Monday, April 22, 2013

It's State Testing Time!

From http://learninglaffs.blogspot.com/, from the blog This Week's Education Humor
 
State Test Time with Braindon and Dimmy
 
Braindon has a nutritious breakfast of cereal, toast, fresh fruit, and juice.
Dimmy has some Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and a Red Bull.

Braindon makes sure to bring a #2 pencil with him for test day. 
Dimmy either brings two #1 pencils or half of a #4 pencil.

Braindon remembers to take advantage of the process of elimination when he is not sure about an answer. 
Dimmy likes c’s for a while, then switches to b’s for some time, and then goes back to the c’s.

Braindon uses the scratch paper provided to figure out the most difficult math problems. 
Dimmy uses the scratch paper provided to create a funny drawing of the test proctor.

Braindon reminds himself to slow down and take deep breaths when he is feeling stressed by the test. 
Dimmy reminds himself of the joke he heard on the bus today and laughs quietly to himself.

Braindon marks the questions about which he’s not sure so that he can go back later and reconsider his answers.  
Dimmy crosses out the questions that bug him.

Braindon appreciates the content knowledge, skill, and cunning that went into creating each test item.  
Dimmy passive-aggressively expresses his disdain for the test through incidents of noxious flatulence.

Braindon uses break times to drill himself on the mathematical formulas he has committed to memory. 
Dimmy uses break times to drill himself on the excuses he’ll use when his parents see his state test scores.

Braindon – if he finishes a section before the allotted time expires – rechecks all of his answers. 
Dimmy – if he finishes a section before the allotted time expires – runs around the room collecting high fives.

Braindon can’t believe – after all of his worrying – how easy the test really was.  
Dimmy can’t believe how time flies when you are working really hard on a funny drawing of the test proctor.


 
 
 
 

Monday, April 1, 2013

STEM websites for teachers

Many school districts are moving middle and high schools towards a STEM model to prepare students for the future.  STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math.  This interdisciplinary problem-based inquiry learning can be confusing for parents, students, and educators who have never faced it before.  I would like to share some websites that can give additional information about this topic.

National Council for Teachers of Mathematics:  www.nctm.org
National Science Teachers Association:  www.nsta.org
International Society of Technology in Education:  www.iste.org
STEM Education Resource Center:  www.pbs.org/teachers/stem
PhET (free simulations):  http://phet.colorado.edu
CAST Science Writer for lab report writing:  http://sciencewriter.cast.org/welcome
Khan Academy:  www.khanacademy.org
Nobel Peace Prize:  www.nobelprize.org/educational