Education Resources Blog

We used to call it hands-on learning.  Before high-tech classrooms, learning labs, and makerspaces, kids would build and create and make things using buttons, bottle caps, popsicle sticks, and glue.  The focus was on exploration, discovery, creativity, and problem-solving.  There was no clear distinction between the arts, engineering, science, and math.  Kids were making things, expressing their creativity, and they were learning how things worked. The current buzzword is experiential learning, but the concept has been around for over 100 years.  Dr. Maria Montessori would be thrilled to see the future of education rooted in her research.  The movement of “making” brings engineering, science, technology, art and design together and overlaps those instructional principles with the natural inclinations of children the power of learning by doing.  

PRESS RELEASE

Think about the discussions that happen in your classroom.  Are they frequent? Do all students participate or are they monopolized by a handful of students?  Do you use discussion to merely check understanding or do you engage students into purposeful conversations to develop thinking? 

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) boasts one of the largest ed tech conferences in the nation, drawing from 16,000 educators across the globe for professional learning, collaborative networking opportunities, and of course, some big prizes.

PRESS RELEASE

Fill in the blank. Students who are ______ are more likely to bring a weapon to school. One in eight children who are ______ fear being attacked at school. Over half of teens have been ______, and nearly the same number of teens has ______ a peer.

The following lesson plan is part of our partnership with two creative educators from The Curriculum Corner, bringing you free Common Core aligned lesson ideas, teacher resources, and templates you can easily print with your VariQuest™ Perfecta™ 2400 or your VariQuest™ Poster Maker 3600 - just be sure you have the latest VariQuest Software v4.0!

Earth Day is Wednesday, April 22nd. This special holiday provides an opportunity to teach children and young adults about sustainability, day-to-day "green" practices and the importance of environmental care. Below are 5 high-resolution, downloadable posters meant to provoke thoughts, lend ideas, and inspire students, staff, and parents to make green choices.

“One of the foremost advances in school-wide discipline is the emphasis on school-wide systems of support that include proactive strategies for defining, teaching, and supporting appropriate student behaviors to create positive school environments.” (source)

April is Mathematics Awareness Month! This year's theme is "Math Drives Careers." Math can be an engaging and intuitive subject for some students, but often it is a dry subject for others. These students ask, "When will I use this in real life?" One way to answer that question and engage learners is to demonstrate that math is all around us.