When all of our students were engaged in Thinking and Learning Time, I noticed A.A. and D.J. were working closely together at the round table. D.J. was reading a book, while A.A. was making checkmarks on her clipboard. I took a few photographs, and tried not interrupt their work. I noticed that A.A. would make a checkmark after each word that D.J. read correctly. This reminded me of the Running Records that educators complete with students to find out their reading level. Here is what the girls had to say: D.J.: We were reading together! A.A.: And I was correcting D.J. to help her read. D.J.: I already know how to read! You don't have to help me. A.A.: I made the checkmarks just to see if she's wrong or if she's right. D.J.: I liked when she did the checkmarks! Sometimes I take pictures of learning moments that strike me as unique, beautiful, or puzzling. Since I wondered about what they were doing, I wanted to have a way to show them and ask them about it on a later date. Though what I captured may not be my most aesthetically beautiful images, the meaning behind them has its own beauty! What has been unfolding in your classroom?
Our Macbeth Plot: The Story of the Play Poster is a great educational resource that will help you create relevant and engaging English Literature classrooms.
The 3 Learning Theories of Instructional Design Infographic helps you understand them and figure out which works well in a learning environment.
Wondering how to create an effective play based learning environment? In this blog post you’ll discover how to create a learning environment that enhances student engagement and promotes academic success. Explore seven proven strategies that will help you transform your classroom into an effective and inspiring space for learning.
Elementary learning spaces offers benefits to students’ physical health, social and emotional wellbeing, and academic success.
These 25 quick and easy tips for new teachers will help you create a positive, engaging, and effective learning environment for your students.
Educators, need ideas to set up your indoor learning environments for children? Find all the inspiration you need in this blog post!
The media center is an important place for learning, discovery, and collaboration, especially for elementary school students.
Earth Day is right around the corner, and this year we are especially lucky since April 22nd falls on Saturday. And you know what that means? The whole weekend for some fun Earth Day activities! And considering that the youngsters won't be regaled by teachers or extra-curricular activities since the day falls on the weekend, this year, it's on the parents to educate their little ones on the importance of protecting Mother Nature.
Encourage outdoor learning with living things using these simple project and play ideas for educators, teachers and parents!
Be inspired by these creative early learning ideas & environments shared by early childhood educators from around the world.
Teach your children about myths and legends with this comprehensive teaching pack. It includes a full topic guide, example texts to explore, story starters, activity resources and eye-catching display materials to enhance your learning environment!
Looking to study countryside management? Our distance learning Diploma in Countryside and Environment course can be started at any time.
Monday, January 18, 2016 From Kindergarten to PBL : A Monograph with Brock University Read more
You’ve likely heard the term “provocation” used with inquiry-based learning. Provocations are intended to provoke a response from students -
If you should ask me – What do you remember about your childhood? – I would answer: playing outdoors. I remember, like yesterday, creating a little hide-out under a group of tall bushes. I would spend hours with my friends gathering twigs and rocks to make those bushes into a secret hide-out. Children have a natural desire to play […]
‘Code Switching’ refers to the act of changing the way you behave due to the rules, or code, of the current environment. Being a student is hard. But, being a student learning from multiple teachers is even harder. For every teacher’s classroom that a student enters, they must swap out their current code of operation before entering the new…
Neuroplasticity allows our brains to adapt structurally and funcionally, and there are things we can do to help that process along.
Last weekend I had the distinct privilege of presenting at The Joy of Childhood Conference. I was inspired by the messing about sessions from the Hawkin's Exhibit to make this workshop a hands on, minds on experience for participants. Take a look at some of their visual representations of the sky: Here are some of the slides from my presentation: If these slides intrigued you, just wait until next week when I share the second part! It tells the story of our beloved Sky Inquiry.
Teaching young kids about the environment is an important part of helping our planet! Here are ways to start the outside when they're little
Find new ideas and be inspired with this behind the scenes look into real educators early learning spaces from our Empowered Ed community.
Recycling Sorting Mats encourage children to learn about recycling and to sort items to reduce, reuse and recycle. This is great for children to begin...
Learn what play-based learning is, how it benefits young children and prepares them for school, and how it differs from the academic learning style.
The Learning Zones of a Classroom Infographic presents seven learning zones that can help you establish routines, save time, and maintain your sanity.
This information heps you to improve you language skills, learn more about environmental problems we have today. It's just a reading worksheet for studens to introduce the main vocabulary and items - ESL worksheets
Learning provocations are used in the classroom to "provoke" thought and motivate thinking or investigation. There is some debate regarding the difference between a learning invitation and a learning provocation. Many people use these terms interchangeably. A little research found that a
Download this Free Vector about Hand drawn world environment day save the planet illustration, and discover more than 144 Million Professional Graphic Resources on Freepik. #freepik #vector #saveenvironment #saveworld #worldday
Ever wondered what the difference is between these student-centred methods of inquiry learning? Read on to find out what makes them different.
Jean Piaget was a Swiss psychologist in the early 1900s. Read about how his theories of cognitive development reinforce the idea that children can learn through play in your educational setting.
Learning provocations are used in the classroom to "provoke" thought and motivate thinking or investigation. There is some debate regarding the difference between a learning invitation and a learning provocation. Many people use these terms interchangeably. A little research found that a
I'm fortunate to have a nice big classroom with space for a Sensory Break Center in my current school. Previously, I was crammed in a tiny portable with several other teachers and had to make do with an overloaded shelf in a closet. This is what I looked like on most days! In this classroom, I have set up an area with the Learning Zone and Zones of Regulation tools. If you'd like to download the Learning Zone poster, please click here. We have tools for various sensory needs (visual, auditory, gross motor, fine motor, proprioceptive, vestibular). I have gathered tools from yard sales, raiding my kids' closets as they outgrow items, and purchasing some items with the small allowance we are given each year to spend on materials in our district. Over the years I've been able to accumulate the items that get the most use and weed out unnecessary items. Here's an overview of how the area is set up. I placed bookshelves on either side with the smaller fine motor items. The gross motor items are in the center. The Learning Zone and Zones of Regulation tools are on the bulletin board. The therapy balls and Hippity Hops are stored on the ball rack. Here are some close-ups of the fine motor items... The kids LOVE the Yoga Pretzels visual cards and the Finders Keepers toy... the green toy (I can't remember the name of it!) is a fave... The Theraputty, Rubik's Cube, and homemade magnet jar help calm many of my students who need to "shut out the world" for a little while. The magnet jar is just an old mayo jar with cut up pipe cleaners. I found the magnet wand at WalMart. The Play-Doh and stress balls are also handy to grab for a quick break. The Brain Noodles are super popular with several students. When they sit down with these for a quick sensory break they truly block out the world! It helps them re-charge. I think I found these on clearance for next-to-nothing at WalMart. I also made a few cheap-o rainsticks with different sounds out of cardboard tubes, rice, and beans. Some of the tried-and-true items that seem to work the best for the kids and were worth the purchase price are the Pea Pod (we call it the canoe), the Exerbug, the mini-trampoline, the Body Sock, the Lite Brite, the ViewMasters, the Brain Noodles and the exercise bands. This year I made a ball rack to keep the therapy balls and Hippity-Hops from rolling all over the place. It was a cheap, easy way to keep the area a bit neater. This week, I promise to take close up pictures of it and post how to make a cheap-o ball rack.
I’m a teacher. Now what do I do? There are several ways to engage learners in the classroom. Here are a few ideas if you get stuck. Additional resources: ~Mia
