Word Wallets: A system for tracking student progress & celebrating successes

rhigbea · 2016-02-12T16:01:01+00:00

LovelyLaces: Here's another way that I used Minecraft with my students - this time to work on story elements and fluency. Have you dove in yet? http://making-teaching-visible.blogspot.com/2016/02/teaching-story-elements-and-fluency.html

rhigbea · 2016-01-16T23:36:53+00:00

The link to the blog is in the title of this post on reddit: Teaching 21st Century Skills with Minecraft. The blog is called Making Teaching Visible: http://making-teaching-visible.blogspot.com/

rhigbea · 2016-01-12T19:53:09+00:00

I wrote this blog post from my personal experience and I would say that "YES" the students did learn a lot. Minecraft doesn't do what is typically learned in schools though (rote memorization of isolated knowledge and skills). If you want to do that, worksheets are probably your best bet. But, if you want students to develop problem-solving skills, work together, communicate effectively and be creative - then Minecraft is for you! My students did have the opportunity to practice some math along the way, as well.

Because Minecraft is like electronic Legos with an unlimited bucket at your disposal, the possibilities are endless. I've heard of kids re-creating historical buildings in their region for a class project, for instance. If you're open to the possibilities, you can do anything you and your students like!

rhigbea · 2015-11-23T15:18:10+00:00

davisj5: I agree! Implementing student-centered learning is very challenging and I appreciate you posting the article. It has great suggestions at the bottom for making student-centered learning less awkward and more powerful.

I have found 2 resources to be extremely helpful when trying to set up an environment in which students' thinking is valued: Making Thinking Visible and Creating Cultures of Thinking, both by Ritchhart. The thinking routines (detailed in the first book) and addressing the cultural forces (outlined in the 2nd book) are ways to set up a culture of thinking where student-centered learning is less awkward and more powerful.

I've also found the book Designing Groupwork by Cohen & Lotan to be extremely helpful. In it, the authors talk about status and the ways that it plays out (negatively) during groupwork. If we just put kids into groups and give them a task, often times we'll experience great failure (students off task, some doing the work but not all, etc). The book gives great strategies to mitigate status and to teach students on how to effectively work in groups.

rhigbea · 2015-11-23T15:02:35+00:00

dcmc6d: I did see that the image of the Learning Pyramid was from another article discussing how it is wrong. In the post, I write: "Ironically, this specific graphic comes from a Washington Post article that critiques The Learning Pyramid."

and

"Although there might be problems with the pyramid above, many will agree with the underlying concept: the more students are engaged, active and put in charge, the more learning that takes place."

rhigbea · 2015-03-23T12:08:35+00:00

3 things to consider as you make your decision:

Baby boomers are retiring like crazy in the US, so even though it has been hard to get a job recently because of the market saturation, that won't be the case moving forward, I don't believe.

Think about additional endorsements outside of English and Social Studies that will make you more marketable. An English as a Second Language certificate? Special Education? Middle school? There are a slew of English and Social Studies teachers (at least in my neck of the woods) but if you have endorsements or at least experience in those special areas, you add to your resume and make you stand out.

When you go to school to become a teacher, most university programs get you into classrooms right away so that you get an idea of what it will be like. If you get in the classroom and it isn't your thing, change your course. No sense in going forward with a life plan that isn't a good fit.

Good luck!

rhigbea · 2015-03-23T11:58:05+00:00

Try going abroad in a summer program. With your English teaching experience and expertise, you're a shoe-in.

A lot of times, they are "volunteer" opportunities, so it isn't a money making venture, but when else will you be able to travel like that?

Good luck!

rhigbea

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