizing students for their individual talents and achievements. The following list contains ideas for awards.
|
|
Obama Calls for Educational Reforms
The increasingly unpopular educational initiative, NCLB, is being heavily scrutinized by Obama's administration.
|
|
Summer Reading for Teachers
Summer reading lists for teachers are as popular as those for students. Find some colleagues and create a summer book club for professional development.
|
|
How Sunlight Warms the Planet Lesson Plan
Kids are fascinated by science and concerned about reports of global warming. Combine the two with an easy classroom activity.
|
|
Using the Cognitive Domain to Include Rigor
The cognitive domain from Bloom's taxonomy provides a familiar structure that can help teachers include higher order thinking skills in the curriculum.
|
|
Using Humor as a Learning Tool
Helping students remember new information can be as easy as making them laugh. This can lead to a reduction in stress in testing situations.
|
|
Implementing Effective Classroom Internet Safety
Teachers need to know about the various scams and malicious attack methods kids could encounter online in order to keep students safe while using the Internet.
|
|
Including Rigor Using the Affective Domain
The affective domain from Bloom's taxonomy provides a familiar set of questions that can help teachers include more rigor in the curriculum.
|
|
Teach Children Spelling with Technology
Texting is considered to be changing the way teens spell, but it can also be used to foster good spelling habits for young children.
|
|
How to Create a Rigorous Lesson
Including rigor in the classroom does not require rewriting entire curriculum units. Bloom's taxonomy provides a convenient starting place.
|
|
Identifying Rigor in the Curriculum
There are several important components to rigor that can be easily looked for in lessons when determining if there is rigor present in the curriculum.
|
|
How to Mentor a New Teacher
Whether new to teaching or a seasoned teacher, incoming faculty need assistance learning what is expected in their new school.
|
|
Teach Students Alternative Uses for PowerPoint
PowerPoint is known for its strength as a visual presentation slide show. Students can also use it as a focus for collaboration or classroom brainstorming sessions.
|
|
Test Anxiety and Physical Reactions to Tests
Test anxiety is the result of physical reactions to a stressful situation. These stress reactions make it difficult for students to determine how to answer the question.
|
|
Preparing Students to Read Standardized Exams
Preparing students for standardized tests requires not only knowledge of facts but also a basic understanding of the language used and tasks being requested.
|
|
School Victory Garden Plots
Planting a vegetable garden at school supports many educational subjects. It can also be a source for community interaction and outreach.
|
|
Choosing Plant Seeds for Botany Lessons
Growing plants from seeds is a popular classroom project. Deciding what to grow involves knowing which plants best support the lesson objectives.
|
|
Student Test Taking Skills
Standardized tests are a part of students' educational experience. Subject knowledge is not the only skill needed to be proficient on the exams.
|
|
How to Prevent Teacher Burnout
Teaching is a career with a high turnover rate. There are ways to keep a positive view on a teaching career while improving job satisfaction.
|
|
Engage Teenage Students in Learning
Engaging high school students in the classroom can be challenging. Understanding how they learn can help teachers adapt to the needs of their students.
|
|
Make Recycled Trash Art
Make use of reusable trash and students' creativity to create art work and sculptures from clean household trash.
|
|
How to Keep Good Teachers
Teachers cite job dissatisfaction as a primary reason for leaving education. Maintaining a professional environment can encourage many good teachers to stay.
|
|
Teacher Attrition Rates
Many see a shortage of good teachers being related to those teachers retiring or low recruitment numbers of new teachers. There is a different analysis of the data.
|
|
How to Shape Dinner Rolls
Dinner rolls are easy to make in traditional round or oval shapes. All it takes is a favorite bread recipe and a little time and patience.
|
|
Decorate Bunny and Baby Chick Cookies
Combine some frosting and creativity to turn a favorite sugar cookie recipe into a fun springtime desert. Bunnies and baby chickens are easy to shape without cutters.
|
|
Positive Learning Environment
Rules are not always a negative part of a classroom environment. Some expectations create positive environments that encourage students to learn.
|
|
Create Project Based Reviews
Rigor can be easy to include in project based activities once students know the basic information. A project can also be a motivating way to prepare for a test.
|
|
Identifying Project Based Assessments
Not all academic projects promote higher order thinking skills. There are key elements to project based assessments that make them rigorous.
|
|
Healthy Classroom Treats
Creative and fun ideas for healthy treats at the classroom holiday party.
|
|
Celebrate Valentine's Day in the Classroom
Create a memorable Valentine's Day by having students make their own cards to give and offering healthy twists on favorite classroom party treats.
|
|
Project Based Review Assignments
Project based reviews combine creativity with known information to encourage students to study for upcoming assessments.
|
