Elements of Education

24th April 2020

Cheery Friday Greetings to our Learning How to Learners!

Books of the Week

  • The Elements of Education for Teachers: 50 Research Based Principles Every Educator Should Know, by Austin Volz, Julia Higdon, William Lidwell. When reading books about good teaching, it can easy to become overwhelmed with a flurry of approaches. The Elements takes a step back and focuses on the best approaches, with pithy summaries that help you know exactly what to do without becoming overwhelmed.  Elements doesn’t just take the easy path—it describes, for example, when and why meta-analyses, despite their value, must be taken with a grain of salt. And for some situations direct instruction just doesn’t work so well: “For example, rather than abstractly teaching a child how to ride a bike, it is more productive to first allow them to try and then provide feedback and guidance.” A solid, deeply insightful overview that will strengthen your understanding of the foundations of teaching.
  • Excellent Online Teaching: Effective Strategies For A Successful Semester Online, by Aaron Johnson. This is a wonderful little book that is available for free (at least as of the moment) on e-book on Amazon.  Johnson really nails the key simple ideas of communicating effectively with your online students, and setting up a course experience that students—and instructors themselves—will find worthwhile. You can read this book in a little over an hour—and if you’re a teacher who’s moved online, you’ll find it time well-spent! 

Free Online Learning Due to Coronavirus (Updated Continuously)

In response to the pandemic and isolation measures put in place in most countries, course providers are offering learning content for free or at a heavily discounted price.  On this page, Class Central keeps track of these offers.  Check them out!

Are You a Medical School Administrator Struggling with Getting Great Content Online? Are You a Doctor Looking to Refresh Your Knowledge Base? Or Are You Trying to Make Progress in Medical School, or Preparing for Medical School, during the Pandemic? 

You will absolutely want to check out Lecturio, which we understand to have some of the highest quality, cutting-edge medical school content around, with an outstanding approach to learning with integrated questions and space-repetition. Lecturio’s content, for example, will be used to help a broad group of countries in Africa train their workforce for COVID 19. Behind the scenes in this is Peter Horneffer, MD, a cardio-thoracic surgeon who graduated from Johns Hopkins. Dr. Horneffer did a wonderful TEDx where he explained how he has taken a career detour to help disadvantaged nations get med schools up and running, (a selfless move for a guy who could have had a more lucrative career to help pay off those bottomless medical school debts). Dr. Horneffer has moved on to become the  Director of Medical Education Programs at Lecturio. If you are in the medical profession, this is definitely a resource to check out. 

Lyceum Launches Educational Audio Platform and Studio Centered Around Learning Communities

The title of the headline says it all—check out Lyceum’s new offering here! 

Online Social-Emotional Coaching Program

Barb and her Hero Hubby Phil were lucky enough to have dinner several months ago with Bryan Taylor, the President of EduGuide. This nonprofit  is enabling schools and colleges to use their online social-emotional coaching program to help all students and staff grow more resilient in grades 4-12 at NO COST through June 30, 2020. EduGuide’s grant also covers most costs for schools that choose to use the program for the 20-21 academic year, whether students are at home or back in class. EduGuide saves schools time and money by efficiently multiplying your student support system, building self-motivation that keeps students learning, even when they are remote. That’s because EduGuide provides a simple way for every student to both be mentored by a caring adult and learn to mentor their peers on key social-emotional SEL habits that boost student success. Schools simply embed EduGuide in classes as a no-prep 15-minute/week online activity to build powerful habits that lead to measurable gains. Each week students learn one skill, then choose someone to mentor with that skill. Teachers benefit too with online PD that builds bonds and resiliency. Control group research indicates EduGuide can reduce stress, improve trauma recovery and boost test scores. District and school leaders can join the program and start the same week by scheduling a planning meeting: www.EduGuide.org/scheduling. (The program is not currently available for individual use, though families may request their schools join.)

Helping Our Friends in the Restaurant Industry (and, If You Live Near Rochester, Michigan…)

The pandemic has pushed the restaurant industry to the brink—it’s pretty tough to pay your monthly rent and payroll when no one can legally come and eat in your restaurant.  If your favorite eatery is offering take out, try to support them if you are in a reasonable position to do so.  And, if you happen to live anywhere near Rochester, Michigan, you might order take out from Barb’s favorite restaurant, La Collina (tell them Barb sent you. And yes, this is where Barb & Phil had dinner with Bryan Taylor of EduGuide, right before the big shutdown).  

Mathigon, a Free, Award-Winning Online Platform for Secondary Mathematics

If you teach math (or are doing your best to help your kids learn math at home now), you may wish to check out Mathigon—a “textbook of the future” with highly interactive and engaging visuals that allow students to explore, discover, learn problem-solving, and be creative.  This short video gives you an overview. 

Yes, Zoom Fatigue Is Real!

Read all about it here. [Hat tip: Ann Michaelsen]

That’s all for this week. Have a happy week in Learning How to Learn!

Barb, Terry, and the entire Learning How to Learn team

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