Vicki A. Davis's Blog, page 138
February 26, 2016
A Peek in My Week: Games, Mattering, Questions, Laughter & Learning WHEW!
Level Up a Little Bit Every Day
From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis
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Sometimes as you teach others, you end up changing yourself. It is happening so much lately to me.Here’s a peek.
Game based keyboarding.My keyboarding classroom is completely game based using ClassCraft (thanks, Shawn Young) and the kids run to class. They love it. I’ve never seen anything like it, and I’m thrilled (they are too.) I just heard so many experts like Michael Matera, Le...
February 25, 2016
An Educator’s Guide to Acceptable Risk Taking
Nurturing an Innovator's Mindset with George Couros
From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis
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Risk taking is not a bad word. If we want to help students read, write, and learn anything – we have to learn to take risks. But how can we understand what risks are worth taking? How can principals, teachers, and students learn how to take acceptable risks? From routine busting to reflection, George Couros, author of the Innovator’s Mindset helps us understand...
February 21, 2016
2 Ways to Turn Struggling Students into Life-Long Readers
Simple Steps to Ignite a Love of Reading and Writing
From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis
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Teaching kids to love reading is a challenge. Pam Allyn, the author of 23 books, is a literacy expert who helps schools, parents, and teachers help kids love reading. On today’s show, she shares two important ways to help struggling students become lifelong readers. This is an excellent listen for teachers, curriculum directors, and parents. Share this one!
[L...February 19, 2016
How Any Teacher Can Use Lee Sheldon’s Multiplayer Classroom Model
Powerful Pedagogies for Every Teaching Professional
From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis
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Star Trek script writer and professional game author Lee Sheldon has designed his entire college course as a game. His book The Multiplayer Classroom: Designing Coursework as a Game is a favorite of many game based learning experts.Quizzesand tests are fighting evil. Students earn experience points for coming to class. Student study groups are called guilds. You’...
6 Ways Awesome Administrators Help New Teachers Face the First Year with a Smile
Leadership and Support of the New Teaching Professional
From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis
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The first year is the toughest. Pretty much every teacher will tell you that. It is when the students will try you. The first year is often when colleagues are the most unsupportive. You don’t know everybody’s names. You aren’t aware of their agendas, so sometimes you step into a problem without realizing it.
The biggest problem about the first year? There’s...
February 17, 2016
Make Every Monday #MatteringMonday and Help Kids Learn
Start the School Week of With What Matters: Kids
From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis
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Mondays are hard for (almost) everyone. What if we started the week with reminding students how much they and their work matters? Let’s challenge every teacher we know to begin celebrating Mattering Mondays.
We know that we need students to be more engaged. We also know that when students feel like they matter and they are doing work that matters that they are more...
How to Teach Students Discussion Forums
An Essential 21st Century Literacy
From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis
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Discussion forums and threaded conversation are a basic digital literacy. I teach these using Reddit and the Wikispaces discussion forum. When students and teachers know how to communicate effectively in discussion forums, they make themselves able to join forums correctly. Often, when people join discussion forums who don’t know how to use them, they make mistakes that get them...
February 16, 2016
How to Schedule a Time to Meet with Other Classes
The two types of calendars every collaborative project needs
From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis
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Want to see students excited? Want to see them run to class? I’ll never forget the time we skyped with Govinda and his students in Nepal. The fifth graders had an optional meeting at 7 am where they could come to school to meet the other kids half a world away. Every student came early! The room was bustling and full at 7 am! Kids came early to school so...
February 15, 2016
Riveting Ways to Engage Girls in STEM, Achieve High Test Scores
How to reach every learner every day from a teacher who is doing it
From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis
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Physics can be taught with a total project based learning approach and have high test scores. Teacher Ben Owens demonstrates this every day. High poverty and high needs students don’t stop him. He expects 100% engagement from every student every day (and gets it.) Listen Now
Even more exciting is how the girls in his class enjoy physics. (Some of...
February 12, 2016
8 Types of Blended Learning According to Research
Design Your Classroom for Maximum Learning
From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis
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Blended learning happens when you mix the face to face classroom with online learning. While flipped classroom is a form of blended learning, it is not the only one. Today, researcher Thomas Arnett breaks down the eight types of blended learning and explains how they are being used to improve student outcomes. Listen now.
If you know how to use online tools, they can hel...
