Jen Saul combines think time, partner discussions, and an emphasis on students' personal strategies to build confidence through mental math. Students use and discuss the strategies of "decomposing," "splitting," and "jumps of ten."
7th Grade Math Teacher Chris McCloud from the School of the Future in New York explains how he talks to students about lost class time and how a few minutes each day adds up to a lot of time over a week or a month. He quantifies wasted time doodling or not being focused for 5 minutes in 1 class period to losing 100 minutes in a month, which comes to about 2 full class periods lost in a month.
Seventh-grade science teacher Alastair Inman takes what can be the dry subject matter of the history of the Earth and makes it an active learning experience for his class. Using a three-part method involving outdoor activity, multiple research methods, and a hands-on in-class project, students create a timeline of Earth's history that also incorporates their math skills and new vocabulary.
Teacher Jeremy Howard takes a history lesson about the Holocaust and makes it personal. By showing students video testimony of survivors and how prejudice can lead to eventual genocide, they not only learn what events led up to the Holocaust, but question themselves as to what they would have done in similar circumstances. It is a lesson about personal responsibility, the meaning of empathy in today's world, and choosing to do the right thing in their daily lives.
Sixth grade students at Eckstein Middle School use their understanding of electricity to explore electrical current in a circuit with photovoltaic cells.Using a lamp to model the sun, students work in teams and connect different power sources in series and parallel circuits to determine the effects on light bulbs or small motors. Discussion between students about the differences in voltage and the flow of electrons from negative to positive terminals provide opportunities for students to explain their learning and for the teacher to assess their understanding.Learning is extended beyond the experiment as students use photovoltaic cells to power equipment and offset electrical load in the classroom.
Ms. Whicker uses similar figures, 3D views and cross-sectional views to have her students construct figures using manipulatives.
Mike Rettberg demonstrates Newton's Laws to his 8th grade science class by rolling a cart containing an egg into a barrier and crashing it. In the process, students learn difficult terms that are reinforced by their discussion of which Laws they are seeing in action.
The wraparound learning experience is demonstrated by Sandi Silbernagel as she teaches her students about Cajun Tall Tales. Instructional expert Jim Knight discusses strategies and activities that can affect learning outcomes.
Instead of going through the normal court system, students are tried in a youth court by a jury of their peers. The jury hears the case (sometimes tried by student lawyers) and decides on the consequences for the student on trial. The program has seen incredible success.
Students take classes and work all week to produce a Friday radio show that goes live on air. Every student presents their weeks work (reviews, commentary, investigations) on air. Watch as students work with their peer teachers to perfect their work before Friday.