Peter Pappas »
07 November 2012 »
In Ed Tech, How To, Literacy, Publishing, Strategies »
This week I’m presenting at the national AMLE conference (middle level education) in Portland Ore. Quite nice since I live here!
My session
Thursday Nov 8 at 8AM
#1111 – Teaching Students to Analyze? Motivate with Skills, Choice and Reflection.
Here’s a preview
True analysis is messy work, but that’s where the learning takes place.
My talk has two themes – first, it’s a reflection on how analysis is taught in the classroom. Too often teachers give students a Venn Diagram and ask them to compare. What looks like analysis on the surface is often no more than re-filling information from the source material into the Venn. Graphic organizer are great to help students understand a variety of analytic models, but they often constrain students into someone else’s analytic framework.
Summarizing and comparisons are powerful ways to build content knowledge and critical thinking. But if students are going to master CCSS skills they need to design the model, find a way to express it to others, and have the opportunity self reflect on their product and feedback from peers. Get them started with graphic organizers, then show some courage and be less helpful. True analysis is messy work, but that’s where the learning takes place.
My session will utilize audience responders to first evaluate sample lessons in summarizing and comparing, then collectively develop critical benchmarks. Teachers will next be given frameworks for designing lessons which enable students to think like designers, to apply their learning strategies, share their conclusions and set the stage for self-reflection.
FlipNLearn: a foldable that students design, print and share.
Next, I will demonstrate how to meet these four keys to teaching analysis with FlipNLearn, a foldable that students design, print and share. It’s an innovative learning tool that students design on a computer, then print on special pre-formatted paper. The result – a clever foldable that flips through four faces of student selected text and images. FlipNLearn is a great way to give students a manageable design challenge that promotes teamwork, self-assessment and reflection. In 30 minutes, or less, they can produce tangible product that blends the best of PBL and CCSS skills in communication. If you can’t make my session, look for me at the IMCOM vendor booth #819 for free tips on Portland’s best pubs and grub.
Tags: AMLE, Apps, Common Core, Comparing, Creativity, Critical thinking, Engagement, Evaluation, FlipNLearn, Higher-order thinking, Innovation, Motivation, PBL, PDX, Relevance, Rigor, Visual Literacy, Writing
Peter Pappas »
23 October 2012 »
In Commentary, Ed Tech, How To, Literacy, Publishing, Strategies, Students »
For years progressive educators have known the textbook was dead. Apple’s latest iPad Mini / iBooks Author event (October 23, 2012) suggests we are closing in on the tipping point that should hasten its demise. I’ll let others focus on the viability of the iPad as a textbook replacement in this era of shrinking budgets. Instead I’ll focus on three reasons why teaming iBooks Author (iBA) with the iPad can turn students from passive consumers of information, into active researchers, thinkers, designers and writers.
Tags: Common Core, Creativity, Critical thinking, ebook, Engagement, Higher-order thinking, iBook, iBooks Author, Information landscape, Innovation, iPad, Motivation, Visual Literacy, Writing
Peter Pappas »
12 October 2012 »
In Commentary, How To »
Thinking of publishing your own work using iBooks Author? Be careful what you call it.
Tags: Apple, ebook, iBook, iBooks Author
Peter Pappas »
10 October 2012 »
In Ed Tech, How To, Projects, Publishing »
I just completed my first multi-touch iBooks Author project – “Why We Fight: WWII and the Art of Public Persuasion.” I learned a few things the hard way. Here’s some “how-to” tips that will save you some time and make your IBA experience more productive.
Tags: ebook, iBook, iBooks Author, Writing
Peter Pappas »
28 August 2012 »
In Ed Tech, Guest post, History / DBQ's, How To, Students, Web 2.0 »
This guest post from Greg Wimmer – Social Studies Department Chair at Central York (PA) High School – describes an innovative student project. Students, working in collaboration with the York County Heritage Trust, wrote and produced movies for historic walking tours that can be accessed via Aurasma – a location-based, augmented reality, smartphone app. Greg shares how to integrate technology and community involvement into the history classroom. Includes videos and lessons learned.
Tags: Apps, Aurasma, Central Market York, Creativity, Gates House, Golden Plough Tavern, Greg Wimmer, iMovie, Innovation, Relevance, US History, Video production, York County Heritage Trust
Peter Pappas »
16 August 2012 »
In Ed Tech, How To, Literacy, Projects, Publishing, Reflection, Strategies, Students »
A step-by-step guide to student writing that demonstrates the power of student choice, authentic audience and self-reflection. Sixth graders are motivated by writing “Traveling Through the Human Body with ABCs” for a third grade audience. The project demonstrates how to help students master content and develop project management and teamwork skills. The power of publishing enables students to think like writers, to apply their learning strategies and to organize and express their learning. It exemplifies the best of the information revolution – students as creators of content rather than as passive audience.
Tags: Comparing, Creativity, Critical thinking, Defining, ebook, Engagement, Higher-order thinking, iBook, iBooks Author, Lulu, Marzano, Motivation, PBL, Science, STEM, Writing
Peter Pappas »
16 July 2012 »
In Ed Tech, Events, How To, PD, Reflection, Strategies, Teachers »
Keynoters typically show up, explain their model, answer questions, etc. If all goes well, folks leave with an understanding of the ideas you pitched to them. Transfer of content is easy in the digital age, it’s processing the learning that’s the challenge. So I elected to flip my keynote. Why not use one of the strategies I recommend to teachers?
Here’s how I used my two hours – not to present, but to put them through a variety of experiences to provoke their reflections. (With more on how to flip your class.)
Tags: Critical thinking, Engagement, Flipped classroom, Higher-order thinking, Innovation, Learning Catalytics, Motivation, Relevance, Rigor
Peter Pappas »
07 June 2012 »
In Ed Tech, How To, PD, Presentations, Strategies, Students, Teachers, Web 2.0 »
I recently gave a webinar on getting started with the flipped classroom. Lots of good questions – seems like many teachers see the value in using “flipping” to redefine their classrooms. They recognize that the traditional classroom was filled with a lot of lower-order, information transmission that can be off loaded to “homework” via content-rich websites and videos. That frees up more classroom time as a center for student interaction, production and reflection.
Download my slide deck.
Tags: Apps, Engagement, Essential questions, Flipped classroom, Higher-order thinking, Information landscape, Innovation, Motivation, Relevance, Webinars
Peter Pappas »
04 June 2012 »
In Ed Tech, How To, PD, Presentations, Strategies, Teachers, Web 2.0 »
I just wrapped up two webinars with teachers participating in a Teaching American History (TAH) Grant workshop focusing on strategies for using documents to let your students be the historian in your classroom. I was in Portland Oregon – they were in Salt Lake City, but through the wonders of technology (I used WebEx videoconferencing along with a web-based LearningCatalytics response system) we were able to interact. I don’t think people learn much by telling them things, so I put participants “in their students’ shoes” to experience the power of document-based instruction and four key components to making it work:
1.The right documents.
2. Knowing how to look at them.
3. Letting students discover their own patterns, then ask students to describe, compare and defend what they found.
4. Basing the task on enduring questions, the kind that students might actually want to answer.
Tags: ARS, Common Core, Critical thinking, Engagement, Essential questions, Higher-order thinking, US History, Visual Literacy, Webinars
Peter Pappas »
22 May 2012 »
In How To, Reflection, Strategies, Students »
A new CEP report, “Student Motivation—An Overlooked Piece of School Reform” pulls together findings about student motivation from decades of major research. Four key elements of motivation are detailed – Competence, Control/autonomy, Interest/value, and Relatedness. Links to report, findings and suggestions that teachers, schools and parents can use to motivate students.
Tags: CEP, Common Core, Critical thinking, Curriculum, Engagement, Motivation, Parents, PBL, Reform, Relationships, Relevance
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