Archive for the ‘Public Education’ Category

Michael Horn was interviewed this month by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) for their monthly Education Update. "Q&A: Disrupting Class - an interview with Michael Horn" speaks to the core need for differentiated instruction via technology in the classroom.

A recent newspaper article on drafting Common Education Standards had me thinking about screws, widgets, standard gauge railways and whether even those politicians with the best of intentions really get what it means to provide a child with an appropriate - and timely - education.

I’m a member of a large online community of moms where we often discuss the ups and downs of raising kids in a digital age. Recently another mom posted a question wondering if exposing kids to video games at a young age leaves them ‘no time to think’. After working with teachers and schools that are using DreamBox in the classroom I think it is dangerous to lump all 'video games' into one negative category for kids. One of the benefits of raising children today is that there are many ways that technology is advancing learning, even for very young kids.

Dear Mr. President, A week ago you stood in front of the nation and spoke the following words: “That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood . . . our schools fail too many . . . [But] we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.” We at DreamBox Learning welcome your words.

I’m increasingly conscious of the gap between the urgent calls for more effective math education in the U.S., and the seemingly low expectations some parents have for their own child to advance in math. It’s as if the pressing national need has nothing to do with us on a personal level. I hear parents talk about their child’s math performance, and say things like “I was never good in math either.” Or regarding newer ways of teaching math, I’ve heard “I don’t like the ‘new math’ because I wasn’t taught that way.”

When we conceived the idea for DreamBox Learning online math games, we knew that homeschoolers would be people we understand and relate to. After all, we have a lot in common. Homeschoolers believe in taking no chances with their kids' education. DreamBox agrees. Homeschoolers believe that hands-on, individualized learning is crucial. DreamBox agrees. While these bloggers represent a range of views and approaches, they share a passion for education, they believe each child deserves a quality learning experience, and they are willing to invest their time and effort to making that happen. That's also the mission that DreamBox Learning is founded on.

In the seemingly infinite blogosphere it can be a huge investment of time to figure out which education blogs are most worth reading. Luckily, DreamBox has done the work for you, reading many education blogs on the internet to tell you about some of the very best. When we created this blog round-up, we looked for [...]

Someone recently asked me whether better math education would have avoided our current financial crisis. My immediate response was, "Unfortunately, no!".

Let me begin by encouraging you to read this Washington Post article on the failings of homework. For those who want the CliffsNotes, the net is that rote, unimaginative, repetitive, grinding and brutally boring homework doesn’t help. To the contrary, it actually hurts students across several fronts.

Recently I wrote about one of the key issues in the recent Bellevue teacher strike: the mandated scripted curriculum. But this is a complex issue and I think there’s a larger point to be made about this: the connection between the standardized curriculum and standardized testing.

The Bellevue, Washington teachers have thankfully settled their strike and are back in their classrooms. At DreamBox we followed their issues with heightened interest, not only as parents of elementary kids and educators, but as citizens of a society that badly needs children who grow up to be smart, serious, and engaged problem-solvers.

It’s almost Fall and pumpkin season is coming alive. I’ve seen signs for corn mazes, harvest festivals, and of course, Halloween candy out in the shelves at the store. I love this time of year! One thing I love to do in my classroom is explore the anatomy of pumpkins with my students. Even though [...]

I always say I learn everything the hard way. By that I mean I don’t learn a lesson as well when I hear about someone else’s mistake as I do when I make it myself. Experience really is the best teacher.

Because of rising fuel costs, some rural schools with long bus routes are considering shortening the school week to stay on budget.

I took time off from work the other day for a very important occasion with my 5 year old son: a chance to meet his new Kindergarten teacher and classmates, and preview his new classroom!