Parents Need Information, Too

Several weeks ago our district had a parent information meeting.  After reading through some of their forms, it reminded me of the power of sharing information with parents.   This idea reminded me of this blog that seems to get put aside.  I guess one reason the blog gets put aside is the idea of the “other needs” for our children.  Parent questions and needs are also critical for those of us raising children with advanced potential, and I feel like the blog is a great way to feed information to parents.  Shout out to our amazing parents for reminding me of this!

One question that seemed to pop out at me (with the Holidays around the corner) was, “How do we keep little Suzie (not a real person) engaged at home?”  Parents also noted the need for more help with increasing their child’s perseverance.  The first thing that popped into my mind was ThinkFun Games.  The games from this company offer critical thinking opportunities that are actually fun!  Some games can be played alone.

Check out their website.

Think Fun Games

Another thing that popped into my mind was coding.  One app I really like is LightBot.  I like this because when students “run” the program it becomes a “self-checking” device.  Students have to figure out what they did wrong.  This game also provides students with some basic knowledge about coding.  Check it out.

LightBot

Two other great places to find games…

MindWare

Fat Brain Toys

Providing games, building blocks, science kits, etc., that require imagination, thinking, and/or revisiting the problem give students an opportunity to build critical thinking skills and perseverance that will nurture potential and increase student success in many areas.  And…it’s fun.

If you have a child who likes to opt out of challenge, you may have to play the games with them and not allow your child to quit playing.  Set a timer, have your child attempt for that amount of time, and then let them walk away.  They need to revisit the challenge at a later time.

So look into some of these games to engage your children at home, but also, make them READ a BOOK.  That’s a soapbox for another day.

 

Harmless Holder…Get Your Attention?

Got mine.  Check out this idea for an engineering project if you are diving into STEAM.

Harmless Holder

By the way, if you do Pinterest, I have a small STEAM folder on my Pinterest.

STEM Advice…from Students

Ironically, after spending a day with AMAZING teachers diving into STEAM, little did I know I’d find this article waiting for me when I opened my email.

But first, I want the world  to know just how amazing it is to work with teachers that tackle BIG ideas and challenge themselves to push through DAUNTING experiences.  A lot was asked of 43 teachers today in our system wide professional development (Full STEAM Ahead).  A lot of ideas were generated.  A lot of confused was cleared up and a lot was not.  Hopefully as they sleep tonight, their brains will absorb the new ideas and STEAM will take over MCS next school year.

I’ve “lifted” a few of my favorite lines from the article.

• “science satisfies the innate curiosity of humans—however, schools do not teach it this way.” 
• Failure is life’s built in educator
• Despite the important role of failure in life, school and society tends to “put everything into two boxes: success or failure. But I believe there’s a third box and it’s called Not Trying”
• “Fundamentally, everyone harbors great ideas, yet most of us ignore them out of fear of failure.”

Here’s the rest of the advice from students…enjoy.

5 Suggestions for Better STEM Education, From Students

 

STEM Opportunity (BEP)

Here’s an opportunity that might interest you.  Space is limited.

STEM Factor

Why Do We Make School Boring?

What boy wouldn’t like doing math if you used LEGOS?  Look what I stumbled upon today.  I love to find those ideas that 1) create instant engagement and 2) make our jobs easier!

Are we afraid kids might accidentally have fun?  Wouldn’t that be a crime.  When did learning become a “school” thing instead of a “life” thing?  Step out of the box.  The world is depending on you.

LEGOs Build Math Concepts

More ideas with LEGOs.

Quest

(This could become an activity to use for curriculum compacting.)

VTS

I’m done after this.  But trust me, you’ll like this.  Check out the video that shows VTS with CCSS.

Visual Thinking

Minecraft: Think Outside the Box

Engineering. Creative thinking.  Designing. Spatial reasoning. Planning.  Architecture. Brainstorming.  That’s just a few things that come to mind in 30 seconds of thinking!  I’ve been thinking about this for some time.  If one is contemplating STEAM, you’ve probably considered this, too.

I was completely amazed when I ventured through the many worlds my son had created.  Detailed.  VERY detailed.  He makes it look so easy.  Frankly, the thought of it makes my brain hurt.  I guess it puts learning in perspective…that’s probably how the students feel when I ask them to stretch into a new learning realm.

I haven’t done a ton of research or exploration of the idea.  But I thought it was worth sharing.  It sure would be a great way to engage the boys (and girls) in your class.

What ideas do you have for Minecraft in the classroom?  Jumpstart your thinking and check out this article.  (What I would do for a few comments!!)

Minecraft Article

SCAMPER for a Book Giveaway???

At a recent conference at Vanderbilt, we discussed the strategy called “SCAMPER.”  Each letter represents a way to think more creatively.  Substitute.  Combine.  Adapt.  Modify/Magnify/Minify.  Put to other uses.  Eliminate.  Reverse/Rearrange.  Before releasing this strategy, it will need to be model with the students, then used for independent work.  (Sometimes we forget to set the strategy up for success.  For example, independent learning plans require research skills.  We need to teach those skills before releasing the ILP.)

I recently received an email from Mrs. Davis at Scales.  This week she used SCAMPER and focused on substituting and eliminating.  (Great way for kids to plan a fractured fairy tale for creative writing.)  A student eliminated the brick house and realized that brought a short life for the 3rd pig.  Another student searched his thinking and worked with eliminating the bond between the pigs.

At the conference, a few of us from MCS began with Pinocchio.  Using the words from SCAMPER, we modified Pinocchio.  He was then Pinocchi “ette.”  We substituted lying with bullying.  Cyber bullying to be exact.  Geppetto was NOT trying to help.  He was actually encouraging her actions which happened to be against (combine) Cinderella.  We adapted the end when Pinocchiette realized how wrong it was to bully…etc.  You getting the picture?  The amount of discussion and flexible thinking was extraordinary!

This could be used in all subjects.  Math included!

I found this  neat rubric to accompany this strategy.  It’s found here.

NOW…all MCS employees…how could you use this in your class?  To all MCS teachers that comment, sharing an idea for using SCAMPER, each will be put into a drawing for a copy of “Teach Like Your Hair’s on Fire.”  I’ll have the final give-a-way in January when we return.

Happy SCAMPERING.

Lions, Tigers, and Bears! Oh MY!

Assessment ideas.  Strategies. Writing across the curriculum.  Vocabulary tips.  Oh my!!!  My personal interest right now is “STEAM,” and I ordered a book called STEAM Point.  The chapter on assessments gave some  websites with resources.  Immediately I thought “blog”!  Happy exploring!  Personal favorites were using RAFT across the content area for writing, formative assessments strategies, and vocabulary games (like the board game Taboo).  Be sure to check out response logs, too.

Teach21

Formative Assessments

Disasters!!!

I like the idea of this critical thinking task that is multidisciplinary!  Be sure to check out the other resources on the site, too.

http://www.livebinders.com/play/play_or_edit?id=126258