Common Core and English Language Learners--A GREAT Blog to Follow!

Ensuring a smooth transition to Common Core State Standards is especially important for English Language Learners (ELL), who have unique learning needs.

Take a look at the COLORIN COLORADO BLOG, which aims to provide commentary, resources, and support for CCSS implementation with English Language Learners.

There are many great hands-on resources on offer here--one of the most popular posts provides a rubric or crosswalk to help educators determine whether Common Core-aligned curriculum being developed for English Language Learners actually meets the needs of those students. Here is the link to the RUBRIC, which is also available HERE AS A PDF file.

Flipped Learning: What is it, does it work, and how can I learn more?

Perhaps you've flipped your classroom and have enjoyed teaching and learning with your students in new ways. Or perhaps you've heard about flipped learning and wondered whether it was just a trend, or whether it really can work to improve student outcomes and create a better environment for learning.

If you're interested in exploring flipped learning and want to know more, check out the FLIPPED LEARNING NETWORK, which provides educators "with the knowledge, skills, and resources to successfully implement Flipped Learning." This is a great website with tons of links, ideas, and resources, whether you're a veteran of flipped learning environments, or simply want to dip your toes in the water.

Take a look at THIS BLOG, run by flipped learning pioneer Jon Bergmann. He is a proponent of the flipped classroom, and spends time exploring the possibilities that flipped learning offers both educators and students. His motto is "Turning Learning on its Head."

Creating a Culture of Learning: Reflections on Assessments

Education has always gone hand in hand with assessments, whether it was Socrates forcing a friend to question a set of underlying premises to test their soundness, or whether it's a math quiz with technology-enhanced items administered and graded digitally on a tablet. It's nearly impossible to think about learning without also thinking about how we measure and understand and track and express what we've learned.

But the ways that educators think about assessments--and put them into practice in the classroom--can vary widely. Here are two thought-provoking articles by Katrina Schwartz from the website Mind/Shift, a blog from NPR and California radio station KQED. Both articles ask probing questions about the purpose of assessments, the current practices, and possible ways of doing things differently.

Take a look at this piece, "More Progressive Ways to Measure Deeper Levels of Learning," which discusses a number of less traditional assessment models.

And be sure to check out this article, too: "The Importance of Low-Stakes Student Feedback," which explores the possibilities that open up when educators make use of frequent formative assessment.