Vicki A. Davis's Blog, page 91
March 1, 2018
Calibrate Your Talent Meter: Honest Self-Awareness is a Secret of Success
Day 52 of 80 Days of Excellence
From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis
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Research has shown that there is part of our brain – the forward most region of the medial prefrontal cortex that helps us self-reflect. Using neuroimaging studies in 2007, research Arnaud D’Argembeu of Belgium found that this part of the brain
“helps a person reflect ton their traits and abilities versus those of others.”
But here’s the thing, when our talent meter is off, our th...
Service Learning: Grants and FREE Resources to Help Your Students Serve and Grow
Sponsored by We Are Teachers, The Allstate Foundation, and WE.
From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis
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Service learning is when students learn by serving others. We Volunteer Now has fantastic resources, and they’re awarding $250 grants for 500 schools to use toward volunteer projects. Transform your school by helping students design their own project to inspire and improve their community.
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WeAreTeachers is sponsoring this post. This post is brought to...Why We Still Need to Know Things in the Age of Google
Justin Reich on episode 264 of the 10-Minute Teacher Podcast
From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis
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We hope that kids will learn critical thinking skills in one class and then apply it to another. However, MIT Teaching Systems Lab Director, Dr. Justin Reich, shares that this may not be so. Today we discuss current research that is shaking up how people think about learning.
February 28, 2018
No Zombies: Stop Going Through the Motions and Live Life
Day 51 of 80 Days of Excellence
From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis
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Although when Theodore Roosevelt made his famous speech talking about “cold and timid souls” at the Sorbonne, I don’t think zombies were much discussed in pop culture.
We have too many zombies nowadays-
In schools, some are students but others are undead teachers. Teachers who aren’t retired but their practice isn’t alive either. They’re not working on making things better and impr...Happy Apples: Fun PD Subscription Boxes for Teachers Made By the District
Crystal Marshall-Krauss on episode 263 of the 10-Minute Teacher Podcast
From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis
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Crystal Marshall-Krauss and her colleagues at the district office in Howard County, Maryland have created a fun way to excite teachers about professional development. They’ve created “Happy Apples” subscription boxes for their teachers around a variety of subjects. Learn about this innovative PD idea and how your district can craft these boxes...
February 27, 2018
Success Truths: Great Leaders Have Harsh Critics
Day 50 of 80 Days of Excellence
From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis
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While we see George Washington as a success, while he was alive, he had his critics. On the day that Washington’s successor, John Adams’ was inaugurated, a newspaper critic wrote about the departing President Washington:
“For the man who is now the source of all the misfortunes of our country is this day reduced to a level with his fellow-citizens, and is no longer possessed of pow...
Simple Steps to Teach Kids to Program
Episode 262 with Aditya Batura
From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis
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Teaching kids to code starts with helping them understand the concepts behind coding before you get into syntax. Aditya Batura, Programmer and Entrepreneur, talks today about the concept behind helping every student understand computational thinking.
This week I’ll be sharing the 7 Pedagogical Shifts That Make Interactive Displays a Key to a Student-Centered Classroom on the Cool Ca...
February 26, 2018
Success Secrets: Avoid Fake Elvis Syndrome and Dare to Be Original
Day 49 of 80 Days of Excellence
From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis
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I was in the Memphis airport rushing to get to the plane. As I went through the security screening area, I saw a jeweled hand reach to help me with my bag and hear – no kidding – Elvis Presley say,
“Thank you. Thank you very much.”
Except it wasn’t Elvis. It was a TSA guard with an Elvis pompadour and Elvis glasses! No kidding!
I grabbed my stuff and incredulously hustled to my ga...
February 24, 2018
5 Great Questions from One of the Best Bosses My Husband Ever Had
Day 48 of 80 Days of Excellence
From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis
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Kip and I were talking about the best bosses we’ve ever had. Kip shared something that one of his, Mr. Joe Morris Palmer, president and founder of an engineering company, did that really brought out the best in him.
Kip said that every day he was in town, Mr. Joe Morris would come by his desk and ask the following five questions:
(Note to grammarians, these are the questions, forgiv...
February 23, 2018
Dreams Are Your Precious Treasure
Day 47 of 80 Days of Excellence
From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis
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Sometimes we write things as teenagers that we need to remember as adults. This double form poem I wrote at Governor’s Honors when I was 17 is one such poem. Here’s the thing, I didn’t keep this because I liked it, I remember keeping this because of the note a 40-something-year-old teacher at GHP wrote on the poem.
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Childhood dreaming
Transforms into adulthood goals
Those dreams are...
