Sustainable Bonanza » 2010 » July

Making Education a Pull not a Push

admin — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 13:23:50 +0000

This TED talk by Charles Leadbeater is great. He bring into the conversation third world examples of education. Some of the great points and innovations that I think he hits on include:

1) Project based learning which has to be productive.

2) The inclusion of creativity and using games to teach.

3) Using the Chinese restaurant model – it spreads, looks different depending on where you are, but is recognizable for what it is.

Enjoy!

This post is also viewable on iTeachToo.com through this link.

The Fibonacci in Lateralus

Kirsten — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 13:21:09 +0000

I get the chills when I watch The Fibonacci in Lateralus because:

1) It easily explains how the Fibbonacci sequence plays out in this popular Tool song.
2) It is a great example of how a student project can create inspire not only the student, but also others. (There are 1.5 million views of this video on Youtube)
3) I like how the words encourage pushing out into the unknown and exploration, something we want to inspire in our students.

This post is also viewable on iTeachToo.com through this link.

Don’t get stuck for ideas, there’s free curriculum out there!

admin — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 13:20:50 +0000

Looking to teach more about sustainability, renewable energy, or another cool hip topic that you just don’t feel you know enough about? Well first, don’t forget, you don’t have to know everything. That’s the great thing about allowing students to go out and find the information about what interests them.

But if you are hoping to at least make an introduction to new topics in the classroom, check out your favorite non-profit to see if they provide free curriculum, games or lesson plans. So many have begun to develop these services, it would be a shame not to take advantage of it. Who better to hear about issues from than the experts?

For ease here are a few examples:

Oxfam Cool Planet for Teachers

Northeast Sustainable Energy Association

This post is also viewable on iTeachToo.com through this link.