Happy New Year, Readers! As 2011 begins I have been reflecting on a question I’ve been pondering for some time. You may have noticed a lack of blog posting in the past few months. There’s no excuse for that (though I did get married, graduate from my masters program, write a chapter in a book …
Author: Mathew Needleman
Mathew Needleman, Apple Distinguished Educator and Google Certified Innovator has been pioneering the use of instructional technology for over two decades. He has been a classroom teacher, literacy coach, conference keynoter, and he currently serves as an elementary school principal in Los Angeles, California. He is the founder of the independent education studio, Needleworks Pictures.
3 Ways to Download Movies from Youtube
I decided to update my list of tools for downloading youtube movies because I’ve discovered some new favorite tools and others no longer work. 1. The low-tech way. Load the movie, close the laptop (but not the window) and bring the computer to school. If you’re not comfortable with technology, this is the way for …
Six Ways Teachers Can Improve Education This Year
This post is about six things teachers can do in their own schools and classrooms to improve the entire field of education in the 2010-2011 school year. 1. Say hello at the door. I used to think this was silly until I read that the few words exchanged at the door may be a students’ …
First Day of School Activities
excerpted from Classroom Management for Teachers.com First Day of School Activities Lots of First Day Activities from Cape Brenton Victoria School Board First Day of School Activities by Katie Hallum First Days of School Script for Teachers by Katie Hallum Back to School Preparation Checklist and Month by Month Schedule for First Grade by Terry Analore Everybody …
Video in the Classroom Mini-Carnival #5
Here are a few new examples of classroom videomaking sites worth checking out from around the web. Elementary Mr. Alonso’s 4th grade classroom. I particularly enjoyed, The Secret to the CSTs. Mrs. McKillop’s 4th grade classroom in Elk Grove. Here is their award-winning movie, The Power of One. Middle School Mr. Mayo’s Middle School Films. …
The Low Tech Way to Show Youtube Movies in School
By request, I’m posting the steps to showing youtube movies in class the “low tech” way. For those with the technological know-how, I prefer using the firefox plugin “Download Helper” or a site like zamzar.com, however, this is for teachers with little tech know-how and a laptop. Of course, all of these methods are designed …
Good Teaching Should Be Like Pulling Teeth (Sometimes)
Teaching students to work independently. Getting students to problem solve math problems without a teacher intervening. Facilitating student-led discussions. Asking students to engage in higher level thinking when analyzing literature. Doing any of these things in your classroom for the first time may be like pulling teeth. The reason why higher level thinking doesn’t happen …
What Teachers Really Mean When They Say…
The author of the article, The Tao of American Idol, attempts to decode what the Idol judges really mean. For example: When Simon says … “You didn’t do anything different with the song.” What he really means is “I am incredibly bored right now. Thank goodness they pay me so much money to sit here …
Addressing Comprehension Errors
In order to further fine-tune students’ reading comprehension, it may be helpful to do an error analysis…looking at where students are making errors and the nature of those errors. Error analysis can be done by analyzing student test answers on standardized tests (boring—but sometimes necessary) or through listening to student conversations in literature circles. In …
What To Do When Children Cry
This funny recent video about a two year old boy who breaks down crying when his father tells him he’s not a single lady, interrupting up his joyous dance to the Beyonce tune, has me thinking about the serious subject of students crying at school and what to do about it. An Anecdote Samantha, a …