Does Your Feedback Help or Hinder Learning? An Inquiry into Effective Feedback
“We all need people who will give us feedback. That’s how we improve.” -Bill Gates talking to business leaders Initial thoughts There are two basic forms of feedback. Numerical or letter grades rank a student’s relative standing among classmates. The student feels good with a high grade or poorly with a low grade, but it […]
After the Conference: Developing Personal and Practical Knowledge
“Learning can’t exist in a vacuum or silo. It needs to be connected both to why you do what you do and how you go about getting things done in your everyday work.” —Tanveer Naseer Why is it that teachers go to conferences or have school seminars, yet no matter how polished the presenters […]
Break the Humour Code: Laugh and the Class Learns With You
“A good laugh is rather too scarce.” —Herman Melville Humour lightens up the classroom and energises learning in at least four major teaching and learning areas. Humour Primes Students’ Brains to Learn The best high school science teacher I ever came across claimed that his success was partly because he constantly judged the work level […]
Using Habits of Mind to Ensure the School Culture is a Supportive One
“All knowledge is sacred, but it should not be secret.” —Susan Cooper, writer Questions about the cultural inclusivity of the Habits Of Mind were raised at the Auckland Expo when a challenge to consider the cultural dimensions of the program was put to the presenters by a Maori teacher: “Why not ‘Habits of the […]
