10 TEDs to Create a Learning Environment for Your Classroom

10 TEDs to Create a Learning Environment for Your Classroom

It is my humble opinion that the number one key to the success of a "Learning Classroom" is the development of a classroom environment that values learning over the accumulation of grades.  Creating a community of learning that we all benefit when we all participate in the process of gaining knowledge.   While this may seem "utopian", there is an actual joy that comes about in students who lose the the stress of being defined by a letter.  

I use these TED's in my classroom and as home viewing content to assist in the development of that learning environment for the students entrusted to my care.  

TED Ed - Flipped Lessons

I have discovered creating flipped lessons through TED Ed (http://ed.ted.com).  The site allows instructors to use any of the pre-formatted TED Ed Flipped lessons and personalize video lessons  for the instructors classroom and curriculum. Teachers can use any TED (http://www.TED.com/video) or You Tube (http://www.youtube.com/user/SMARTERTEACHER) video to create a flipped lesson.  The format allows the instructor to create 15 multiple choice or short answer questions that can be directly linked to the video.  Also included in the lesson format are options to create discussion questions and additional assignments based upon the topic of the flipped lesson.  

The flipped lesson format of the TED Ed site is a functional means of introducing new topics through multimedia formats.  Creating support lessons for extending the classroom for additional work and/or review of material.  Or to supplement the curriculum with additional topics that cannot be completed within the guidelines of the curriculum.    

TEDitorials

During the last two years, I have tried to increase the Effective Communication aspect of the

Three C's of the science curriculum in my classroom.

Students have become so compartmentalized in the subjects we teach they tend not to bring their English minds to the table when it comes to writing in science.  While I explain to students that their are differences in the way we may present information in science, it is important that their written communication is organized, clear and concise and demonstrate the same expectations of gramar, punctuation, capitalization and spelling as they would in a paper for English or History.

To accomplish this, I have used an assignment called a TEDitorial.  I select and post a TED video (http://www.ted.com/) on my classroom Moodle site every Monday throughout the semester.  Students must view five TEDs throughout the semester and compose and post an editorial supporting or denying the claims of the TED presenter.  Students must incorporate their own research and information from our classroom discussions to support their opinion of the presenter's information. 

The trend through three semester of this assignment has been very typical.  I usually need to spend a great deal of time explaining the difference between a summary of the TED and an editorial for the first two submissions.  I also spend a great deal of time correcting the English aspects of their writing. Which most students can't seem to understand why this is important in science course.  By the third submission most students are actually writing editorials and submitting extra in the way of links to websites they discovered while researching the topic further.  I also have discovered that interest tends to peak about the fourth editorial and students watch several of the TEDs before choosing one that they have more passion about and truly want to editorialize.

I have found that many students begin to visit the TED site on their own to search out information about other topics on top of the science and learning based TEDs that I have selected for them.

The Wonder of It All

 Robin Ince: Science versus wonder?

Have you ever examined the human skeleton and truly tried to understand the engineering behind this amazing piece of machinary that we each depend upon?

This is a constant theme in my classroom. 

Science does not kill the magic, it only enhances it.

The example I use in my anatomy class is the structure of our forearms. 

How amazing is the design mechanism between the ulna and the radius?

How perfectly the crown like head of the radius fits neatly into the radial notch on the ulna

at the crux of the elbow.

Likewise, the ulnar notch on the radius fits snugly on the curved head of the ulna at the wrist.

Due to this marvelous piece of engineering genius we can rotate our wrists, unlike every other non-primate on earth.  How many simple actions do we accomplish each day beacause we can rotate our wrists, brushing our teeh and hair (hopefully with different brushes), flipping pancakes, tying our shoes, etc... etc...

Not to mention the amazing feats we can accomplish on the athletic field,

in art and music studios or on stage. 

  

  

Imagine going through an entire day without being able to rotate your wrist. What would our lives look like? This all but taken for granted piece of the amazing design of our human machine is only a minute example of the wonder of all of the universe. 

It is through the magic of science that the wonder and awe only becomes that much more amazing.

Welcome Back!!!

School is back in session.
Summer vacation has come to an end.
Students are heading back to the classroom.

Are you simply going to break out last year's lesson plans and change the dates?
Will you make copies of the same handouts you used last year?
Will this year's students hear the exact same stories you have told for the last five years?
Can students simply find copies of last year's quizzes and tests from your former students?
Have you checked the video library to make sure the same movies will be available again this year?

What will you bring to your classroom this year?
What have you added to your repertoire?
How will you enhance the learning process for the students entrusted to your care?

Have you added a new project to the curriculum?
Did you increase your understanding or use of technology?
Have you read journals, books, blogs or newletters to gain new stories and information?
Did you or will participate in a workshop or inservice to gain new insights?
Have you read any new research on how the brain learns?
Did you visit other teachers classrooms to add to your Best Practices?
Did you take a class this summer? 
Did you travel to someplace that will provide inspiration to your classroom?
Have you watched any documentaries, TED Talks or You Tube videos to add to your knowledge base?
Have you created a classroom blog?
Will you create new quizzes or tests?
Have you added a new text?
Have you changed the decor of your room?

What will be new in your classroom?
How have you made yourself a better educator?
Are you a Dynamic Teacher?

I refer you back to one of my first blog posts, If as a Teacher...

Remember, Stagnant Waters Kill the Fish!!!

If you wish to turn your students into life long learners, than you must also value learning?

Your growth as an educator is just as important as their growth as students of learning?

Reading in Science - Beyond the Textbook

The number one skill necessary for success on standardized tests is the ability to read. Even success in the math section of standardized tests is dependent upon the ability to read. 

Students should be told from the first moment that they can read that this is the one skill they should hone above all others in order to do well on the tests that will determine much of their academic placement for the rest of their time in school.

However, if you ask most students, they will associate reading with English.  They very rarely associate reading with the other subjects and they do not consider reading the text as reading. 

That is why I make reading a part of my science curriculum whenever possible.  I have implemented reading outside of the text in my Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Environmental Science classes for many years now.  I use these books to provide students with concepts that can supplement the text but also to encourage students to explore the subject from a variety of viewpoints.  But, most importantly this additional reading is to get students to understand that reading is not something that is isolated to the English classroom.

In Biology, my classes read The Hot Zone by Douglas Preston as a summer reading text prior to their freshman year of Biology.  There is no better way to get a group of 9^th grade boys enthused about a subject then having a true story about death, blood gore and search into hidden caves in Africa to find the source of the disease. (see TED Talk Ali Carr-Chellman: Gaming to Re-engage Boys in Learning) There are many science topics that can be discussed from the study of the Ebola outbreak from Central Africa to Reston, Virginia including, the scientific method, epidemiology, immune system, vectors, hosts, disease, bacteria, virus, plague, AIDS, the CDC and WHO and cultural views of death.     

  

I have used Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton to introduce the concepts and ramifications of biotechnology. While I do not necessarily want my students to think they will be visiting genetically created dinosaurs in their future, I do want them to understand the possibilities of genetic research and the ramifications of the widespread use of biotechnology without the proper oversight or as Crichton points out a lack of a watchdog for this revolution. Jurassic Park is another book that provides a great story line to get students, especially teen age boys, engaged in the subject of Biology.

The third book I use in Biology is Jennie by Douglas Preston.  Jennie is the story of a chimpanzee brought from Africa and raised in a family as one of their own children. The story provides opportunity to discuss the biological, sociological and psychological differences between man and other primates.  Insights into the process of learning that takes place as Jennie assimilates into life as a chimpanzee in a human existence from language to imagination the observations are fascinating.  Do not replace this text with the Disney movie version as with most movies it does not live up to the story line or have nearly the same educational impact as the book.

I have already described the use of Ishmael by Daniel Quinn in my Environmental Science classes.  I have used A Civil Action by Jonathan Harr to discuss water and the legislative process of environmental issues. Students have read Uncle Tungsten by Oliver Sacks in Chemistry to understand the development of the periodic table and the understanding of chemical study.  In Physics, I have used Richard Feynman’s Six Easy Pieces to introduce the basics and complexity of Physics.

Reading novels, biographies, non-fiction are great means to get students to appreciate the subject of science without the formalness and dryness of most textbooks.  Let’s face it, most of us have experienced the flat forehead of a reading nap from an exploration of a biology or chemistry text book.

What Do You Make?

I have recieved this several times in various forms throughout my years as an educator.
Each time I see it, I am reminded of why we do what we do.

What do you make?

The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life.

One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education.

He argued: "What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?"

He reminded the other dinner guests that it's true what they say about teachers: "Those who can: do. Those who can't: teach."

To corroborate, he said to another guest: "You're a teacher, Susan," he said. "Be honest.  What do you make?"                

 Susan, who had a reputation of honesty and frankness, replied, "You want to know what I make?"

"I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.

I can make a C+ feel like the Congressional Medal of Honor and an A- feel like a slap in the face if the student did not do his or her very best." 

"I can make kids sit through 40 minutes of study hall in absolute silence."

"I can make parents tremble in fear when I call home."

"You want to know what I make?"

“I make kids wonder."

"I make them question."

"I make them criticize."

"I make them apologize and mean it."

"I make them write."

"I make them read, read, read."

"I make them spell "definitely & beautiful" over and over again, until they will never misspell either one of those words again."

"I make them show all their work in math and hide it all on their final drafts in English."

"I elevate them to experience music and art and the joy in performance, so their lives are rich, full of kindness and culture, and they take pride in themselves and their accomplishments."

"I make them understand that if you have the brains, then follow your heart...and if someone ever tries to judge you by what money you are paid, you pay them no attention."

"You want to know what I make?"

"I make a difference."

"What do you make?"

There is a great take off on this by Taylor Mali on a TED Talk.
http://www.ted.com/talks/taylor_mali_what_teachers_make.html

TED - Your own private forum.

www.ted.com/

TED is a small nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. Since then its scope has become ever broader. Along with two annual conferences -- the TED Conference in Long Beach and Palm Springs each spring, and the TEDGlobal conference in Oxford UK each summer -- TED includes the award-winning TEDTalks video site, the Open Translation Project and Open TV Project, the inspiring TED Fellows and TEDx programs, and the annual TED Prize.

These 10 to 20 minute videos provide an opportunity to expose students to the ideas, causes, challenges, solutions, that are currently and will be changing the world that we share.  I integrate these videos into my classrooom to introduce topics. I assign videos for homework and create forums for students to respond online to me and to each other about what they heard and saw in the video.  I use them to inspire my students to strive beyond the limitations and to believe in the possibilities that lie ahead.

TED is an acronym for Technology, Education and Design, however, the talks run the gamut, from a juggler who explain the patterns used in math and the challenge of overcoming difficulties in school  through the rythmic patterns of repetition or the educator who created a tinkering school that allows children to build rollercoasters using power tools at very young ages. I share these talks with parents, colleagues and friends.  I have yet to visit the TED site without finding something of interest.

A visit to the TED website will open unlimited possibilioties for you, your classroom and your students.