Learning Diversity dot Org

Cheating the Test or Cheating our Kids?

This editorial was written by Dr. Rebecca Miller exclusively for Learning Diversity–

http://news.yahoo.com/5-educators-charged-philadelphia-test-cheating-140510044.html

“”Significant pressures existed for the various schools to increase PSSA performance. When PSSA scores went up, school principals received promotion and accolades. Others avoided demotions and terminations”

Let’s stop this…

Promoting Social Justice Through Literature

By Kim Bonica, high school English teacher

One of the many goals of any educational institution is to help shape students into educated, well-rounded, independent thinkers who will eventually become productive members of society. As such, it is the job of schools to educate students about various concerns related to social justice and diversity in the world surrounding them, since many…

One More Thing to Worry About; We Don’t Read Like We Used To

We all know that smart phones make for dumb people, right? Here’s more proof; our ability to read deeply is in grave, grave danger. If you’re reading this on a screen (which unless you have the super-rare and highly prized hand-written, signed original, you probably are) then you’re probably scanning for exciting words (good luck!) and getting ready to bounce to some other page, or check your…

Khan Academy, Flipped Teaching, and the Inequalities of Standardized Testing

On March 5th, Khan Academy—the free, online learning platform comprised of video lectures—declared that they would be partnering with the College Board to give free testing software to the public.  Fantastic, no?  The strange partnership is touted as ushering in “a future determined by merit not money.” Yet if it is true what some recent studies have been claiming about the intractable snail’s…

Creativity: Is It Quantifiable?

I am struck, lately, by the emphasis in academia on and about social and environmental determinants that have been implemented for the sole purpose of regarding the assessment of creativity in relation to novelty and originality.  Yet for application purposes, I am curious about the distinction between major creative products like notable works of art or technology, and “lesser” creative products…

Amy Chua and Jed Rubenfeld’s latest foray into controversy is entitled, The Triple Package: How Three Unlikely Traits Explain the Rise and Fall of Cultural Groups in America. The 3 titular traits are a sense of belonging to a superior group, along with feelings of insecurity, topped off with good impulse control. According to Chua and Rubensfeld these 3 traits have propelled Chinese-Americans,…

Empowering Students’ Imaginations of what Writing Could Be: Communicating Persuasively and Unconventionally with the Public Service Announcement

By Matthew Aaron Kim

Patricia Dunn (1995; 2001), implores teachers to introduce unconventional…

On Learning Diversity

“Our traditional take on human capabilities, bolstered by an overreliance on statistical measures…

Connectivism, Chaos, and Finding Meaning though Learning

Lately I have been very focused and entranced by the idea of connectivism, and how it correlates…

Finding Value in Fragments of Stories: Ideas for Lessons

Recently, in modern popular culture, there has been an on-going debate surrounding the necessity of…

It is Time to Reconsider the Value of Wikipedia for Research Essays?

Lately I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about collaborative learning, partly because it’s a hot…

So here’s how a flipped classroom works:

  And here’s how it creates a new framework for deeper understanding:

  Has anyone had any experience flipping their classrooms?  We’d LOVE to hear your input.  Comment here or email us!

From Education Week:

A new study, published online in the journal Learning and Instruction, probes how more subtle facets of student engagement can be harder to flag, but just as critical for their long-term academic success.

Click here to see the study.

Check out this fantastic list from Refseek.com that’s compiled twenty-five websites to use in your classroom or watch with your children.

  25 Best Sites for Free Education Videos