How is Your Class Celebrating?

We know it’s irrational, this never ending and constant love of pi(e).

Fortunately, there are plenty of other pi(e) lovers to unite with, and hundreds of ideas to be found to celebrate 3.14159265358979 – and pie.  

(And Albert Einstein, whose birthday auspiciously falls on this day.) 

For our part, Learners Edge will be enjoying a few different kinds of the tasty kind of pie. Check out the list below for some great ideas to celebrate pi(e) in your school or classroom! 

Slam Dunk Ideas!

This blog post was originally published on March 18, 2016, but it was so well received that we wanted to freshen it up and share it again. Enjoy!

If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em! March Madness will soon be underway, but rather than fight your student’s interest in the NCAA basketball tournament, incorporate it into your lessons! We’ve put together 5 of our favorite resources for integrating the NCAA tournament into your math, science, reading or social studies period.  Go ahead and try one out.  It might just be a slam dunk!! 

5 FUN Ideas for Getting Your Professional Learners to Reflect

John Dewey once said, “We do not learn from experience…we learn from reflecting on experience.” Mr. Dewey understood the importance of reflection, and we know you do too! For example, after you teach a lesson, you probably analyze, re-analyze, and then reflect on your analysis. But if you are on the fence about reflection, consider the research on adult learning and reflection. 

Transformational Learning is described as a form of adult “…learning that changes the way individuals think about themselves and their world, and that involves a shift of consciousness.” (TEAL, 2011) A key component of Transformational Learning is provision of opportunities for participants to think critically and reflect. Additionally, Self-directed Learning, where adult learners take the initiative in learning, includes important components like self-evaluation of work and reflection. Finally, Experiential Learning, where participants experience the learning vs. memorizing information, ensures learners have a chance to observe situations related to the topic reflectively. 

Stay up-to-date with the best books this year!

There are three things we know well at Learners Edge - books, learning, and choice. 

1. Teachers LOVE books. I have a team full of former teachers who now write content for Learners Edge as part of the Curriculum and Instruction Team. And guess what…we still love books! From my desk, I can see about fifteen books on one team member’s desk alone and between the four of us writers, there are 64 books for an average of 16 each! That’s a lot of books! 
2. Teachers LOVE learning…always have and always will! The Curriculum and Instruction Team loves writing courses on new topics because as we read the text, we learn. When we design the course and develop assignments to ensure you fully comprehend key concepts and can apply new ideas in your classroom, we learn even more. We love learning just like you! 
3. Teachers want CHOICE. While this has been a more recent revelation for us, it’s clear: Personalized professional learning combined with choice on topics is more motivating, more engaging, and more fun for educators. It increases ownership and provides opportunities to grow in areas of need and/or interest identified by the learner! You! For that reason, we have five courses in our Personalized Continuing Education category. We are the only online continuing education company to offer these types of courses. Two of these courses allow you, the learner, to choose the book. iCourse is meant to be completed independently while Text Seminar is meant to be done in a group of two or more! Your learning, your topic, your way! 

Personalizing your continuing education

Do you ever ask yourself, “How can I earn credit for all of this learning!”? 

Learners Edge has the answer, you can. 

It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3! 

At Learners Edge, we offer a suite of Personalized Continuing Education courses where YOU tell US what you want to learn.  

You can do it in three easy steps!  

Make Professional Learning Applicable to Your Participants

What would Ben do? (WWBD)

Ben (Franklin) was just down right smart. He once said, “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” This quote is often used when discussing educating children, but when you have a room full of adult learners, how do you get them involved?  

Well, WWBD? Ben would probably offer opportunities for adult learners to apply their learning. This is one excellent method to involve the learner.  

Challenges and Rewards

Hardest thing I have ever done (physically): Hike from Wild Basin Trailhead to Ouzel Lake Campsite and back again in Rocky Mountain National Park with a 40 lb. pack.  

Most rewarding thing I have ever done (physically): Hike from Wild Basin Trailhead to Ouzel Lake Campsite and back again in Rocky Mountain National Park with a 40 lb. pack. 

Hardest thing I have ever done (professionally): Teach students with emotional and/or behavioral disorders. 

Most rewarding thing I have ever done (professionally): Teach students with emotional and/or behavioral disorders. 

When I sat down to write a blog on classroom management, I started thinking about experiences I have had in my life that were similar to changing challenging student behavior. The hike referenced above came to mind. I was surprised at the number of parallels. Take a look!

Explore the World Without Leaving the Classroom

If you haven’t dipped your toes into the world of virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR) yet, you and your students are missing out!  You may be thinking, what is this VR/AR buzz all about and how do I fit it into my already busy day?  Well, let me tell you that virtual and augmented reality are becoming popular approaches for teachers to deliver content in an engaging and experiential way.  Students can use whatever devices they have to step into spaces and places that were previously inaccessible.  Think: animal habitats, the pyramids of Egypt or the Globe theater made famous by Shakespeare.  These “real” experiences can support and enhance learning in all subject areas by engaging the senses and immersing students in experiences beyond the four walls of the classroom.

Using Investigation Strategies in Professional Learning

One of my favorite things to do in my free time is to watch ANY show about criminal investigation. Popcorn…check! Heavy blanket…check! Total control of the remote…check! I’m happy! 

Documentaries like The Making of a Murderer or The Staircase and other fictional TV shows like Criminal Minds are quite popular these days. There are an abundant number of podcasts on these topics as well. But why are these my favorite and why are they so popular? Here is my theory…people like problems and we like to work toward solving them which is, in essence, investigation. 

Get up-to-date Tech Tools for 2019

It’s 2019, and technology continues to reshape teaching trends in and out of the classroom. One of the most challenging obstacles for teachers is knowing what’s new, what’s coming, and how this technology can be used to infuse new tactics to engage, educate and learn. This year, the trends are about building the “Intelligent Digital Mesh” which encompasses:

• Intelligence – AI drives everything we do across many systems going into the future;
• Digital – The digital world brings the virtual and real worlds together in a new digital reality; and,
• Mesh – Connecting people, processes, and things together in new and interesting ways.