Perfect to wrap up the year: a four-round puzzlement tournament.
Year: 2016
Brain Friendly Puzzlements
I’m reading Teaching With the Brain in Mind and realized how my weekly Puzzlements mailer has some great connections to a brain-friendly classroom! The author, Eric Jensen, writes about creating a safe classroom in which the brain can learn. Here are a few notes I’ve made. Novelty Jensen explains how the brain loves new things. […]
Encourage Interests, Don’t Expect Passions
“Passion” is kind of a ridiculous expectation when you think about it.
21st Century Careers
The idea of a 21st century may sound futuristic, but we’re already more than 20% through the century! 21st century careers are already happening all around us. You just need to know where to look!
What We Can Learn From Super Mario’s Levels
If the designers have done their jobs, the player should always feel slightly challenged, but never overwhelmed. As teachers, we should aim for the same goal: students who are stimulated but not frustrated.
Smart Kids and the Curse of the Kidney Table
What happens when a student never gets called over to work with the teacher?
Giving Better Presentations
It’s conference season, and that means we’ll all be settling in for a few sessions. I’ve put together a free resource to try to make those sessions more enjoyable for both presenter and attendee.
What is up with those “New” Depth and Complexity Icons!?
I love the prompts of depth and complexity and the content imperatives. But some teachers are being asked to use eight new prompts that just aren’t as good as the classics.
The Burden of Being Called “Smart”
The “smart” label we give kids often really means “things are easy for you.” What are the ramifications of this dangerous praise?
What Does “Smart” Even Mean?
We praise kids for being “smart”, but what do we actually mean by it? What are we actually praising? It’s a surprisingly tricky word to figure out.