A place to explore teaching and learning
Originally posted Friday, May 03, 2013 by Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory* Everybody wants teachers to be knowledgeable, but there is little agreement on what kinds of knowledge are the most important. Should a teacher have a deep knowledge of the subject matter, or is it better if the teacher has an understanding of what students think? Is there some optimal combination of different types of knowledge? Discussions of such issues … [Continue reading]
In The Arts in Every Classroom, "Bringing Artists to Your Community," theatre artist Birgitta De Pree involves a kindergarten class in a storytelling activity that engages the imagination while reinforcing story structure skills. She warms the students up with activities that relax them and build trust. Watch the video until 14:00. While Ms. De Pree served as an artist-in-residence in the school, these engaging activities can be adapted by any … [Continue reading]
National Family Month runs from Mother's Day to Father's Day, May 12 to June 16 this year. Here are some fun and educational activities from Learner.org that you can do together to build those family bonds: 1. For middle and high school children, choose any of the content courses with Web sites and create a scavenger hunt. Write questions and have the family search for the answers. Time each person and reward the first person to finish with … [Continue reading]
There once was a poet named Lear Whose fondness for nonsense was dear. His verses were short And silly, of course. And that’s why we fete him each year! As I see it there are at least three good reasons to introduce your students to limericks this month: 1. May 12 was Edward Lear’s birthday and Limerick Day. Children today enjoy Lear’s sly sense of humor and the limerick’s manageable structure as much as the children for … [Continue reading]
