Whether we like it or not, high stakes testing has arrived. One of our main responsibilities as educators is to prepare students for success on these tests. For students to succeed, we must get students’ buy in on the importance of these tests. If students own their growth in their test scores, they are more likely to take the test seriously. They are also more likely to invest time into their education, which is what we ultimately are trying to achieve.

VariQuest's blog is open to educators across the country who are interested in sharing their ideas, stories and opinions with our network of teachers, administrators and more. If you have something you would like to share, please let us know! Email your ideas to variquest@variquest.com Charlie Brown’s teacher in the Peanuts comic strip is always represented with the phrase “Wah, Wah, Wah, Wah, Wah.” Even when Charlie answers, her retort is still the same. For many years we had a “sit-and-get” environment, teacher speak/student listen, drill and kill, skills-based learning for the knowledge and comprehension of the learning. Meeting the goal of 60% student engagement in the classroom for Common Core seems daunting, and many teachers are fearful of the Common Core approach. I am a teacher of the 70’s and 80’s. We taught the learning by embedding the skills and comprehension into the instruction through: Concept development Problem-based learning activities and simulations Inquiry method using Junior Great Books Requiring students to explain and demonstrate understanding of the critical details of what was learned Puzzles that made students analyze the features of the project to formulate the correct responses Show don’t tell method Taxonomy levels of learning

Students perform better when they feel like they are a part of a classroom and school community. Use culturally responsive practices to create a learning community where all students are engaged.

When you teach Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, high school students aren't exactly sitting on the edge of their chairs. In fact, they can be downright bored and frustrated.

The start of the new school year is a busy time for us here at Varitronics! While we work to make sure our VariQuest Visual Learning Tools are getting educators off to the start of their new year, we took a moment to reflect on our favorite memories from the first days of school.

There's nothing liike the anticipation of Homecoming Week! How does your school celebrate Homecoming Spirit Week? Do students dress for a different theme every day? Are there class competitions in addition to athletic competitions? One way to get everyone in the spirit is to transform the hallways! School staff and student groups can help make homecoming enjoyable for everyone this year by facilitating school-wide visuals.

This post serves as an introduction to our newest series on the Maker Movement and it's impact and implications in education. Watch for more blog posts on the topic and a white paper in the coming weeks.

Mission: 
To build a better life for our students by creating an environment of high academic achievement while preserving Hmong culture and literacy. 
Vision:
To close the achievement gap and be recognized as one of the top ten charter schools in Minnesota.

Daily Genius came up with this awesome infographic detailing how visuals help us learn last month, and this month Edudemic also covered the story. We were inspired by the facts and figures related to visual learning, and have listed them in a reader-friendly fashion below. The original inforgraphic is also included. Enjoy!