Last week, Wisconsin GOP Sen. Ron Johnson riled a lot of teachers by suggesting that students learn more from Ken Burns documentaries than they do in history class. (See this article.) More videos, fewer teachers! Never heard that one before. Except perhaps when Thomas Edison said: “It is possible to teach every branch of human…
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Yes, fun is a good goal
Have you ever run into students over the summer who told you excitedly that they are studying vocabulary for next year? Drawing graphs? Solving problems with formulas? Reading textbooks? No, probably not. Last night I ran into three students at a Junior Achievement event, and they couldn’t wait to tell me what they’d been doing…
Read MoreColleges: Don’t complain about who you admit
Note to readers: I’m off to a week of full-time graduate school, so I won’t be posting July 18-24. Former Stanford dean Julie Lythcott-Haims’ book about helicopter parenting and today’s college students is popping up on social media again, and I’m tired of hearing about it. She’s not the first or only university type to…
Read MoreTechnology we need in our classrooms
In just the past two weeks, I have read about Apple’s new technology that could be used to disable iPhones from photo and video recording during concerts as well as neoprene pouches, produced by a startup called Yondr, that are already being used to lock up smartphones during concerts. Why do we need these expensive…
Read MoreMissing my students during a teachable moment
The big news this week is the Brexit — Britain’s vote to leave the European Union. I wish they hadn’t voted to leave, but if they were going to do it, I wish it would have happened while school was in session. This is an incredible teachable moment. In almost any class — but particularly…
Read MoreIt’s cool when learning applies to life
Last week, Jessica, one of my seniors in AP Macro, sent me an email boldly titled: “THE BIG SHORT WAS SO GOOD.” In it, she explained that she had rented The Big Short from Red Box on my suggestion, and she was proud that she was able to make sense of it. The movie explains…
Read MoreBored? Yes, it’s a problem
There’s a running joke in my family about a niece who, as a young child, complained that she was “bored” whenever she was tired, hungry, angry, or dissatisfied for any reason. On one memorable car ride, when she forgot to wear her hat and wasn’t allowed to go back and get it, she whined loudly…
Read MoreEven a great lecture isn’t good enough
What’s one thing you could do tomorrow that would definitely engage more students? That’s easy. Inject your lesson with more opportunities to participate. It sounds too simple to be true — how could asking a question, giving a formative quiz, or allowing five minutes to think/pair/share really make any difference? And doesn’t everyone already do…
Read MoreIdeals or reality: What should civics teach?
I learned last week — from this funny but scathing commentary in our local City Pages — that Minnesota may soon require high school students to pass a “citizenship test” in order to get a diploma. According to the article, students would take a test similar to the naturalization test, which 97 percent of immigrants…
Read MoreToo exhausted for creativity?
I don’t know anyone who became a teacher so that they could lecture from a script or PowerPoint, grade multiple-choice tests or subject themselves and their students to a series of rote lessons. And yet, we too often default to these boredom-inducing strategies under the pressure of our daily workload. (Worse yet, that is exactly…
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MARTHA RUSH 