National Standards kindergarten through 12th grade are on their way. At PDS we are looking forward to taking a good look at all the standards and at where we converge, and diverge, in the choices we make. And also, at where we exceed and expand national (and international) expectations. As an accredited independent school we have the ability to think…
This week in the NYTimes – news of a rather discouraging report about music and arts education across the US. And even the test sample was smaller. In the test, formally known as the National Assessment of Educational Progress in Arts, administrators at 260 public and private schools were asked how much time they devoted to art and music instruction,…
The sixth grade began planning this in science class in the fall when the monarchs stop by PDS on their migration south. They located at area on campus that was already wild, got permission and then planned how to add plant diversity to attract and support butterflies on their journey. Here they are planting milkweed and asters and other late…
The sixth annual Science Symposium meant 7th and 8th graders ready to share their work with the school community. As always – an impressive display of investigation, collaborative work and erudition. These students know their work and why it matters. And they are more than happy to share their research. In a new departure this year, the 5th and 6th…
I was sorry to miss this event but Lynn sent me pictures.This was a lesson in viscosity. They started with water and added oil. They placed three separate dry ingredients into the water/oil, one at a time: sugar, salt and baking soda. They counted the number of bubbles that rose up, observed their size and frequency and made comparisons. They…
Can you tell the anterior cortex, amygdala, and parietal lobe from the optic chiasma and the corpus collosum? If not then you could benefit from Tanya’s Cognitive Science course. I visited this week. I was not up to speed on the science, but I did learn that the students in this elective are incredible well-informed. The task was the dissection…
Can design help children learn? That’s the cover story of in the February Metropolis Magazine lent to me last week by parent-trustee Stan Lichens. It’s worth a look. And the magazine also includes design firm IDEO’s 10 Tips for Creating a 21st Century Classroom Experience. It’s a quick must-read. This is thinking to guide designers and architects when it comes…
The American Flashlight, Game Boards, Quiz Shows, a Climbing Tree, Cop Car, Electric Robot and more. All at the Electricity Trade Show in the 3rd and 4th grade yesterday. Here are a few pictures. More on Flickr
Here are just a few pictures from the display of dioramas of markets from around the world. I will add others to Flickr. These mini-markets were made by first and second graders as part of their Market Street project.
There’s another of those scary science stories in today’s NYTimes: Split Outcome in Texas Battle in Teaching Evolution. The real scary part is such ignorance is still alive and kicking, and not just in Texas. And when it comes to textbooks – as Texas goes, there goes the nation. Meanwhile next month we celebrate the bicentenary of Charles Darwin’s birth.…
“What do I need to learn this algebra and geometry and math stuff for?” Connecting learning to the real world – that’s the tag line of The Futures Channel – a great educational resource. On this page they provide a wonderful set of answers to that age old classroom math question: “What do I need to learn this algebra and geometry…
Click for a better view Wordle is no longer a novelty but here is a PDS high school curriculum Wordle word cloud. If you haven’t tried Wordle yet it’s a great tool to play with. Just enter any text or url and up comes a word cloud that you can alter and adjust in all kinds of ways. Tech tip:…
Children are natural learners. It’s what they do. And the learning is joyful and the thirst for knowledge, understanding and mastery of skills insatiable. The primary task of school is to keep that connection with joyful learning vibrant and intact. The second task is to expand the horizons of learners – to provide opportunity, to create new contexts and scaffold…