Student Guide Corner

Have to share about a great tool I just learned about via Twitter and #spedchat. Someone mentioned Wonderopolis. The name intrigued me so I checked out the website and loved what I discovered. Wonderopolis  - "Where the Wonders of Learning Never Cease,  a place where natural curiosity and imagination lead to exploration and discovery in learners of all ages."  What was so exciting? Have you ever wondered: Why Castles have moats? Why does it rain? What is static electricity? How does a suspension bridge work? Do frogs freeze? How is yogurt made? Why is grass green? Can chocolate be good for you? Lots to wonder about and find answers. Students can add their questions to the "Wonder Bank" and vote for their top wonder questions.  But, what is especially wonderfu l is the built-in multimedia features and audio supports. There is customizable text to speech added to every article using RealSpeaker , text to speech. There are videos and a word bank with definit...

This website recently went over 146,000 total page views.  That is about 145,000 more than I ever expected when I began.    I want to take a moment this morning to thank everyone who reads these postings and shares them with other teachers.  Obviously, there is no real marketing of this site.  People tend to learn about it from other teachers.   Word-of-mouth.   So, thanks for sharing!!!  I sincerely believe that most teachers want to think more deeply about the art of teaching.   I hope this website serves as an occasional prompt for such thoughts. This will be my 211 th posting.   Several of these essays over the years have gathered more interest than others.   In terms of readership, here are the Top Ten in case you would like to check out some of the more popular postings. --What Do We Add?  (July 22, 2010) --What Is the Purpose of A Final Exam? (May 12, 2010) --Introduction�Teaching Financial...

Now and then, I come across some thoughts on teaching that I think are worth sharing.   That happened yesterday here at the Robins School of Business.   My email to our faculty and staff is below.   No matter what the individual jobs are here at Richmond, we are all in the education business.  This place exists, at least in large part, to maximize the knowledge, wisdom, and understanding of our students.   Passing information like this along to others can help keep teaching (and the thinking about teaching) alive as an important part of our culture.   You can do the same thing in your building.   Whenever you learn something about teaching that you feel might also help others who face similar challenges, then pass it along.   Don't be timid.   Don't be shy.    ** Email Note: A friend of mine here at the University of Richmond passed along the following URL of a recent NPR discussion with Ken Bain. ...