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You are here: Home / Archives for learning

Individual Playlists

March 26, 2014 By:Alison McNee

Research: Teacher and blogger Matt Levinson writes about the potential the Internet holds for engaging student learning. He argues that educators should capture students’ natural fascination with technology to use it to our advantage, creating individual “playlists” of learning resources for every student. Beyond that, it’s just as important to teach students the responsibility that comes with so much information, learning which resources to trust and how to use them.

Practice: Our teachers are not restricted to the methods or materials they use to obtain their class goals. Chrysalis teachers are encouraged to be creative and resourceful in creating their classes and choosing course content. Furthermore, students are encouraged to be part of the process so that their coursework reflects their interests. You’ll see our students using a variety of resources to support their learning, from smart phones and ipads to online textbooks and videogames.

Filed Under: Blog, Research Tagged With: Choice, Interests, learning

Learning, Sharing, Food and Friendship

October 24, 2012 By:Alison McNee

On October 18th, many South Campus students and families gathered to celebrate autumn and American History.  The school was filled with the delicious smells of pumpkin pie, cornbread, roasted vegetables and more.  This was the first of four such celebrations where students act out folktales, display art projects and share what they’ve learned in different units.  Third and fourth grade drama students presented a creative interpretation of RAVEN, a Native American folktale, using masks, movement and music.  Fifth grade boys shared a puppet show about the LOG CHIEF and a silly story called GOOD & BAD.  These 5th grade boys also created many of the set pieces and props for both groups. Several classes participated by sharing TALL TALES, COLONIAL GAMES and STATE REPORTS.  It was a delightful afternoon of learning, sharing, food and friendship.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: American History, learning

Book Review: Brain Rules, Dr. John Medina

April 21, 2011 By:Chrysalis School

By Karen Fogle

Book: Brain Rules

Big Idea:

There is an abundance of scientific research detailing how the brain works. This information is extremely important for anyone interested in maximizing their performance in various  environments.

Notes:

Brain Rules was written by Dr. John Medina, a developmental molecular biologist, affiliate professor at the UW and director of the Brain Center for Applied Learning Research at Seattle Pacific University. These interests combine to make a compelling picture of how our brains work and the Brain Rules we need to follow so our brains work their best. Add to this his sense of humor and this book is a must read. If you don’t have time to read the book or are in a great hurry for the information, go to his website brainrules.net and see the 12 brain rules demonstrated by John on video.

Quotes:

John’s thoughts on schools based on Brain Rule #3- Every brain is wired differently.

“Every student’s brain, every employees brain, every customer’s brain is wired differently. That’s the Brain Rule. You can either accede to it or ignore it. The current system of education chooses  the latter, to our detriment.  It needs to be torn down and newly envisioned in a Manhattan Project-size commitment to individualizing instruction. We might, among other things, dismantle all together grade structures based on age.”

“1.)The current system is founded on a series of expectations that certain learning goals should be achieved by a certain age. Yet there is no reason to suspect that the brain pays attention to those expectations. Students of the same age show a great deal of intellectual variability.

2.) These differences can profoundly influence classroom performance. This has been tested. For example, about 10% of students have brains wired to read at the age at which we expect them to read. Lockstep models based simply on age are guaranteed to create a counterproductive mismatch to brain biology.” (Medina)

Also a must read for parents of babies and children of all ages is John’s latest book, Brain Rules for Baby.

Filed Under: Quotes & Notes, Reviews Tagged With: brain, children, educational, learning, rules

Book Review: Your Child’s Strengths, Jenifer Fox

February 17, 2011 By:Chrysalis School

By Karen Fogle

Book: Your Child’s Strengths

Big Idea:

You make your greatest progress in an area of strength, not an area of weakness.

Notes:

One idea we can’t seem to get out of our heads is that school and education is about pointing out errors and spending time working on improving our weaknesses. There is extensive research supporting the concept that we will be happier and have a higher level of performance if we focus on developing our natural abilities and strengths. It doesn’t mean weaknesses aren’t addressed. It just means that weaknesses need to be put in the background and minimized. This book goes into great detail about how you can help your child discover their areas of strength as well as the activities and relationships that strengthen them. It details how you can help your child identify their strengths and achieve their greatest potential.

Quote:

“The setting most responsible for the proliferation of the term learning disability is the traditional school. If all public and private schools are working off the same model of teaching and learning the student will be disabled in every school that uses that model. Therefore, schools must be willing to depart from the traditional methods used to teach and assess performance. Better schools will create programs that meet students where they are and take them where they have faith they can go.” (Fox)

For more research on this topic and an adult survey to help you discover your strengths, see Marcus Buckingham’s book Now, Discover Your Strengths

Filed Under: Quotes & Notes, Reviews Tagged With: children, educational, learning, parents, strengths, teachers

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