MiddleWeb

"Studio Days" Promote Creative Thinking

During most days at North Oldham Middle, students study the typical mix of subjects in a typical format where the teacher leads and students follow. But every third day, says this story in the Louisville (KY) Courier Journal, students head for a "studio class," where they pursue interests they've chosen, tying together skills and knowledge from related arts classes to design and carry out their own projects. Students who are used to being told what to do must think for themselves. "It's not easy for them," says a teacher, "but it's the best kind of learning."

 

Major Teaching Resource: THINKFINITY

Thinkfinity was launched three years ago by Verizon Foundation with an impressive list of education partners. The foundation has invested $30 million to create a premiere teaching resources site, complete with a social networking component for those who are not only looking for good lesson plans and other teaching resources, but like to talk about their work. Inside the fancy shell, Thinkfinity houses a database that includes thousands of resources in various subject areas. If you prefer to skip to the chase, once you reach the homepage, find the drop-down menu In the Classroom in the upper left of your screen and click to choose from Lesson Plans, Student Interactives, 21st Century Skills, Today in History, and more.

All Teachers: Federal Resources for Educational Excellence (FREE)

Here's an excellent general teacher resource from the MiddleWeb archives that deserves repeat attention from time to time. The Federal Resources for Educational Excellence (FREE) website is a terrific repository of teacher resources and tools, and since we last highlighted it, they've added a Twitter feed to highlight some of their best content in categories like Arts & Music, Health & Physical Education, History & Social Studies, Language Arts, Math and Science. FREE draws on materials developed by federal museums and archive collections, educational materials developed via federal agencies and programs like the National Science Foundation, as well as selected resources from sites like Scholastic Inc., the Alliance for Climate Education and other non-profits.

Timely Blogs for Music Educators

Here's a great way for music teachers to find kindred spirits in the blogging world. Our friend Nancy Flanagan, who spent most of her 30-year career teaching music in the middle grades, keeps an excellent blog called Teacher in a Strange Land. Nancy recently hosted the Carnival of Music Education. At Nancy's Carnival post, you can link to a dozen other blogs and find out how to get your blog mentioned in the next Carnival. Don't have a blog? Time to tune up!