iPads, MakerEd and More in Education

What do highly effective teachers do in online classrooms? We combed through dozens of studies to find the best research-backed ideas.

Students often think that because they can type a phrase into Google or saying something aloud to Siri they know how to search. Of course, any teacher who has heard a student say "Google has nothing on this" or "there's no information about my topic" knows that students don't inherently know how to search despite growing up in a world filled with Google and Siri. When your students need help formulating or refining a search, have them review the following ten tip. Better yet, have them review these tips before starting their next searches.

6 Strategies For Creating An Inquiry-Driven Classroom by Irena Nayfeld, TeachThought PD Inquiry Workshop Facilitator Teachers of young children juggle a lot

Math used to be all rote memorization and pencil-to-paper equations disconnected from the real world, but more and more teachers are realizing the importance of making practical, relevant connections in math.

We asked our audience of educators: How do you use the real world to teach math? We’ve collected some of the most interesting answers, ways teachers are connecting math to the everyday lives of their students.

Barbara Oakley’s professional biography does not suggest that she was once a struggling math and science student: She is an engineering professor, author of A Mind For Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science and Mindshift: Break Through Obstacles to Learning and Discover Your Hidden Potential (which is not affiliated with this MindShift). Oakley co-created Coursera’s most popular course, “Learning How to Learn,” with Terrence Sejnowski, which has enrolled nearly 2 million students. 

But Oakley is a self-described “former math flunky” who “retooled” her brain — and who has since made it her life’s work to help others learn how to learn by explaining some key principles from modern neuroscience. 

Most teachers will say that they are creative every day, citing how they respond to the dynamics of groups and situations which arise. However, it is good to have a reminder about the deliberate use of strategies to promote creative teaching / learning; refreshing our memories, or even meeting new options to give a creative boost to our classroom. Here are five you can use right away:

Via TeachThought

The goal of fostering creativity and encouraging it to grow within our students is like planting any other seed. It takes time, attention, love, and a desire to have something new and unique come into the world. Creative expression is and always has been essential to a student’s holistic growth and development. Today, however, creativity is experiencing a renewed vitality in our digital culture that makes it one of the most important things we can teach.

But teaching creativity? How is that possible? In this article from Miriam Clifford, you’ll discover 30 ways you can work with fostering creativity in your own students.