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Helping Learners Move Beyond “I Can’t Do This”
User Generated Education
JULY 24, 2017
I work part-time with elementary learners – with gifted learners during the school year and teaching maker education camps during the summer.
User Generated Education
Elementary Social Entrepreneurship: A Perfect STEAM Lesson
User Generated Education
MAY 13, 2018
I am completing a social entrepreneurship unit with my gifted students, grades 2nd through 5th. It was one of my favorite units. ever, and from their reactions, I believe it was one of theirs, too. I call it a perfect STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) unit.
Robot-Enhanced Creative Writing and Storytelling (featuring Ozobot and Wonder’s Dot)
User Generated Education
MAY 15, 2018
There have been complaints leveraged against out of the box robots like Dash and Dot, Ozobot, Hummingbird, Sphero. The complaints usually revolve around the canned and prescriptive nature of their uses and programs, that they lack creative engagement by the younger users.
Beginning the School Year: It’s About the Learners Not the Content
User Generated Education
AUGUST 8, 2017
5 Costly Inventory Management Mistakes Schools Should Avoid
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If your school is like most, inventory and/or asset management plays a critical role in daily operations.
Educators as Purveyors of Hope
User Generated Education
JANUARY 5, 2018
My advanced degree is in counseling. I sought this degree due to my affinity towards at-risk and adjudicated youth.
Reflecting on Maker Experiences with Reflection Cards
User Generated Education
MARCH 10, 2018
I’ve discussed the importance of reflection in my Framework for Maker Education ; and specifically discussed reflecting on the maker experiences in several of my blog posts: Reflecting on the Making Process [link]. The Maker as a Reflective Practitioner [link].
Design Thinking Process and UDL Planning Tool for STEM, STEAM, Maker Education
User Generated Education
JUNE 8, 2017
Post by Jackie Gerstein, Ed.D. jackiegerstein and Barbara Bray @bbray27. Crossed posted at [link]. If there is a makerspace in your school, it may be down the hall, in the library, or in another building.
The World’s Largest Lesson: Global Goals Activities
User Generated Education
JANUARY 4, 2018
I have a strong belief that education should assist learners in developing the desire and skills for global stewardship. I discussed this in my post, Empathy and Global Stewardship: The Other 21st Century Skills [link].
Failure is for the privileged.
User Generated Education
MAY 26, 2018
This past week I attend the Infosis CrossRoads Institute. It was filled with some great speakers and panels, but the most profound moment for me was a single statement made by Kipp Bradford , “failure is for the privileged.”
Focusing on the Process: Letting Go of Product Expectations
User Generated Education
DECEMBER 17, 2017
I am a process-oriented educator. I focus on how to learn rather than what to learn. I’ve addressed this in Freedom to Learn : In order to facilitate these desired elements of learning, I believe it is important to focus on the process of learning rather than the products of learning.
Freedom to Learn
User Generated Education
AUGUST 12, 2017
I was painfully bored during my K-12 education. I looked forward to college anticipating that it would be different – more engaging, more interesting, more innovative. I was wrong.
Cardboard Creations: A Maker Education Camp
User Generated Education
JUNE 18, 2017
This post discusses my Cardboard Creations Maker Education Camp that was taught to fifteen 5 to 12 year old learners for five days, 2.5 hours each morning during Summer, 2017. It is split into three sections: Rational for Using No Tech, Minimal Cost Materials. Some Pedagogical Perspectives.
Introducing Design Thinking to Elementary Learners
User Generated Education
SEPTEMBER 25, 2016
Design thinking is an approach to learning that includes considering real-world problems, research, analysis, conceiving original ideas, lots of experimentation, and sometimes building things by hand.
Simple and Rube Goldberg Machines: A Maker Education, STEAM Lesson
User Generated Education
NOVEMBER 28, 2016
Recently I facilitated a simple machines leading into Rube Goldberg machines lesson with my gifted elementary students. As I’ve discussed in past blog posts, I use several criteria to guide my lesson design: Instructional challenges are hands-on and naturally engaging for learners.
Specific Ideas for Intentional Creativity
User Generated Education
SEPTEMBER 2, 2017
Recently I wrote a blog post about Intentional Creativity. Here is the graphic created for that post. Below the graphic are specific ideas I am using with my gifted elementary students this school year.
Qualities of Effective Educator Professional Development
User Generated Education
OCTOBER 7, 2017
Most administrators and teachers believe in the importance and value of professional development. Sadly, though, too many teachers believe that those mandatory, one-size-fits-all professional development sessions offered by their schools are a waste of time and money.
Teaching Debating Skills
User Generated Education
MAY 6, 2018
I, along with many others, have been impressed with how articulate the Parkland students have been regarding their school shooting and gun laws.
Teaching Grammar-In-Context
User Generated Education
OCTOBER 14, 2016
Archaic Ways of Teaching Grammar. We construct grammatically correct sentences or correct our mistakes by intuitively applying the rules that govern English syntax.
Robotics and Computer Science for Elementary Level Learners
User Generated Education
JANUARY 2, 2017
I absolutely love all of the new robotics toys that have been coming out for elementary age learners. I have been using them for my summer maker camp, with my gifted education classes, and for my upcoming Saturday morning program.
Teaching Elementary-Level Learners About the Brain
User Generated Education
OCTOBER 21, 2016
Judy Willis in How to Teach Students About the Brain writes: If we want to empower students, we must show them how they can control their own cognitive and emotional health and their own learning. Teaching students how the brain operates is a huge step.
A Fuller Framework for Making in Maker Education
User Generated Education
OCTOBER 23, 2016
Background Information. I recently learned, for the first time, about Aristotle’s belief that there were three basic activities of humans: theoria (thinking), poiesis (making), and praxis (doing).
Scaffolding Maker Education Learning Experiences
User Generated Education
NOVEMBER 19, 2017
pI often read via social media about the importance of student centered, student-driven instruction. I wholeheartedly agree. My blog post is called User-Generated Education for a reason.
Games or Worksheets: Is there really a question about the choice?
User Generated Education
DECEMBER 4, 2016
I work part time with gifted elementary students at two Title 1 schools where most of the students qualify for free or reduced lunches; and where they and/or their parents are learning English as a second language.
Intentional Creativity
User Generated Education
AUGUST 20, 2017
Torrence, whose focus was on creativity, developed the Torrence Incubation Model of Creative Thinking (TIM) model. As emphasized in this video, embedding creativity into the curriculum can and should be a strong component of content area teaching and learning.
Halloween Wars: An Interdisciplinary Lesson with a STEM, STEAM, Maker Education Focus
User Generated Education
OCTOBER 30, 2016
For Halloween 2016, I did a version of Halloween Wars (a Food Network show) with my two classes of gifted elementary learners. I am sharing this lesson through my blog post as it reinforces how I approach lesson planning and teaching. Background Information.
The Magic of Making: The Human Need to Create
User Generated Education
MARCH 4, 2018
Recently I had the privilege of facilitating two half day workshops entitled, A Framework for Maker Education. The workshop including several mini-sessions of participants creating their own maker projects (Paper Circuits, Squishy Circuits, Gami-Bots, Brush bots, and micro:bit projects).
Toy Take Apart and Hacking
User Generated Education
APRIL 8, 2017
Toy take apart and hacking is a high engagement activity that works for kids of all ages, including adults who haven’t lost their sense of kid, and both genders.
Maker Education Camp: Circuit Crafts
User Generated Education
JULY 8, 2017
This is my third summer offering maker education summer camps as part of a bigger program at a local school.
Exploring Wealth Inequities: An Experiential Learning Activity
User Generated Education
DECEMBER 2, 2017
One of the legacies I want to leave with my students (of all ages) is a desire to engage in global stewardship. For more about this see my post, Empathy and Global Stewardship: The Other 21st Century Skills.
Introduction to Design Thinking for Educators Workshop
User Generated Education
OCTOBER 22, 2017
I had the opportunity to facilitate a workshop on design thinking for educators at the New Mexico Association for the Gifted Fall Institute. Here is a round-up of what we did. Warm Up: Instant Challenge.
The Imperative of Experiential and Hands-On Learning
User Generated Education
DECEMBER 22, 2016
For the past several decades, I have had my feet in both elementary education and teacher training and development. Regardless of age, grade level, and setting, I include hands-on and experiential learning as a integral part of my instruction.
Alternative Reality: The Propensity for Learning Rather Than the Potential for Learning
User Generated Education
JANUARY 22, 2017
I had the opportunity the learn about Dr. Reuven Feuerstein through Dr. Yvette Jackson at a National Urban Alliance conference almost 20 years ago.
Caring and Compassionate Confrontation
User Generated Education
JANUARY 21, 2018
When I was in my Doctoral program, I met Debbie in one of my classes who was the Corporate Education coordinator for the university. She ran workshops for teams from profit and non-profit organizations and corporations.
Teacher PD: Purposeful Tinkering and Application
User Generated Education
FEBRUARY 26, 2017
As a preface to this post, my belief is that deep learning does not occur through sit and get. Deep learning occurs through experiential, authentic, interactive, collaborative instructional processes.
The First Days of School: Setting the Climate for Year
User Generated Education
AUGUST 26, 2016
I have written before about the beginning of the school year, Beginning the School Year: It’s About Connections Not Content. I begin all classes focusing on having the students make connections between each other and with me. I want students to learn about one another in a personal way.
A Socratic Seminar for Elementary Learners
User Generated Education
FEBRUARY 5, 2017
In line with the theme of this blog, student-centric and user generated educational techniques. I’ve used them successfully in my teaching training classes but never with elementary learners. Socratic seminars have been around, obviously, since the days of Socratics.
A Model for Teacher Development: Precursors to Change
User Generated Education
AUGUST 6, 2016
Too often teachers are passive recipients of professional development rather than being active agents of their own development and change.
Cardboard Challenges: No Tech/Low Cost Maker Education
User Generated Education
JULY 25, 2016
I believe in the importance of participating in ongoing and continuous reflective practice as an educator. This is my reflection on my Cardboard Challenges Maker Education Camp that was taught to twelve 5 to 10 year old learners for five days, 2.5 hours each morning.
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