In the modern world, pure mathematicians unfortunately do not make that much money because they are perceived as ‘useless’, working purely in the strive for a beautiful proof or an elegant derivation. I feel as if many areas of mathematics have gradually pushed their way into the realm of art, since they exist purely for […]

via Prime Time — The Nexus

Advertisements

Teachers: At what are you an expert?

Mr. Shauver - Learner Educator

This is the second in a series of reflections that came out of a fantastic sit-down with #MichED -ucators Melody Arabo (@melodyarabo) and Jeremy Tuller (@jertuller). Melody asked a question that followed up by mentioning that teachers have a really, really hard time answering: What parts of your professional work would you consider yourself to be an expert?

You see, the teaching profession makes it’s members uneasy by self-promotion. And it’s understandable. Teaching is a complex skill set. Teachers are renowned for having very, very broad sets of abilities as posters like this indicate:

Technology adds even more lines to this poster. So, with so many different nooks and angles to the work, it can be very understandable that teaching is a profession that makes it’s practitioners feel as though their efforts are stretched a mile wide and an inch thick. It’s hard to feel like an expert at anything under…

View original post 754 more words

The Reality of Finding A Job

airisdiaries

I just thought of writing about one of the new chapter (finding a job) in anyone’s life because I have so many experiences to share about it. So, to start, I graduated last May 2013. I graduated with an art major. Yes, that’s right. How am I suppose to find a job when I “only” finished a degree in art? Whew! That’s tough! To tell you the truth, before I started college, I really didn’t know what I truly want. I was not even sure if I still wanted to study but of course, living here in the Philippines requires you to have a college degree to find a decent paying job. And so, I went to college and took the art course (By the way, it’s a four-year course). I had no idea why I took that course. I just went on with it. 2nd Year, I thought I…

View original post 700 more words

Quixotic Reimagining of Standardized Tests (Part 2)

BetaWorldProblems

If you remember, Part 1 was here and my goal is to construct a theoretical system of standardized tests that I would be satisfied by. Here’s what I’ve got. As usual, because of the daily posting streak I have openly committed to, standard disclaimers apply.

• We’d have a first-tier test like the SAT, except this will be explicitly designednot to distinguish among the high performers.

  The goal of the test is to assess basic proficiency in reading, writing, and mathematics. Nothing else. Most good students, those who have a shot at “good colleges” and know it, will be able to ace this test with minimal effort and can spend their time studying for other things or engaging in other pursuits. Students who don’t will still have to study and it will probably be boring, but the hope is that, especially if you’re motivated to get into a good…

View original post 1,601 more words

Teachers Transform Lockers into Book Spines by Sonia Weiser

The Midnight Writer

Story via http://mentalfloss.com/

Teachers Transform Lockers into Book Spines by Sonia Weiser

School might be out for summer, but teachers at Biloxi Junior High School in Mississippi are already preparing for the fall. A group of teachers and volunteers are turning the 8^th grade English hallway into an “Avenue of Literature” by painting the 189 unused lockers—which had been sealed shut for security reasons for more than 15 years—to look like the spines of popular books.

The teachers are hoping that by surrounding their students with books of all genres—including classics like Gulliver’s Travels and Moby Dick, and newer titles, like Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children and The Hunger Games—they’ll inspire them to explore and love literature—no matter which book they choose. Elizabeth Williams, one of the teachers working on the project, toldWLOX, “We want students to come back to school in August and walk on…

View original post 56 more words

A Little Positivity: NY Teen Who Lost Home In Hurricane Sandy Accepted To 7 Ivy League Schools

WOLB Talk 1010

Congratulations to this senior who got in to 7 Ivies: http://t.co/PPedd4iWiu. #TellYourStory in your #collegeessay to make a difference

— Story2 (@_Story_2) April 20, 2015

In the face of tremendous obstacles, an 18-year-old Long Island, NY student has been accepted at seven Ivy League colleges, according to ABC News.

Daria Rose tells the television news station that she applied to seven of the eight Ivy League colleges, and on March 31, all the schools posted their decisions online.

?I couldn?t believe it,? she said in the ABC interview. ?I thought I?d get in maybe one or two.?

News of the acceptances couldn’t be sweeter for Daria, who accomplished great academic achievement in the face of adversity. She told the news outlet that Hurricane Sandy in October 2012 forced her family to evacuate their beloved home in Baldwin, NY, after it was completely destroyed by fire.

The family was forced to…

View original post 255 more words

How to save a lot of money on your bachelor’s degree (consider community college first) – Part 3 of a 4 part series

Kent Micho

Continuing my short series on the role of community college in education, I wanted to address an area that many may not consider: That community colleges in Colorado can give you the same first two years of education you would get at a four year college, but at a much lower cost – 1/3 or less.

The Colorado Department of Higher Education has aligned the first two years of many classes across all public higher ed institutions in the state.  What does this mean for a student?  It means that if a student takes (example) “English 101” at any higher ed institution, it is the same class and if it’s a part of the Guaranteed Transfer Pathways, it will be accepted by any public higher ed institution as a transfer credit.

What this means for the student is that there is a very cost effective way to get their first two years…

View original post 432 more words

What is physical literacy and what is its place in the curriculum?

IN BRIEF

21 April 2015

Article by Michael Dauncey, National Assembly for Wales Research Service

Image from Pixabay. Licensed under the Creative Commons.

The Welsh Government has a Programme for Government commitment (pdf53.2kb) to ensure that ‘physical literacy is as important a development skill as reading and writing’. But what is meant by physical literacy? And, in the context of Professor Graham Donaldson’s review of curriculum and assessment (pdf1.7MB), what is its place in the school curriculum?

Physical literacy does not simply mean the same as ‘sport’, ‘physical education’ or even ‘physical activity’. (For an actual definition of each of these, see Appendix B of the Schools and Physical Activity Task and Finish Group’s report (pdf500KB).)

Physical literacy is best understood as the outcome of learning about physical activity or of physical education (PE). In 2014, the International Physical Literacy Association defined physical literacy as:

‘the motivation, confidence, physical…

View original post 750 more words

Attendance centers a go

Kayla Banzet - Katzer

By KAYLA BANZET

Providing students a more equitable learning environment and gaining efficiencies were the two leading factors that led to a unanimous vote Tuesday to move USD 257 elementary schools to attendance centers for the 2015-16 school year.
The tension in the meeting room could be cut with a knife during the 90 minutes of presentations and discussions. Community members attending Tuesday’s meeting said they were unaware a vote was imminent, thinking discussion was only to disseminate information.
Before board member Mark Burris made the motion, board president Tony Leavitt asked Superintendent of Schools Jack Koehn how quickly a decision needed to be made.
“You could wait a year and say ‘we’ll do this in 2016-17,” Koehn said. “If I had my choice, we would do it now. It benefits the students. Why not do it next year instead of two years down the road.”
The re-organization will have…

View original post 773 more words

Pinteresting Things: Day 2