We just love the Common Core tips from the Work Wives!  To check out their bio click here!

Keeping It Real

After a variety of workshops in many of our content areas we have noticed a few common themes.

1. Common Core is here to stay (for now  )

2. Tweek not Twerk.  There needs to be a SHIFT in the way we teach not an ENTIRE change up.

3. No matter the content area, students need exposed to the REAL WORLD (that is the college and career readiness aspect of the core we keep hearing about)

Dan Meyer (no relation) is a great example of finding places for the real world in the classroom. His TED video explains the importance of making connections and giving the students the power to think. http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_meyer_math_curriculum_makeover.html

I hope some of you will try to tweek your teaching by reaching for real world examples … It can be as simple as connecting to a current magazine article , or newspaper clipping , a video clip from the news or even a TV show. Take a camera outside and use your surroundings to facilitate and empower thinking.

Below you will find links to some more examples of teachers giving students a purpose for learning.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRMVjHjYB6w (Dan Meyer explains how to create real problems)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OHvrNAfURw (3 Acts Math Tasks Overview)

http://www.livebinders.com/play/play_or_edit?id=330579 (the 3 Acts Spreadsheet and other examples)

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Bp_FRaNmlNE-oqPBmj5mg?feature=watch (3 acts example made by teacher Jamie Lang)

http://vimeo.com/channels/videostoryproblems (example of a real story problem – Kohls Shopping)

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/top_teaching/2010/01/class-economy

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/real-world-geometry-lesson

http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/profdev/profdev154.shtml