In most ways, teachers that use technology in the classroom arent much different than

those that dont.

Any teacher worth their salt assesses, and then revises planned instruction based on data
from those assessments.
They manage their classroom in a way that works for them, create a positive learning
environment, and (great teachers especially) collaborate with a variety of stakeholders to
make sure every humanly possible attempt is made to meet all students need.
But using technology in the classroomand using it effectivelymight require some slight
adjustments on the part of the teacher to sustain the effort, creative problem-solving, and
innovation required to actually improve learning through the use of technology. (And great
administrators, too.)
In this context, Always Prepped recently released the following infographic that clarifies
some of the habits highly-effective users of technology might possess. (We especially like 1,
3, and 4.) Would love to hear your thoughts on any you think they mightve missed
on twitter on facebook.
7 Habits Of Highly-Effective Teachers Who Effectively Use Technology
1. They always start with the why
2. They are malleable and can easily adapt
3. They embrace change
4. They share
5. They think win-win
6. They are thorough and think ahead
7. They actively care

10 Team-Building Games
That Promote Critical
Thinking
09/26/2013, TeachThought Staff, 18 Comments

One of educations primary goals is to groom the next generation of little humans to succeed in the
real world.

Yes, there are mounds of curricula they must master in a wide breadth of subjects, but
education does not begin and end with a textbook or test. Other skills must be honed, too, not
the least of which is how to get along with their peers and work well with others. This is not
something that can be cultivated through rote memorization or with strategically placed
posters.

Students must be engaged and cooperation must be practiced, and often. The following teambuilding games can promote cooperation and communication, help establish a positive
classroom environment and most importantly provide a fun, much-needed reprieve
from routine.
10 Team-Building Games That Promote Collaborative Critical Thinking
1. If You Build it
This team-building game is flexible. Simply divide students into teams and give them equal
amounts of a certain material, like pipe cleaners, blocks, or even dried spaghetti and
marshmallows. Then, give them something to construct. The challenge can be variable (think:
Which team can build the tallest, structurally-sound castle? Which team can build a castle the
fastest?).
You can recycle this activity throughout the year by adapting the challenge or materials to
specific content areas.
Skills: Communication; problem-solving
2. Save the Egg
This activity can get messy and may be suitable for older children who can follow safety
guidelines when working with raw eggs. Teams must work together to find a way to save
the egg (Humpty Dumpty for elementary school students?) in this case an egg dropped
from a specific height. That could involve finding the perfect soft landing, or creating a
device that guides the egg safely to the ground. Let their creativity work here.
Skills: Problem-solving, creative collaboration
3. Zoom
Zoom is a classic classroom cooperative game that never seems to go out of style. Simply
form students into a circle and give each a unique picture of an object, animal or whatever
else suits your fancy. You begin a story that incorporates whatever happens to be on your
assigned photo. The next student continues the story, incorporating their photo, and so on.
Skills: Communication; creative collaboration
4. Minefield
Another classic team-building game. Arrange some sort of obstacle course and divide
students into teams. Students take turns navigating the mine field while blindfolded, with
only their teammates to guide them. You can also require students to only use certain words
or clues to make it challenging or content-area specific.
Skills: Communication; trust
5. The Worst-Case Scenario

Fabricate a scenario in which students would need to work together and solve problems to
succeed, like being stranded on a deserted island or getting lost at sea. Ask them to work
together to concoct a solution that ensures everyone arrives safely. You might ask them to
come up with a list of 10 must-have items that would help them most, or a creative passage to
safety. Encourage them to vote everyone must agree to the final solution.
Skills: Communication, problem-solving
6. A Shrinking Vessel
This game requires a good deal of strategy in addition to team work. Its rules are deceptively
simple: The entire group must find a way to occupy a space that shrinks over time, until they
are packed creatively like sardines. You can form the boundary with a rope, a tarp or blanket
being folded over or small traffic cones. (Skills: Problem-solving; teamwork)
7. Go for Gold
This game is similar to the If you build it game: Teams have a common objective, but
instead of each one having the same materials, they have access to a whole cache of
materials. For instance, the goal might be to create a contraption with pipes, rubber tubing
and pieces of cardboard that can carry a marble from point A to point B in a certain number
of steps, using only gravity.
Creative collaboration; communication; problem-solving
8. Its a Mystery
Many children (and grown-ups) enjoy a good mystery, so why not design one that must be
solved cooperatively? Give each student a numbered clue. In order to solve the mystery
say, the case of the missing mascot children must work together to solve the clues in order.
The case might require them to move from one area of the room to the next, uncovering
more clues.
Skills: Problem-solving, communication
9. 4-Way Tug-of-War
That playground classic is still a hit not to mention inexpensive and simple to execute. For
a unique variation, set up a multi-directional game by tying ropes in such a way that three or
four teams tug at once. Some teams might choose to work together to eliminate the other
groups before going head-to-head.
Skills: Team work; sportsmanship
10. Keep it Real
This open-ended concept is simple and serves as an excellent segue into problem-based
learning. Challenge students to identify and cooperatively solve a real problem in their

schools or communities. You may set the parameters, including a time limit, materials and
physical boundaries.
Skills: Problem-solving; communication
While education technology is a basic and crucial component of the 21st century classroom,
educators must still ensure that students are engaging with each other in meaningful ways.
Team-building exercises are a great way to do this, and because of this, they will never go out
of style.
Aimee Hosler is a writer and mother of two living in Virginia. She specializes in a number of topics,
but is particularly passionate about education and workplace news and trends. She hold a B.S. in
Journalism from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo and is a contributor to
several websites including OnlineSchools.com; 10 Team-Building Games For Kids, Teenagers, or
Adults

15 Questions To Help
Students Respond To New
Ideas
09/06/2014, Terry Heick, 5 Comments

15 Questions To Help Students Respond To New Ideas

by Terry Heick
It just might be that in a society where information is abundant, thinking habits are more
important than knowledge. Somewhere beneath wisdom and above the things a student
knows.

Laws of economics say that scarcity increases value. Its no longer information thats scarce,
but rather meaningful response to that information. Thought.
And thought has a sourcea complex set of processes, background knowledge, and schema
that we can, as educators think of as cognitive habits. And if theyre habits, well, that means
theyre probably something we can practice at, doesnt it?
The Navigation Of Information
Even in the age of information, not every student has a smartphone; not every classroom has
WiFi; not every home has tablets, or even dictionaries, magazines, and other packaged
data.
Weve talked about how teaching might adjust to the Google generation. To claim that the
advent of Google makes knowledgeknowingirrelevant is silly. The ubiquity of information
cant dissolve its value. It doesnt stop being useful or changing or compelling because
theres a lot of it and its more accessible than at any time in human history.
But it does move knowledge around a bit on the bustling concept map of understanding
changes it in priority, and gives us a chance to see the learning process in a different way.
Instead of a teacher distributing information for students to absorb, many (most?) students
can now access that information directly. This suggests, among other revelations, that the
navigation of that knowledge is, to the student, more immediately useful than the knowledge
itself. And that navigation, rather than being about strategies, is most immediately about
habits. How do students respond when confronted with new ideas? Data, systems, patterns,
concepts, and just maybe some degree of cognitive dissonance.
What does their mind literally do at that moment they see something new? That moment, like
the inception of the universe itself, is what we need to slow down and try to understand.
Neurology can help, but we can see it with our own eyes in the classroom. What do they do?
What do you notice? And what have you done to create that response?
Questions As Metacognitive Practice
Metacognition isnt a matter of a lesson, or a teacher telling students its something they
should do. Rather, its a matter of habit. Habits are everything. So, below are 15 questions to
help students respond to new ideas, and begin to establish the kinds of habits that make
thinkers, and just maybe, starting telling you what you want to hear.
Whether or not they truly become habits depends on how you use them. If you make them
useful and familiar and meaningful, or alien, adult-sounding, and awkward. Thats on you as
a teacher of your grade level and content area and school and community.

You might notice, though, the student-centered and purposefully-uncertain language

used. Might. Suggest. Me. I. Could. Naturally. What stands out to me?
If you say, What stands out?, theres an implication that there is something youve already
noticed, as a teacher, and you want to know if they see it too. And if they do see it, theyre
smart, and if not, they can continue to guess what youre thinking. This not only decenters the
student, but the content as well, devolving the process into a distracting game of cat and
mouse.
By saying What stands out to you?, youre asking the student to internalize this new
ideaa right angle, verbal irony, the speed of light, etc.to stop short of understanding and
simply observe. Approach it carefully and playfully.
What do you see?
Thats it. When they have trouble responding even here, youll know that its not knowledge
thats the problem, but rather confidence, self-efficacy, and the thinking habits they fall back
on when cornered by a teacher. One of the most powerful ways to learn is practice. Giving
students the opportunity to learn not information, but reflective and reflexive habits that help
create learners. Thinkers. Students not only capable of thinking for themselves, but prone to
do so as a matter of habit.
As a teacher, on a daily basis youre exposing students to new ideasor existing ideas in new
ways. How are you supporting them in these cognitive disruptive events? How are you
teaching them to think?
15 Questions To Help Students Respond To New Ideas
1. Which parts of this are new to me, and which parts do I recognize?
2. How does this connect with what I already know? Whats the fit?
3. What stands out to me?
4. Is this subjective or objective?
5. If subjective, is it my judgment necessary for understanding?
6. What does this remind me of?
7. Is this idea important to me? To others? Why or why not?
8. What could I do or make with this?
9. How might others use information like this in the real world?

10. What real-world modelsexamplesrelate to this that can help me understand this further?
11. What follow-up questions does this suggest I ask?
12. What person, group, or community does this suggest that I connect with?
13. Is there a part of this new idea I can take and pivot? Create something new and fresh?
14. Whats most interesting to me, as a thinker?
15. Where can this learning take me?
15 Questions To Help Students Respond To New Ideas