We are honored to periodically host the Carnival of Education. Hats off to our good friend Jane Goodwin for all of her work on the latest Carnival. - editor
It’s time to put on our thinking caps and experience the 190th Carnival of Education, right here at Steve Spangler’s blog!
All learning is scientific, you know. The world is a giant laboratory, and every day, we are all, regardless of our ages, making discoveries never before known to mankind.
Perhaps some of you will make some discoveries right here at the Carnival of Education!
Remember now, we don’t all necessarily have to agree on everything to appreciate it, or realize that it has a value.
Let’s begin with some Games for the Brain. That will make us alert and ready for some educational action.
Over at Three Standard Deviations to the Left, there is some discussion about low expectations. Mr. IB lets us know, in no uncertain terms, that HIS expectations are high.
Once again, the educators that help put together the Carnival of Education have included one of our blog posts in this week’s edition of the Carnival. Check it out and support our fellow bloggers and educators by reading some of the other great blogs over there!
Preparation for standardized testing has taken a lot of the fun out of the classroom, but good teachers will find a way to sneak the fun back in. REALLY good teachers will sneak the fun back in and teach some awesome lessons at the same time!
Science teachers frequently say, “I love all the activities you do, like being able to make slime, or make water float in a bottle, but of the 220 activities you taught us, only a handful were allowed in my school curriculum. There just isn’t enough time for science because it’s not on the big test!”
A colleague went to her principal and asked: “If it is not in school time, but in private time, do you mind if I teach science?”? The principal agreed.
On average, an elementary teacher spends about 15 minutes per child per year on his/her birthday, and each year that time grows shorter. That’s why “Cup Cakes for Science” was born. The kids were offered a choice between a traditional party or a science party where the birthday child gets to be helper. After one party, the …
What happens when you put 150 teachers from 23 states and three countries in the same room for three days with a team of instructors who are over-the-top excited about teaching science? Enthusiasm for making science fun spreads like a virus. Concerns about test scores, curriculum changes or the ever-changing pressures of being a teacher seem to vanish. For three days, these teachers put their worries aside and focus on ways to bring wonder, discovery and exploration back into their classrooms. Here’s a glimpse at what happened at Science in the Rockies this year…
Not all of the participants who come to Science in the Rockies start out loving science. Hilary Vanderveen admits she was a student who didn’t like science all that much, but this experience taught her how to avoid that attitude in her classroom. Vanderveen believes the key is raising the “I wonder factor” in her students’ minds as they approach various …
