Putting Together a Design Class in a IB World School (Part 2)
Screen Capture from – https://goo.gl/VoUfRT [NOTE: Originally written a week ago] “So much time and so little to do. Wait a minute. Strike that. Reverse it. Thank you.” Willy Wonka. Right now I’m feeling like a cross between the Scarecrow ( giving directions in OZ) and Willy Wonka these days. One minute I’m heading one […]
So I’m Going to Teach This Computer Science Class
http://goo.gl/BL0lkk On Friday I had a chance to talk with my new principal. If you haven’t heard about that feel free to get caught up with my earlier post. During my initial interview (with The Head of School and the Secondary Principal) I was informed that they really wanted someone who was able to teach […]
In Which We Are Introduced to My New School
https://goo.gl/xAkChH On August 10 I will be starting a new school year with new students at a new school. But what does that really mean? Every year we get new students. Every year is a new school year. The only really new thing is the school I will be working at – Meridian School in Round […]
I’m Not a Techie
Technology Cow via http://goo.gl/XR2MYi In 1976 I went to the University of South Carolina to be a dual Math and Computer Science major. I got my math degree but gave up on computers after spending hours at the card punch machine at late hours on the university’s one computer (that also had to do research and […]
If You Borrow It, Tell Someone
https://www.flickr.com/photos/kittiesmademedoit/ Those are words of advice given to me by my Father. Actually it was more like, “Hey, I don’t mind if you want to use my tools but put them back – in the same spot – when you are finished.” Isn’t that really the point of attribution? You are borrowing someone else’s words […]
Exploring Design Thinking as a PBL Guy
Via Eric White This week I will be meeting with other BIE National Faculty (NF) members at our annual Spring Summit. For the summit we have broken into Professional Learning Communities (PLC’s) and I am with the Design Thinking (dt) group. We will be sharing with the other NF and we are looking at how […]
It’s Time For a Project
https://www.flickr.com/photos/dullhunk/ It’s that time of year again for many (most?) of us in the K-12 world of the United States to deal with standardized testing. And there are many teachers who have been waiting until “that test is over” to start a pbl project. There are some of you who can’t see past the […]
Another Take on Problem Based Learning for Math
https://www.flickr.com/photos/gpforeducation/ I have been wrestling with the marriage of Project Based Learning (PBL) and Math for nearly 8 years now. A few years ago I moved towards Problem Based Learning (PrBL) instead of Project Based for math. It just seemed to make more sense. With PrBL there are shorter time periods to complete a problem […]
What is Essential For Successful PBL?
http://earthmosaic.org/index.html This year the Buck Institute for Education (BIE.org), of which I am on the National Faculty, is re-examining the “Essential Elements” for PBL. As I was thinking about it I remembered that I have posted about these elements a few times, over the years, and I came across this post from July […]
Make That Desert Project More PBL’y
http://goo.gl/XqZSjZ Friend of mine had their son bring home a “project” to make a cell membrane. I sighed. But then I thought about how the teacher could have done something with the same material. And it hit me – science teachers need to see how to take that internet or youtube project and make it […]