Best+Practices+Group

I researched some non-academic characteristics that are important and necessary for students to be taught, so they can be successful not only in their post- high school endeavors, but in life in general. Here are some of the links that I found that support our ideas of these important characteristics: [|Helping students make wiser choices -secondary] [|Helping students make wiser choices- elementary] [|The Role of Nonacademic Factors in College Readiness and Success] [|An Education in Ethics Students often know the right thing to do. How can schools help them to do it?] [|ICARE program at Forest Vista Elementary] [|Character Education Some ideas from the classroom in character education:] (posted by Angela Jackman)

I stumbed across a journal article highlighting best practices for online learning institutions. In an age of 21st century learning, I think we have to give some attention to the notion of online learning as a means for delivering information to students and exciting them about the educational process. Some of our students are leaving school and entering school with the expectation of being able to successfully navigate materials online(not just perform google searches or post to Facebook). I found this particular interesting because what it got down to that best practices were not about the technology but about communication and the relationships we build with learners. (Posted by Amanda Werneke)

I have communicated via email with Ms. Roby who works with our LEAP programs and gifted and talented education in the district and she offered several valuable resources. In the words of Ms. Roby, " I like what the National Association for the Gifted has done b/c it focuses more on the whole child and uses content as a vehicle by which each child can learn and grow. The GT standards honor those affective domains which all content areas strive to teach (Communication, critical thinking, self awareness etc..) but often do so as a secondary outcome to content knowledge. If you look at the GT curriculum that is on Eduphoria, we take what we call a "capacity focus" each 6 weeks (9 at elementary) and purposefully teach the capacity via content instead of visa versa." Below is a link to the National Association for Gifted Children's, website, which includes information that relates most specifically to gifted children. A number of the best practices relate to all childen. [|National Association for Gifted Children] Ms. Roby also commented on the Texas Performance Standard Project, research page (helpful information on standards and resources for educating learners). [|TX Performance Standards Project] (Posted by Amanda Werneke)

I had an opportunity to pose the suggested question to two classes of students: What does profound learning look like?[|What does profound learning look like.docx] (Posted by Amanda Werneke)

This is cool! (Just for fun, at least, although, perhaps someone can actually use it as part of what they are researching...?) [] (Posted by Mundy Hendrickson)

And, I posted this a couple of days ago, but not sure in the right place, so... To whoever was going to be looking into different learning 'types', I wanted to mention Thom Hartmann - he has "ADHD" himself, has written several books on the subject, and though I haven't read his books on ADHD (although I have read a few others), I have heard him explain his views on ADHD, and I love this way of seeing it:

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[] (Posted by Mundy Hendrickson) Interesting: []

 (posted by Stacy Denkhoff)     An article focusing on the push for for-profit virtual schools, from Dec 2011 The Nation magazine:  [] (posted by Mundy Hendrickson)

 Hi Guys, here are a few articles on independent learning. I tried to get different perspectives so one is discussing home school, another discusses how whole learning can be incoporated into classroom and the third defines independent learning and why it is necessary. (posted by Kim Wilson)

posted by Stacey Kostas



