Since the beginning, administrative offices have been walled off from the rest of the school community. Decorum and privacy called for the typical office setup: large desks, walled rooms, and lots of bookcases. But in a successful school, administration and staff are equal partners in collaboration with students and faculty. Reflecting this paradigm shift, […]
Search Results for: art project
The What, Why and How of Multimedia Storytelling
Multimedia Storytelling brings a new dimension to reporting, allowing you to tell your story with multimedia using such tools as audio, video, and graphics. The multimedia storyteller identifies the elements of their story, decides whether it is suitable for multimedia production, sketches the concept for their story, gathers their tools and tells a story […]
The New Flora Elementary School
The four elementary schools serving the Flora, Ill., community needed an upgrade — some had been built as far back as the 1940s! These older facilities did not adequately serve the needs of the modern student. Recognizing this as far back as 1998, our district made the construction of an innovative new school a […]
Using Technology to Reduce Paper Consumption in the Classroom
How many times have you noticed students take your pristine handouts and carelessly stuff them into their backpacks? All that hard work and beautiful clean paper suddenly vanishes into a dark wasteland, never to receive so much as a quick scan. Students either often lose the paper or render it illegible from smearing because […]
Common Areas – Uncommon Learning Areas
You might not believe it, but networking is just as important in school as it is at Chamber of Commerce luncheons. That’s not to say that students should hand out business cards, but rather that they should be allowed time to socialize. Even younger students benefit from interaction with their peers. Interpersonal skills are […]
Think Pink! 3 Ways to Introduce Breast Cancer Awareness in the Classroom
Projects that boost awareness of breast cancer can help not only make your young students aware of the disease; it can also help build a foundation of health and wellness for your female students. Early education is a key to early detection, and learning about breast cancer early is more likely to lead to good […]
Need it, Want it, It Would be Nice – Homeschooling Gadgets and Toys
Homeschooling requires some expenditures each year – the amount you spend and the items you feel are a priority are going to be as unique as you are. Learning more about what you need – or must have – and what items you simply want can help you prioritize your purchases and avoid blowing […]
Homeschooling 101 – What are Workboxes?
What are Workboxes? Workboxes give your kids the ability to complete some schoolwork and learning independently – and give you a chance to get organized in advance. The workbox system is simple but powerful; you’ll add everything needed to complete one task into each box. Your child will then access the boxes, beginning with […]
Professional Tools Make Homeschooling Easier
Professional teaching supplies are often thought of as “strictly for the classroom” but, when your home is your classroom, professional tools can make learning much easier. In fact, items designed for classroom use often are better investments because they are designed for multiple users over many years. That means a rainbow-colored 12 ft. parachute can hold […]
STEAM for Early Childhood – Technology
By now, educators are aware that the focus of education is shifting to the skills embedded in STEAM—science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math. If our country is going to remain competitive in the 21st century global economy, our students need to become much more proficient in these subjects. With that in mind, this […]
Teaching Science for Early Childhood STEAM
Educators are aware that the focus of education has shifted to include teaching skills embedded in STEAM—science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math. In order for our country to remain competitive in the 21st-century global economy, our students need to become much more proficient in these subjects. By teaching science for early childhood STEAM […]
Collaborative Classroom Spaces: Academic Renaissance Requires Rethinking
For more than a century, students learned in rows of desks that were only able to face one way: toward the teacher. That teacher would stay at the front of the room in an effort to make learning as rigid as possible. Not only did this approach do nothing to improve discipline (the primary […]