Typically, parents have the knowledge and children still have something to learn. With tech, the tables are often turned. At Shorecrest, an Apple Distinguished School, technology and the iPad are threaded into our Middle School days. As a result, our Middle School students have a facility with the device that adults usually do not. However, there is a need for parents to monitor the way a student uses his or her device. Here are some starting points for a conversation with your Middle School student about using the iPad appropriately and avoiding distractions.
Talk to Your Student about Using Technology Appropriately
Topics: Middle School, Parenting, Technology, Education Best Practice
They’re Not “Just” Playing: Review of Hascom’s Balanced and Barefoot
We’ve all heard the joke of the crotchety grandfather opining on his childhood: “When I was your age, I had to walk ten miles to school through the snow - and it was uphill both ways!” While the humor lies in the obvious exaggeration, this tongue-in-cheek statement also suggests its inverse: Our children generally ride to school in a climate-controlled vehicle with the windows rolled up. Indeed, much of their lives are lived indoors, or in a sanitized version of the outdoors, free of perils and bugs and other discomforts (as much as we adults can help it).
Topics: Education Best Practice, Elementary Education, Indpendent Schools, Student and Faculty Perspectives
Project-based learning. In-depth investigations. Student-centered curriculum. Terms like these describe the kind of learning that happens in the kindergarten through fourth grade Shorecrest Lower School, but what does that look like in action? Read on for a snapshot of all that goes on in just one week at Shorecrest.
Topics: Inside Shorecrest, Education Best Practice, Elementary Education, Field Trips
(or, What I learned from the ASCD Conference on Educational Leadership 2016)
I was fortunate enough to attend my second Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) Conference last month outside Washington D.C. ASCD conferences focus on putting research based ideas into practice in the classroom. Here are my three big takeaways from my three days at the conference.
Topics: Middle School, Education Best Practice
Classroom Design to Engage Students and Improve Learning
Middle School has changed dramatically from when I first stepped foot into Westwood Middle back in the 1980’s. While technology is a driving factor in the changes, the majority of improvements come from a better understanding of how students learn and what their needs are. From teachers looking to improve their classroom experience to families shopping for the best school for their student, here are four tips for designing a more engaging classroom.
Topics: Inside Shorecrest, Middle School, Education Best Practice