Dive into two more powerful action writing strategies that are sure to sharpen your students’ critical thinking skills. Ready for more action writing strategies that encourage critical thinking in an AI world? In the first part of this blog entry, you saw three powerful action strategies. Those strategies included collaborative writing workshop, structured debate blogs, and reflective journaling with metacognitive prompts. In this follow-up to part one, you will see two more action writing strategies. These two strategies, just like the first three, are designed to engage student writers and improve their analytical skills.

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Explore action writing strategies that help teach critical thinking. Flip the script on AI-powered thinking and empower your students’ minds! AI-powered writing threatens the status quo of classrooms. And while AI literacy supersedes digital literacy, teachers and students are scrambling to learn how to use AI the right way, leaving writing teachers in despair. In fact, many educators believe that AI is short-circuiting writing exercises intended to teach critical thinking. In this blog entry, we’ll explore the first three of five research-based action writing strategies that flip the tables on AI-powered, short-circuited critical thinking and writing. Check them out and start incorporating them into your lesson plan today!

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AI-Generated 3-2-1 Summary

Based on the article “Teach Critical Thinking with These Action Writing Strategies: Part One” by Miguel Guhlin, here’s a 3-2-1 summary:

3 Key Points

1. AI-powered writing is challenging traditional classroom practices, prompting educators to seek new strategies for teaching critical thinking through writing.

2. The article presents three action writing strategies to counter AI’s impact: Collaborative Writing Workshops, Structured Debate Blogs, and Reflective Journaling with Metacognitive Prompts.

3. These strategies incorporate evidence-based instructional practices such as peer tutoring, cooperative learning, and classroom discussions, which have high effect sizes for improving learning outcomes.

2 Intriguing Questions

1. How might the implementation of these action writing strategies vary across different grade levels and subject areas?

2. What potential challenges might educators face when integrating these strategies into their existing curriculum, and how can they overcome them?

1 Personal Reflection

The author’s innovative approach to combining traditional writing techniques with modern critical thinking models offers a promising path for educators to adapt to the AI era while still fostering essential skills in students. This blend of old and new methodologies suggests that the future of education lies not in resisting technological advancements, but in creatively leveraging them to enhance learning experiences.

This looked intriguing…

A new artificial intelligence system, called OpenScholar, is promising to rewrite the rules for how researchers access, evaluate, and synthesize scientific literature. Built by the Allen Institute for AI (Ai2) and the University of Washington, OpenScholar combines cutting-edge retrieval systems with a fine-tuned language model to deliver citation-backed, comprehensive answers to complex research questions. source

Access OpenScholar

Consent to Use Data or Opt Out

I loved this message about data usage consent. Very considerate, no?

Consent to data collection

By using Ai2 OpenScholar, you agree to the Privacy Policy, Terms of Use, Responsible Use, and that you will not submit any sensitive or confidential info.

Ai2 may use your prompts and inputs in a public dataset for future AI research and development. You can still use this tool if you opt-out.

A Quick Search

One topic that’s pretty popular is retrieval practice. I typed it and here’s what I got:

Although I’ve read some other articles and info about this topic, I confess that I’d never heard of the Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve!

Retrieval practice is a learning technique that involves actively recalling previously learned information from memory, rather than simply re-reading or passively reviewing it (Pan et al. 2021). Research has shown that retrieval practice can significantly enhance learning and knowledge retention, with benefits extending beyond the learning environment (Khoo et al. 2023). This technique is rooted in the Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve, which observes that individuals tend to experience a rapid decline in memory of newly acquired knowledge over time unless they engage in active review of the learned material (Cowan et al. 20232).

Give it a spin! Access OpenScholar

What effective learning strategies can you enhance with AI tools? Leverage AI to make you a more effective and efficient learner! Let’s take a look at how you learn. Then we’ll try to answer the question, “How can I use AI chatbots to improve my application of those effective learning strategies?”

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Prompt Ideas

Some ideas for prompting:

Gathering New Knowledge

I am interested in learning more about [Insert Topic]. I am basing a lot of my new knowledge on [Insert Source (e.g., a book, article, course)]. Here’s what I already know about this topic: [Insert prior knowledge]. Could you generate questions that connect [Source] to what I already know, and create a personalized learning plan based on my interests? Could you also create a visual diagram (e.g., a mermaid diagram) that I can add to over time, connecting key ideas?

Thinking About Content

You are a critical thinking coach. Analyze my perspective on [topic], then play devil’s advocate to challenge my assumptions. Generate thought-provoking questions that prompt deeper reflection. Finally, explain my thought process back to me, highlighting areas for metacognitive improvement. Let me know when you are ready to question my assumptions in an interactive manner.

Maintaining Your Learning

You are a personalized learning assistant. Create a spaced repetition schedule for my study topics. Generate practice problems that interleave different subjects I’ve learned. Regularly quiz me on past material to test my recall. Adjust the schedule and problem difficulty based on my performance.

I want to add something to this that I read about recently and plan to try. It’s called Quadrant Note-Taking.. Stay tuned!

Here’s a blog entry I wrote a few months ago, but is only appearing now on this important topic.

Explore how AI tools enhance Universal Design for Learning in K-12 classrooms. See 5 ways AI boosts student engagement and success. How can you design learning experiences for students that resonate with them? You offer different ways for students to understand information and show they have learned it. You also design lessons to be interesting and motivating for all students. Doing that can be tough, which is why AI chatbots can be such an aid. Let’s take a look at how AI boosts learning.

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One of my favorite quotes is one popularized by Marcus Aurelius in the foreword of Ryan Holiday’s book, The Obstacle is The Way. It captures one of those insights life beats into you five words. It seems obvious in hindsight. Ryan Holiday quotes Aurelius in this way:

Our actions may be impeded . . . but there can be no impeding our intentions or dispositions. Because we can accommodate and adapt. The mind adapts and converts to its own purposes the obstacle to our acting. The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.

My blog entry linked below does not aspire to such lofty wisdom. It begins as an observation, a way of capturing the roadblocks I have encountered and sought to work through or detour around. I suspect that my love of the “roadblocks and detours” approach to writing a blog entry goes back to the time when a TEA Monitoring Committee came to my school in Edgewood ISD in my 3rd year of being a public school educator (4th year if you count Private, Catholic School experience, which the State of Texas does) and my first year as an “Campus Instructional Technology Coordinator.”

To address our use of technology, I hit upon the idea of roadblocks and detours. The roadblocks were issues the campus staff and/or students were facing, the detours the way around them through the use of technology. I am happy to report that my first experience with the Texas Education Agency earned the campus a commendation, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. Other campuses being reviewed did not receive such favorable outcomes.

This mattered because, at the time, my campus principal (David Gonzales) and I stood against the onslaught of Integrated Learning Systems (ILSs) in the form of SuccessMaker being deployed district-wide. At our campus, though, our focus was on higher-order thinking skills (HOTS), using technology as a productivity tool, and that approach apparently won the positive regard of the TEA Monitoring team.

In the end, we still lost the fight with the Superintendent. She pushed drill-n-practice into all the school computer labs, earning that rumored kickback cruise and other perks. My principal faced forced retirement. I moved on to East Texas, where I became a District Instructional Technology Specialist, later coordinator and ultimately director in educational technology.

Was it worth it? Yes, yes, it was. Even though we lost the war, we won the battle and that made a difference for many staff and students. If I had simply acceded to what inspired the roadblocks, where would I be now? Taking the detours, that road less travelled made all the difference.

The Blog Entry

Here’s an excerpt from the blog entry inspired from my observations:

Navigate K-12 leadership roadblocks and detours as you learn how to identify common roadblocks and implement data-driven solutions. Imagine you’re a superintendent, director, principal, or a person tasked with a job. You have some autonomy to do amazing work, but roadblocks often appear. A few roadblocks aren’t that big a deal, but others drain your energy. How can you avoid hitting every pothole on the road to success while navigating K-12 leadership roadblocks and detours?

One way is to be aware of the challenges before or as they happen and have an exit strategy. Before we talk about detours, let’s revisit some common roadblocks.

Read more and see the detours to roadblocks

While cruising Facebook groups earlier this month, I ran across this question. Having never heard of one of the acronyms, PEARL, I was curious to learn more about it. These days, acronyms are a dime a dozen. But this question resulted in some conversations among the Facebook group

At the end, you’ll get access to a new, text analysis digital tool that combines PEARL and CER.

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Discover how to align SIOP phases with learning intentions and leverage digital tools to enhance your teaching. How do you integrate language and content instruction? One established approach is the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) model. Let’s see how SIOP phases align with different learning intentions and instructional strategies and discover digital tools to support your teaching.

SIOP Model and Digital Tools

A 3-2-1 for Michael Bungay Stanier’s “The Advice Trap”:

3 Key Ideas

• The “Advice Monster”. This is our tendency to immediately offer advice when asked for help, which often leads to ineffective solutions and stunts the growth of others.

• Be more coach-like. Being more “coach-like” involves staying curious longer, asking thoughtful questions, and resisting the urge to give immediate advice.

• Coaching mindset. Adopting a coaching mindset can lead to stronger team performance, more empowered employees, and better organizational outcomes.

2 Relevant Quotes

“You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions.”

— Naguib Mahfouz

“Generous silence provides space for the other person to be with their own self, for you to be with them, for presence to show up. It allows them to take a breath. It whispers, ‘This is an interesting place to be. Let’s hang out here for a moment.'”

— Michael Bungay Stanier

1 Tip to Apply

• Practice the “AWE Question” - “And What Else?" - when in conversations. This simple question encourages the other person to dig deeper, explore more options, and often leads to better insights and solutions without you having to provide direct advice.

Unlock the power of TCEA’s Essential Learning Expectations (ELEs) to elevate your teaching and prepare students for the digital age! 🚀 Dive into how ELEs can transform professional learning in schools. Ready to make a change?

Explore more here

Dig into these documents using the TCEA ELEs Alignment Assistant available online now.

​Don’t miss this opportunity to elevate your teaching skills and connect with fellow educators. Session 6 focuses on _Summer Break Reboot: Refresh Your Mind, Body, and Goals_​:

​Learn how to make the most of your summer break by reflecting on the past school year, setting goals for the future, and recharging your batteries. Discover strategies for self-reflection, professional growth, and enjoying a well-deserved break while still preparing for a successful upcoming school year.​

​Register now: https://tinyurl.com/tceatf

Teaching is challenging. We’ve got your back. Learn self-care strategies for high-stress periods in our #TeachForward series. Session 5 is on Self-Care fo Educators: Thriving During Testing Season:

Explore practical self-care practices that can help you manage stress and maintain well-being during the demanding testing season. Learn strategies for self-compassion, mindfulness, and creating a supportive work-life balance to ensure you can be your best for your students. 

Prioritize your wellbeing: https://tinyurl.com/tceatf

​Transform your classroom management with digital tools like Classroom Screen and Class Dojo. First #TeachForward session on 9/10. Session 4 is on _Resetting the Classroom: Strategies for a Successful Second Semester_​.

​

​> Discover effective strategies for resetting your classroom after the winter break. Reflect on changing procedures, reinforcing routines, and creating a fresh start for both you and your students. Learn how to maintain a positive and productive learning environment throughout the second semester.

​Register now: https://tinyurl.com/tceatf

Master the digital tools your students already love! #TeachForward equips you with cutting-edge strategies for the modern classroom.

​

Session #3 focuses on ​_Harnessing the Power of Instant Data in the Classroom_​:

​Understand how to effectively apply data in the classroom using digital tools like Nearpod, Peardeck, and Quizizz. Learn how to gather and analyze instant data to inform instruction, provide targeted support, and enhance student learning outcomes. ​

​Join us and stay ahead of the curve: https://tinyurl.com/tceatf ​

Invest in your teaching career for just $50 (members) or $75 (non-members, includes membership). #TeachForward offers unparalleled value in professional development.

​

Session 2 will focus on ​_Designing Engaging Lessons with T-TESS Dimension 1_​. More about that:

​Explore T-TESS Dimension 1 and learn how to design engaging lessons that incorporate technology, choice boards, and differentiated learning experiences. Utilize innovative School AI tools such as Diffit, Brisk Teaching, MagicSchool.ai, Eduaide, Curipod, and more. These can enhance your lesson planning and delivery.​

​Sign up today: https://tinyurl.com/tceatf #TeacherValue

Learn from the best! #TeachForward is grounded in powerful principles. Gain insights from top experts and revolutionize your teaching practice.

​

The first session is _Streamlining Classroom Management with Digital Tools_​ on September 10, 2024. If you register for it, you get a recording later, too (if you can’t make the Tuesday 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM event).

Session #1: Streamlining Classroom Management with Digital Tools Learn​ how to effectively manage your classroom using digital tools such as ​classroom Screen and Class Dojo. Discover strategies to create a positive learning environment, monitor student behavior, and streamline communication with parents.​ ​

Don’t miss out: https://tinyurl.com/tceatf

​Ready to elevate your teaching? Join #TeachForward, a game-changing webinar series for educators at all levels. Boost your skills, master digital tools, and transform your classroom.

​Register now: https://tinyurl.com/tceatf

Explore this free coaching cycle for use in your school or district as you work to improve student learning and achievement.

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Get Certified Today as a TCEA Instructional Coach

Virtual author talks help kids read better. Teachers can use them to get kids excited about books. They make learning fun.

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Chain-of-Thought prompting is a versatile and effective technique for K-12 educators. It can enhance students’ reasoning, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills. What’s more, it models AI prompt creation through decomposition. That is a future ready skill. You can drop the CAPE process into a ChatGPT Custom GPT or Claude Project to automate future lesson creation.

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“Have you heard of STEM Bins?” Peggy Reimers said. “No, I haven’t,” I replied. In a moment, I’d fallen off the plank, submerged into a sea of learning. Like treasure chests filled with tools for creative imagineering, STEM Bins are fun. I like to think of them as Story Bins, because they turn stories into powerful learning opportunities. Let’s explore several practical ideas for elementary Story Bins.

Read more | Register for Online Courses

Explore five free alternatives to Equatio, the popular equation editor. As Equatio’s free version ends, discover tools to create math content. Now that the free version of Equatio for educators is going away, what options for equation editors do you plan on using? My math teachers absolutely loved Equatio. I’m looking for some options that will make them equally happy. 🙂 Thank in advance for your help. This blog entry addresses some free alternatives to Equatio.

Read more | Sign up for online courses

Combine flowcharts and coding to get students buzzing. Mermaid code is a powerful way to promote critical thinking skills.

Getting students buzzing about the steps of a scientific process isn’t easy; helping them think through concepts and process, even harder. Imagine if you could engage them with flowcharts and learn the same critical content. One way to get it done is to combine flowcharts and coding.

Read more | Learn more

Meet the LEARNS Cycle, a simple way to situate AI tools in evidence-based instructional strategies and activities.

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Maybe we’ll all be investing in this accessory for our short-haired cats.

Note: This article was generated by AI from a Facebook post. Remember to laugh. That aside, it’s all true.

A Story for You (True)

Hey fellow science teachers! I’ve got a story for you that’s sure to grab your students' attention while perfectly illustrating the Claim, Evidence, Reasoning (CER) model baked into the new Texas science TEKS.

It involves an 11-year-old boy, some non-toxic lipstick, and a very important question: Does your cat’s butthole really touch all the surfaces in your home? Yes, you read that right. Let’s dive into the delightfully disgusting details.

The Claim

Our young scientist, Kaeden Griffin, made the claim that cat anuses make contact with various household surfaces, leaving…evidence…behind. A bold hypothesis to be sure!

The Evidence

To test his claim, Kaeden employed a simple yet brilliant method - he painted his cats' buttholes with non-toxic lipstick to see where colored…smudges…would appear around the house.

The results were enlightening:

• Cats with medium and long hair didn’t make contact with hard or soft surfaces (their fluffiness acted as a barrier)
• Cats with short hair avoided hard surfaces too
• But those short-haired kitties did indeed leave lipstick marks on soft surfaces like bedding and furniture cushions

As a colleague, the proud owner of a shorthair cat affectionately nicknamed “Skidmark,” said to me, “I can’t say I’m surprised by that last finding!”

The Reasoning

What can we learn from Kaeden’s admittedly crude but incredibly creative experiment?

First, it perfectly encapsulates the CER model. Kaeden made a claim, gathered evidence through hands-on investigation, and used that evidence to reason about the validity of his original hypothesis.

Second, it shows that science doesn’t have to be boring or overly serious. The best experiments often come from asking silly or unexpected questions - the kind kids excel at!

Finally, it highlights how education technology can enhance science instruction. You could easily have students:

• Create video presentations explaining their own CER projects
• Use a shared online whiteboard to map out their claims, evidence, and reasoning
• Collaborate on data analysis using a cloud-based spreadsheet
• Design virtual reality simulations to test hypotheses without…painting cat buttholes

The possibilities are endless when you combine core science practices like CER with powerful edtech tools.

So let’s take a page from Kaeden’s book and get our students excited about hands-on science! Who knows, maybe their weird questions and wacky experiments will lead to the next big breakthrough.

As Kaeden’s mom said, “Science is the best tool we have to learn about the natural world (including cat butts)…And we definitely need more young people in science!!!”

Listen to Matt Garcia, MakerMaven.net

At the TCEA Elementary Technology Conference, I had the chance to visit the Exhibit Hall and chat with Matt Garcia from MakerMaven.net. He shared a little about MakerMaven.net. The booth was full of exciting STEM friendly resources.

At TCEA’s ETC event, I had a chance to sit in on a presentation about Amira Reading Assistant. As I listened to the presenters, I realized it reminded me of Microsoft Reading Coach. The presenters in the District had heard about Amira in Spring, 2023. They wanted to use it to address reading gaps due to COVID-19.

Amira handles:

• Running record
• Fluency Rates
• Lexile levels

One benefit the presenters cited? “Teachers don’t have to train someone on how to manage a table or classroom of kids AND do running record. Amira handles that [reading record]”.

Defining Reading Record (AI-Provided definition)

In Texas classrooms, a “Reading Record” is a tool used to document and track students' reading activities and progress. It typically includes the following elements:

1. Title and Author: Space for students to record the title and author of each book they read.
2. Star Rating: A section where students can rate how much they enjoyed the book.
3. Reading Charts: Visual aids such as charts with images of fiction subject stickers, multicultural stickers, and other relevant categories to help students organize their reading.
4. Integration with Notebooks: Reading Records are often pasted into students' Reader/Writer Notebooks or Interactive Notebooks, which are used in both English Language Arts (ELA) and Social Studies classes.
5. Special Collections: Some Reading Records include special collections of books, such as those focusing on multicultural characters or specific genres, to promote diverse reading options.
6. Dual-Use for Multiple Subjects: In some cases, Reading Records are designed to be used across different subjects, allowing students to enter the same books for both ELA and Social Studies classes.

In the case of this district, teachers conduct reading records, using Amira Reading Assistant to record students reading it, then Amira does the analysis that teachers did.

View Presentation

Here’s the presentation from a K-12 School district in Texas - https://bit.ly/CISDAmira

Resistance

Some of the resistance they encountered in implementing Amira in their District, they “navigated” in this way:

• Provide all necessary security protections/information (Amira doesn’t retain information after analysis)
• Identify early adopters and empower them
• Monitor usage and provide support
• Address technical issues immediately
• Don’t add-Replace
• Provide feedback to Amira
• Be willing to go into the classroom
• Time management

Comparison Feature Chart

This Perplexity AI generated chart compares Amira Reading Assistant with Microsoft Reading Coach:

Both Amira Reading Assistant and Microsoft Reading Coach offer robust features for improving reading fluency and comprehension, but they differ in cost, device compatibility, and specific functionalities. Amira requires a subscription, while Microsoft Reading Coach is free for users with a Microsoft account.

Citations:

[1] www.amiralearning.com/reading-g… [2] www.hmhco.com/programs/… [3] www.amiralearning.com [4] amiralearning.com/reading-g… [5] techcrunch.com/2024/01/1… [6] educationblog.microsoft.com/en-us/202… [7] www.microsoft.com/en-us/edu… [8] support.microsoft.com/en-us/top…

What an exciting second day (Monday) to the TCEA Elementary Technology Conference. Today, my sessions focused around the following:

• Catching Up with Old Friends and Acquaintances. I ran into Michelle Cooper, the EdTech Nerds (who published their first book)
• Coaching for Results: Strategies That Work. Discover how various coaching models can enhance classroom learning and seamlessly integrate technology into your teaching strategies! (M,8:30-9:50)
• Creating Classroom eBooks. Get your students more engaged with your content by having them become authors. Learn how to use tools like Book Creator, Canva, and Google Workspace to create digital ebooks. Join us for tips, tricks, and the how-to’s of creating eBooks with Google Workspace for Education.(M,1-1:50)
• Birds of a Feather for Special Education Educators. This was a small, but mighty group of special education (and dyslexia) educators/specialists.

Catching Up with Old Acquaintances and Friends

What fun it was to run into folks at ETC. Most of my encounters happened in the hotel check-in line, where people were strung out for a mile, but I did run into a few presenters. For example, Michelle Cooper sat in on one of my sessions:

And, Kris and Destiny from EdTech Nerds were kind enough to let me acquire a first edition of their book (get it here), and they dedicated/signed it.

Here’s a close up with them holding their book in front of the famous ETC beach ball:

Coaching for Results

For this session, I was thrilled to use the Jigsaw Method to engage the audience in the exploration of various coaching models. I kicked off the session with an activity I borrowed from Peggy and Diana, a spin on a self-reflective capacity matrix with the nine elements of instructional coaching (see it in my slide deck).

such as Jim Knight’s The Impact Cycle, Diane Sweeney’s Student-Centered Coaching, Elena Aguilar’s Transformational Coaching with Zaretta Hammond’s Culturally Responsive Teaching, and Dr. Katie Alaniz' Collegial Coaching.

I did change this session up a little from how I had done it before, including the nine elements of instructional coaching, capacity matrix for reflection purposes. What’s more, I was happy to announce a new instructional coaching certification available through TCEA (comes out later this summer).

My only disappointment? Jigsaw takes so much time, and while it consumes time nicely during a 90-minute session, it drives me crazy as I circle around listening in on group conversations.

Creating Classroom eBooks

While I didn’t snag any pictures of this session, you can check out the Padlet reflecting some of the ebook planning. Given the short time, how long people met in groups to share ideas, and my slide deck pontificating , we ran through the time quickly.

Birds of a Feather: Special Education

This was quite the active conversation, with wonderful solutions being suggested that replaced how some were collecting data via Google Forms (the replacement was AbleSpace). However, I was thrilled to use Perplexity AI to figure out or discover a solution to a problem an educator had on how to prepare files for import.

While CSV is easy for many (I can’t count how many times I’ve done this), the Special Education specialist I was chatting with had never done it. I made sure she left with a solution, including a link to Perplexity Pages that walked her through formatting a CSV in Google Sheets, then exporting it to CSV, then importing it into SuccessEd, whatever that is.

You can see the page Perplexity generated based on my queries here.

Coaching for Results is my next TCEA Elementary Technology Conference on Monday. I’m looking forward to facilitating this session, especially since I’ll be making a big announcement at the end of the session. The description for this 90-minute session is:

Discover how various coaching models can enhance classroom learning and seamlessly integrate technology into your teaching strategies!

Here are the activities:

This session is starting now (8:30 AM on Monday).

Classroom eBooks

My second Monday session is Classroom eBooks:

Creating ebooks is so easy to do, but no one has time or curriculum mandate to encourage students creating their own ebooks or books. This session takes place later this afternoon.

Whew! Another exciting start to the TCEA ETC event. The picture above is one I took right before more folks walked in. These were the eager beavers, and how nice to have them here.

What fun to learn with folks attending my session at TCEA Elementary Technology Conference. This was my three hour preconference event:

🎉📚 Transform your K-12 classroom into a literacy wonderland with “Digital and Evidence-Based Strategies to Enhance PreK-5 Literacy!" 🌈✨ Discover the secrets of reciprocal teaching and Story Bins, powerful strategies that ignite a love for reading and writing. 💪📖 🌟 You’ll find evidence-based tools and strategies for every learning style.

Big Picture Advanced Organizer

My advance organizer for participants to get the big picture….

Here’s a quick overview with pictures. Links to resources appear below as well.

Introductions

The session started out with All About Me, and Frayer your Classmate activity (I swiped it from EduProtocols):

After that, we jumped into the first activity, which was a review of Surface, Deep, and Transfer Learning via the Jigsaw Approach.

The Jigsaw Approach

I love using the Jigsaw Approach, which is kinda funny since I didn’t learn how to REALLY use it correctly until 2019. Since then, I’ve modified my jigsaw organizer to also cover Cornell Notes and 3-2-1 (Facts, Quotes, Question), which you can see below:

Page 1

Page 2

What I love about the jigsaw method is that people become experts in the area they are studying, and this high-effect size instructional strategy is a great one to model. That said, I could tell several folks in my session already were experts in surface, deep, and transfer learning, and/or how to use the jigsaw method.

A Special Share from Lynsy Curry (Humble ISD)

Lynsy was kind enough to share this picture of students gauge and report on their understanding throughout the day; I include it below with her permission:

What a great share! Lynsy shares how she uses this:

Here is the picture of how I use my self-assessment throughout the lessons each day. I put the TEKS/I Can statements on my board each morning, then students will move their magnets with their names to how they are feeling about their own level of understanding at the beginning of the lesson, and then they are free to move them throughout the lessons as their level of understanding changes. I focus on the 1s and 2s more and use the 3s and 4s to peer tutor/help.

The green folders are for when I use exit tickets to match their personal confidence in the topic/concept and their actual knowledge. I’m pretty sure I took this from someone else, but I don’t remember who because I’ve been doing this for years! I did not make this up.

Thanks, Lynsy!

Whole Brain Strategy

Another person shared an approach, “Whole Brain," for use with younger students. I had never heard of this approach, and was intrigued.

Story Bins

After the first 90 minutes spent on that activity, we jumped into the Story Bins. You can find all my resources for this online. This was the heart of the pre-conference session I facilitated, and it’s based on a TCEA blog entry I wrote earlier this summer. I am grateful to Jessica H., Peggy Reimers, and Diana Benner for their support in getting this session prepped!

Participant Action Photos

Here are some photos of participants and the solutions they developed:

They used the Engineering Design Process (EDP) to plan out projects, then develop them.

Reciprocal Teaching

This portion of the workshop was cut short, or compressed, into 33 minutes or so. You can find all my resources online. I’ll be facilitating this session in its own time slot on Tuesday.

Ever wish you could turn student-created ePub files into narrated audio books? Or make any ePub into an audio book? You can on your Windows computer, by taking advantage of the Freda ebook’s built-in audio reader. Before we go through the process, let’s take a moment to revisit how you can create an ePub-formatted ebook for free.

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Teaching middle school science and looking for interactive resources about plant and/or animal cells? Explore these free websites. Ready to explore cells? This blog shows great websites that make science learning fun and simple and are perfect for classroom or home. And they’re all free to use! You already know these websites below will provide students with engaging, interactive activities. But don’t forget how much fun (and messy) creating their own 3D models can be. Have students build 3D models of plant and animals cells using materials like clay, candy, jello, etc. to represent different organelles. Of course, you can also use virtual world building apps like Minetest (free) or Microsoft’s Minecraft (paid).

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At the Elementary Technology Conference later today, I’ll be facilitating a session on Digital and Evidence-Based Strategies to Enhance PreK-5 Literacy. One of my slides in the over 80 for a 3 hour session, funny enough, is The Feynman Technique. It’s an approach I’ve fallen into by accident during my long years of professional development and teaching, but it’s not one I have followed knowingly or strictly.

It’s worth taking the time to learn it better, and I’ve been reviewing it for future use.

Learn More About It

Here is a short list of resource links explaining The Feynman Technique:

An AI-Generated Example

The Feynman Technique is a powerful method for learning and understanding complex concepts by breaking them down into simpler terms. Here, we’ll use the Feynman Technique to explain the use of Perplexity AI.

Step 1: Choose a Concept

Concept: Perplexity AI

Step 2: Explain the Concept in Simple Terms

Perplexity AI is an AI-powered search engine that helps you find information quickly and accurately. Unlike traditional search engines like Google, which provide a list of links, Perplexity AI gives you direct answers to your questions, along with citations from various sources. It uses advanced language models to understand your queries and provide detailed, relevant responses.

Step 3: Identify Gaps in Your Understanding

To ensure a thorough understanding, let’s break down the key features and uses of Perplexity AI:

1. Search Capabilities: Perplexity AI can search the web in real-time and provide concise answers, making it easier to find information without sifting through multiple links.
2. Language Models: It uses multiple large language models (LLMs) like GPT-4, Claude, and Gemini to understand and respond to queries.
3. Multimodal Capabilities: Perplexity AI can handle text, images, and documents, making it versatile for various types of queries.
4. Pro Search: This feature allows for more detailed and personalized searches, asking follow-up questions to refine the results.
5. Collections and Threads: Users can organize their searches into collections and threads, making it easier to manage and revisit information.

Step 4: Simplify and Use Analogies

Simplified Explanation: Imagine you have a very smart assistant who can answer any question you have. Instead of giving you a list of books or articles to read, this assistant reads them for you and tells you exactly what you need to know. This assistant can also understand different types of questions, whether they are about text, pictures, or documents. If you ask a complicated question, the assistant will ask you more questions to make sure it gives you the best answer. You can also keep all the answers organized in a notebook that you can look at anytime.

Final Explanation

Perplexity AI is like having a super-smart assistant that helps you find answers quickly and accurately. It uses advanced technology to understand your questions and gives you direct answers, saving you time and effort. You can ask it about anything, and it will search the web, read the information, and tell you what you need to know. Plus, you can keep all your questions and answers organized in one place for easy access later.

By using the Feynman Technique, we’ve broken down the concept of Perplexity AI into simple, understandable terms, ensuring a deeper understanding of its features and uses.

Prompt Generation

Love this example:

ChatGPT + the Feynman Technique to learn anything via Ruben Hassid:

Copy & paste this prompt from rubenhassid.ai

“Act like an expert educator and mentor.

You have been helping students and professionals master complex topics using the Feynman Technique for over 20 years.

You specialize in breaking down intricate subjects into understandable, manageable pieces through iterative learning and teaching.

Objective:

I want to master any topic using the Feynman Technique by following a structured, multi-step process. The goal is to achieve deep understanding through multiple iterations and refinements.

Step-by-Step Process:

Topic Selection and Initial Explanation:

Identify the topic I want to master.

Write a clear, simple explanation of the topic as if teaching it to someone with no prior knowledge. Ensure the explanation is thorough but understandable. Identify Gaps in Understanding:

Review the initial explanation and identify any areas where my understanding is lacking or unclear.

Highlight specific concepts, terms, or sections that need further clarification or research.

Deep Dive into Problem Areas:

Conduct research to fill in the gaps identified. Use reliable sources such as academic papers, textbooks, and expert opinions.

Rewrite the initial explanation, incorporating the new knowledge gained from this research. Ensure the explanation remains clear and straightforward. Simplify and Clarify:

Simplify the refined explanation further. Use analogies, metaphors, and examples to make complex ideas more accessible.

Ensure that the explanation can be understood by someone with no background in the topic.

Teach and Test:

Teach the topic to a friend, family member, or imaginary student. Pay attention to any questions they might have and areas where they seem confused.

Use their feedback to identify any remaining gaps or unclear sections in your explanation.

Iterate and Refine:

Iterate on the explanation based on the feedback received. Continue to simplify and clarify until the explanation is seamless and easily understandable.

Repeat the teaching and feedback process as many times as necessary to achieve a deep and thorough understanding of the topic.

Final Review and Reflection:

Review the final explanation and reflect on the learning process. Summarize the key insights and understandings gained.

Consider how the Feynman Technique helped in mastering the topic and any improvements or adjustments that can be made for future learning endeavors.

Start with “What is the topic you’d like to master?” to know what I want to master. You can’t move on without this step.

Take a deep breath and work on this problem step-by-step.”

This is one of my 53 prompts from my library.

3,346 people have access to it. Forever.

Get your own at rubenhassid.ai

♻️ Repost this image if you learned something.

Image from the one & only Colby Kultgen.

Did you love Story Bins, the reality-based edition? Then, you will certainly like virtual STEM challenges with Minecraft and Minetest.

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Looking for some ways to supplement your reading interventions? Here are a few AI-recommended solutions with reflections about each one. We’ll explore 21 supplemental online reading programs and a list of 6 iOS apps, including reading titles and content. Ready to dive in?

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Image created by author.

The Evidence-Based Teaching online, self-paced course offers the opportunity to learn specific, evidence-based strategies you can use in your classroom. It also provides an overall framework for amazing lesson design that is evidence-based.

The purpose of this course is to provide you with the “magic formula” of lesson design that supports your efforts at teaching and learning in the K-12 and adult classroom. In addition to powerful, evidence-based instructional strategies, you will learn how to keep culture in mind when structuring learning opportunities.

Register now for this online, self-paced course

Infographic created by author in Canva.

A taxonomy of learning can be helpful. It can provide a schema for understanding learning we participate in or facilitate for others. The SOLO Taxonomy has been around since I graduated from eighth grade. In spite of that, I never learned about John Biggs and Kevin Collis’ creation in 1982. It needs little introduction since heavyweights like Peter DeWitt and Pam Hook have spent some time explaining it. Yet, as I mentioned, it’s important to build one’s own theory of understanding. To do so, I have juxtaposed various explanations. These explanations are organized in a simple table.

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Images created by author.

Ever wish you had an easy-to-follow checklist when designing learning for students? I know I have…often. Some of my colleagues effortlessly design amazing lessons, but I have to plod through each point. But lesson design is something that is critical to ultimate success in the classroom for each student. That’s why I’d like to take a moment to share my latest version of the outline I use. At the end, you will find a custom GPT you can use to get an AI spin on ALDO.

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More ALDO Goodness

Get a copy of all images shown via Google Slides. Inspired by The Actiope Model. [Learn more online.](https://blog.tcea.org/micro-reflections/)

Want to get the most out of what you learn? You may be missing out on an important step – reflection! Here’s a heuristic to make it easier. How do you reflect on your daily work? Reflection can be a bit daunting. After a long day’s work, you may stagger home, plop on the couch, and pass out. You know reflecting on your day is important, but waiting until the day’s end is too hard.

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Need to get a set of quiz questions from one system (e.g. Quizlet, Kahoot!) into another? Find out how to convert quizzes easily! Are you an online quiz user? Not the social media quiz kind, but the teacher who uses tools like Quizlet, Kahoot!, Quizizz, and others? While quiz questions are often available in various places, they may not be on the platform you want them to be in. How do you get a quiz from Quizlet Flashcards into Kahoot!? Or a quiz from Kahoot! into ClassQuiz? Let’s learn how to convert from one quiz maker to another and how to export and import questions. We’ll walk through the following actions, and you can feel free to jump to any section that will meet your needs.

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Get the latest on Microsoft’s Reading Coach and Google’s new Reading Practice features for Google Play Books. Google and Microsoft continue to announce exciting new tools that enhance reading. Let’s take a moment to review their contributions to improving reading skills.

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Embark on a journey of story-fueled engineering design and problem-solving with story bins. Explore this creative idea for young learners!

“Have you heard of STEM Bins?” Peggy Reimers said. “No, I haven’t,” I replied. In a moment, I’d fallen off the plank, submerged into a sea of learning. Like treasure chests filled with tools for creative imagineering, STEM Bins are fun. I like to think of them as Story Bins, because they turn stories into powerful learning opportunities. Let’s explore several practical ideas for elementary Story Bins.

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All over the world, people are longing for a cool breeze to relieve the extreme heat. As school begins, it’s important to learn about extreme heat. It is sobering to think that this summer may be one of the coolest ones that people experience from this point on.

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Heat Science a la Hemingway

In the late summer, the world grew hotter. The ice melted, the seas rose, and the heat waves came more often. Scientists measured the heat stress in the sunlight using a complex formula. They called it the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature. It took into account the temperature, humidity, wind speed, sun angle, and cloud cover. The cloud cover told them about the solar radiation. In the shade, they used the Heat Index, which considered only the temperature and humidity. The world was changing, and they measured it all. (Source: An amazing revision a la Hemingway via Perplexity.ai, which rewrote of my original glossary of terms).

Resources

A round up of websites raw data and graphs:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Heat and Health trackers
• Climate and Health Outlook, Heat.gov
• Climate Prediction Center Probabilistic Extremes, Heat.gov
• Extreme Heat Vulnerability Mapping Tool, Heat.gov
• Heat and Health Tracker, Heat.gov
• National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network
• Climate Change Tracker, Washington Post
• NOAA Climate Data Online
• NASA’s Climate Time Machine
• • Meadows Center Lessons on Weather vs Climate (TEKS-aligned)
• National Science Teaching Association (NSTA)
• National Center for Science Education
• Think Earth Environmental Education Foundation

A Personal Note: One of my favorite blog entries was this one. I learned quite a bit about the science behind heat. Now, I’m re-reading it to remember. It’s ironic that I used AI, which is stressing the environment with its water usage and more, to revise a portion of it.

As National Paper Clip Day approaches, learn a little history and explore ideas for using paper clips to teach science!

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TCEA’s Miguel Guhlin responds to a member question about interactive touch screens and motivating staff when it comes to tech integration. When technology use aligns with evidence-based practices, it’s hard to argue against its use. Of course, I might argue cost of the technology, but when interactive touch screens replace whatever was there before (e.g. digital projectors and screens), learning to use them is a necessity. There are several strategies that support teaching with interactive touch screens. It’s all in how you structure student learning activities. For example, Direct Instruction is one high-effect size instructional strategy you can use. Vocabulary Programs, Formative Assessment, and Retrieval Practice (a.k.a. Practice Testing) are others.

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Want to access a wealth of OER resources, practice fact-checking, and double-check your critical thinking with free resources and tools?

Want to access Spanish-friendly resources, and dig into history, science, math, or philosophy? Perhaps, you want to double-check your critical thinking processes? Let’s explore exciting Open Educational Resources (OER) and educational websites. I have all of these websites bookmarked and easily accessible on my computer. Why? They broaden my knowledge and awareness of the world in ways my traditional education did not. Explore them as powerful enhancers for your own learning and teaching.

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Looking for ideas to build coach-to-teacher relationships that serve as the foundational obstacle to success? This blog entry can help.

Are you an instructional coach supporting teachers with instruction or technology questions? You may find this collection of tips and resources worth pondering for next year.

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Celebrate World Password Day with Password Guardian, a free educational game that teaches students how to create strong, secure passwords. One of my favorite television shows features Jimmy Fallon and Keke Palmer— the Emmy-award-winning show Password. Every day, many of us play our own “Guess That Password” password game as we attempt to log in to one of our many online accounts. This can be hard since, on average, we need to remember 80+ passwords. On World Password Day, let’s make this game a little easier for ourselves.

Read more and explore Digital Tools for World Password Day.

Why not introduce students to the concept of creating timelines to document their adventures? Consider guiding them through crafting timelines of their recent experiences. Demonstrating how to illustrate events with pictures and videos can be a powerful learning experience at any time of the year.

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Don’t let behavior or ability levels determine your student groups! Here’s a five-step process for flexible, data-informed student grouping. Would you believe that, according to teachers, behavior is the most important factor when it comes to grouping students? There are several reasons to group students, and, recent research suggests that there are benefits to creating student groups. The teacher can tailor them to optimize learning and use grouping students to address varied: learning needs; abilities; and interests. Let’s dig into this a bit more.

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Explore research relevant to K-5 readers and the evidence-based use of digital reading tools. Discover seven tools to try!

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I was curious about how these online, self-paced courses would align to edtech standards. Here’s a rough table that tries to show how they match up.

Wish you had a free no-cost, open-source tool that supports evidence-based strategies but doesn’t violate student privacy? Try ClassQuiz.

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Need to get a set of quiz questions from one system (e.g. Quizlet, Kahoot!) into another? Find out how to convert quizzes easily!

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Want to access a wealth of OER resources, practice fact-checking, and double-check your critical thinking with free resources and tools?

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Looking for ideas to build coach-to-teacher relationships that serve as the foundational obstacle to success? This blog entry can help.

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Scouting new resources for teaching history or social studies as you head back to school? Don’t miss this roundup!

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Are you new to school leadership this year? Start here with access to five tips, resources, and suggestions for new principals!

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Grab your notebook and explore these eight, great science sites, amazing video content and lessons you can share with young learners.

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Are you a secondary science teacher? Explore extreme heat and climate change with students using these eye-opening educational resources.

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These are my notes on Powerful Teaching. I’d like to say I finished the book, but I only made it 3/4ths of the way through before I ran out of time. I may add more content below, but these are my big take-aways.

This was a great book on four powerful teaching strategies. It’s well worth it to master their usage in K-Adult classrooms. Be sure to view the companion website to the book.

Four Powerful Teaching Strategies

There are four powerful strategies that boost student learning. These include the following:

1-Retrieval Practice

This strategy occurs when learners recall and apply multiple examples of previously learned knowledge or skills after a period of forgetting.

• It boosts learning by pulling information out of students’ heads (e.g. quizzes/flashcards)

• It works by enabling students to practice bringing information forward to remember it better.

• Helps students remember what to transfer

• Learning strategy, not assessment strategy

• Retrieval practice boosts transfer learning

• Students do better when they are quizzed versus not quizzed, as much as 13% more.

• Provide a mix of fact-based and HOTS retrieval

• Multiple choice questions are as, or more effective than short answer questions

• Writing down works better than concept mapping for retrieval practice

Retrieval Practice Activities

Brain Dumps/Free Recall

• Pause lesson, lecture

• Write down everything you can remember

• Continue lesson

• Ask students to swap Brain Dump with a peer.

Then, do a Think-Pair-Share:

• Is there eanything in common that both of us wrote down?

• Anything new that neither of us wrote down?

• Any misinformation?

• Why do you think you remembered what you did?

Two Things

• Pause lesson

• Ask, “What are two things you learned yesterday? Today?”

• Ask, “What are two things you’d like to learn more about?”

Retrieve-Taking

• Pause lesson

• Students write down what they want to study

• Give feedback on what they wrote

• Continue with lesson

Daily MiniQuizzes

• Formulate questions

• Put clues on slips of paper

• Students write down answers

• Collect clues

• Analayze Mini-Quizzes

Retrieval Routines

Colored index cards

• Label cards with “A” “B” “C” “D”

• Have students hold cards up in response to questions

Bell work/exit tickets

Retrieval Guides

• Provide students with an outline of your lesson

• Read text aloud

• Retrieve and write down information in Retrieval Guide

• Think-Pair-Share

2-Spaced Practice or spacing

Boosts learning by spreading lessons and retrieval opportunities over time so learning isn’t crammed all at once.

3-Interleaving

Mixes up related topics and encourages discrimination.

4-Feedback

• Provides student opportunity to know what they know, and know what they don’t know

• This increases students’ meta-cognition or understanding their learning progress.

• Helps students apply knowledge correctly

Benefits of Strategies

Research shows that there are various benefits. These include

• Enhance higher order thinking skills and knowledge transfer

• Raise student achievement by a letter grade or two

• Boosts learning for diverse students and subject areas

• Increases use of effective study of strategies out of class

• Improves mental organization of knowledge

• Increases student engagement and attention

• Blocks interfering information

• Improves learning of related information

• Increases HOTS and transfer learning

• Identifies gaps in students’ knowledge

• Increases meta-cognition and awareness of learning

Stages of Learning

There are several stages of learning. These include the following:

1-Encoding

When we meet information for the first time, or initially learn something.

2-Storage

Keeping encoded information and how long it is retained.

3-Retrieval

When we reach back and bring out of our minds the information we previously learned. When we access information and bring it to mind.

Connections

Social-Emotional Learning

• Investigates how we interact with the world around us, or what happens outside our heads.

Cognitive Science/Psychology

• Behind the scene behavior in our heads or invisible behavior

Get suggestions from TCEA and others on how to strengthen your multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS), especially Tier 1!

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Take advantage of guided notes for engaging emerging language learners! Get access to digital tools that make guided note creation easier.

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What if, in six sentences, you could empower students to create amazing work? It’s a preoccupation many science teachers have. Let’s take a moment and spend some time on CER: claim, evidence, and reasoning. Think of CER as a tool for student empowerment. You’ll see some specific examples with the help of AI tools such as Claude, ChatGPT, and an AI Lesson Plan Generator.

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#tcea #tceajmg

How can you better develop graph and chart analytical skills with your students? One way is to have them explore and analyze graphs, then discuss what they have learned and think. Another is to create graphs. Let’s take a look at some ways you can do that.

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#tcea #tceajmg

Looking for some great resources to teach US military history and give insight into the lives, work, and sacrifice of our Veterans and to honor their service? Let’s explore seven resources on US military history that cover everything from maps and battlefields to museums, memorials, Veterans, and more.

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#tcea #tceajmg

Are you looking for short videos to use as bell ringer activities in science class? Or maybe you’re wanting to integrate videos into your lessons? Discover a roundup of video sources you won’t want to miss. But before I introduce those, let’s look at some strategies you can pair with videos to get students thinking.

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#tcea #tceajmg

How can you better develop graph and chart analytical skills with your students? One way is to have them explore and analyze graphs, then discuss what they have learned and think. Another is to create graphs. Let’s take a look at some ways you can do that.

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My favorite part of this blog entry? The Guiding Questions for Graph Analysis Skills:

• What kind of graph is being used to represent data?
• Is that graph type the right one for the data? Why or why not?
• What colors did the graph designer use and do they mean anything?
• Why was this data chosen to present? What makes it special?
• What are some reasons for the differences in the data?
• What do I need to learn or understand better to see how and why this graph is important?
• How do I know this data is valid and reliable?
• What’s the proof or evidence?
• What is meant by this data?
• What does it symbolize?
• What does it mean for me? For others?

Looking for science books for your daughter? Want to encourage critical thinking and thinking like a scientist? If so, let’s look at some recommendations from middle school science teachers. I’ll also add a few of my own selections from what I read with my daughter and, looking back, what I might add to the list.

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Dig into inquiry learning research and get two exciting digital tools with a variety of resources and tools for scaffolding in your classroom.

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Looking for some ways to supplement your reading interventions? Here are a few AI-recommended solutions with reflections about each one. We’ll explore 21 supplemental online reading programs and a list of 6 iOS apps, including reading titles and content. Ready to dive in?

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Are you ready for exciting science activities? Science and engineering are puzzles. They’re like adventures. You need curiosity to dive into details. As NGSS says, it’s all about getting into the heart of things.

…students cannot fully understand scientific and engineering ideas without engaging in the practices of inquiry and the discourses by which such ideas are developed and refined. At the same time, they cannot learn or show competence in practices except in the context of specific content. (NRC Framework, 2012, p. 218)

To understand science, you need to dive in. Roll up your sleeves! Get your hands dirty with activities. So, let’s start now! Here are some of my favorite science activities for critical thinking.

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A SIFT Lesson Plan: Critical Skills for Navigating Media

“Oh my goodness, have you seen all the political ads on the television recently?” said a colleague earlier this month. It’s an election year, but how are you making sense of what’s true and false? Many of us have to learn how to deal with persuasive text, which may include political propaganda. And many adults and students are dealing with media overwhelm.

The middle school Texas ELA TEKS emphasize critical thinking skills. But how do you teach that? Let’s take a look at one approach you might consider.

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Micro-Reflections: Crafting Reflections in the Moment

Want to get the most out of what you learn? You may be missing out on an important step – reflection! Here’s a heuristic to make it easier. Read more

Engage Students with Virtual Reality (VR) and Project-Based Learning (PBL)

A combination you seldom find in classrooms brings two popular areas together: virtual reality (VR) and project-based learning (PBL). Combining these two approaches to teaching and learning can deepen students’ understanding. VR within PBL can drop students into an immersive learning experience. But how does that work? VR is increasingly creating interactive opportunities in the immersive internet. See how VR is moving beyond entertainment.

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Examples for Teaching with Fake News and Pseudoscience

Are you watching students and colleagues make claims based on potentially unverified information they’ve encountered? How can we balance all the information we receive from various outlets with a solid, decision-making process? Let’s explore some sources you can use to teach middle school students the importance of fact-checking and critical thinking. You’ll also discover an exciting new product, The Silph Booster, guaranteed to solve any child’s school cognition problems.

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Five Stages of K-12 Ed Tech Adoption: Part 1

Feeling tired and burned out by all the ed tech and AI-based news finding its way into your life? Take a moment to step back from all the chaos and reflect on the big picture. The Five Stages of K-12 Ed Tech Adoption will give you some context for understanding what you are going through. You will also get practical tips to help you harness the power of technology to create an engaging, effective student learning environment.

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