Schools Out

The school year comes to an end in North America and my local television station has a persistent ad about kids losing knowledge over the summer and therefore parents need to enroll them in special summer classes as if learning can only occur in a classroom with seat firmly pressed to desk. My childhood memories are full of creativity -building forts, making neighborhood plays, creating games, imagining life in ancient cultures. What did you learn on your school vacation?

Thanks to Nearing Zero

Active Learning in the News

Dublin’s Independent reports that Mistakes are okay in new Leaving Certificate pilot project.

Tyler Independent School District Teachers interactively participated in multiple exercises concentrating on active learning and listening.

Breakthrough children's video series prepares kids ages 2-5 for childhood's big milestones while making them the star of the show.

Brittanica blog is concerned about the recommendation to end the Reading First program because of the Institute of Education Science’s interim report.

Turning Technologies LLC, a leader in the student response industry, and mimio, a leading provider of interactive and digital whiteboard technology, today announced a North American distribution agreement that allows Turning to bundle mimio interactive whiteboard products with Turning's education and professional response solutions.

Red Orbit looks at Addressing the Crisis in College Mathematics.

Can a self-centred Bangalorean appreciate a bag of tricks in remote Barabanki?

Theories

An Amazing Mind claims Sucky Schools - How To Repair Our Education System. What do you think about his ideas?

SharpBrains writes about a very basic yet powerful method of cognitive and emotional development, for children and adults alike: Play. Dr. David Elkind, author of The Power of Play: Learning That Comes Naturally, discusses the need to build a more "playful culture".

GNIF Brain Blogger writes “Raising a child is not easy for anyone, but when your child has ADHD, it can become much more difficult. It is especially difficult when your child is in a classroom environment that cannot fit your child’s needs in Does Having ADHD Mean Doing Poorly in School? This is an issue close to my heart because I had two children with unusual learning styles.

Lisa’s Online Teaching Blog compares dog and cat learners. I’m a cat who occasionally dresses up as a dog.

Teaching Tips

SharpBrains love to learn, and to see others learn. That's why we hope you enjoy this essay 10 Brain Tips That Help Me Teach…and Learn by educator Laurie Bartels as much as we do.

Mathew Needham wants you to know that with programs like Garageband, iMovie and Voicethread, students can be planning and creating projects that are probably just as much fun and equally easy to use as computer games in Computers: They’re Not Just for Games Anymore. Here is a great example of kids creating videos.

Teaching Tips.com offers 100+ Resources for Teaching Without Textbooks.

eLearning4schools.net feels it is important to highlight the usefulness of music in creating a safe and calm environment for learners to learn.

Culture Shock reviews The Top 10 Free Resources For Learning Languages Online.

@edu shares these dazzling interactive sites, reminding us of Aristotle's maxim to both teach and delight because we know the positive results of getting our students to write about issues.

Learn English articles writes about Using Word Games to Improve Recognition Skills.



Thank you to everyone who submitted this month. Submit your blog article to the next edition of active learning blog carnival using our carnival submission form before August 3rd.