My first class of the year went well. I have lots of interesting students in the class, people spoke up, no one fell asleep, the level of engagement was high and the amount of obvious texting was low. The time came to get people into groups for the first… Continue reading
There’s nothing like a good festival! We rarely miss the Insect Festival at the University of Arkansas. Here, the kids give actors in the Insect Theater a hug. The Insect Festival is an opportunity for the students in the entomology department to share their enthusiasm for arthropods with schoolchildren… Continue reading
A visit to the zoo may be the ultimate field trip. We went to the Kansas City Zoo, which is designed to make visitors feel that they’ve been all around the world in one day. Interpretive exhibits take you from an Australian sheep farm to an African house, with… Continue reading
We love science museums and discovery centers! Whether it’s the stuffy old fashioned Museum of Natural History with stuffed creatures in glass cases or the hands-on kind, a science museum is always a pleasure. Science City is like a science playground. Science City’s website — well, let’s just say they… Continue reading
Sure, there were bucking broncos and bulls to ride, but our favorite things at the Rodeo of the Ozarks were the sheep and the goats. Muttonbusting is an event in which little buckaroos attempt to ride sheep. It was a muddy evening when we went, so the kids were attempting… Continue reading
What if you could go on a field trip without losing class time, coming up with funding, or having to carry anyone’s jacket? Virtual fieldtrips give you that option. What’s a virtual field trip? It’s a visit to an interesting place via the world wide web. Here are a… Continue reading
I’ve just read The Multiplayer Classroom: Designing Coursework as a Game by Lee Sheldon. Sheldon, who teaches video game design, set up his whole classroom as a multiplayer game in which students went on quests and leveled to the next highest grade. He has written a book about it… Continue reading
Field trips used to be a major part of school excitement, and they can be wonderful learning opportunities. At many schools, though, the cost of fuel and NCLB have made field trips a rarity, and they have to be defended with strong, clear ties to standards and benchmarks. One… Continue reading
Here’s a PowerPoint I wrote for Happiness.org — and also for my writing class. It takes students through the basic writing process, from prewriting through editing. You are welcome to use it in your classes, or just for inspiration. Happiness : a Writing Experience Here are some more approaches I… Continue reading
