Wanna Learn Something? Teach It!

By Oskar Cymerman | @focus2achieve | BAm! Radio Network EdWords Blogger

“If you can teach it you really understand it.”

Think about it. Could you explain to a 5 year old what your favorite musical artist, sport, or hobby is all about? Sure you could. You’d be able to give a lot of information with all kinds of details. It’s because you studied it a lot. In a sense, you were preparing for that "presentation" for a long time.

But how about teaching something not yet so familiar? In my opinion, teachers do it all the time. Some concepts we find ourselves teaching might be buried deep in our memory, because we have not taught them for a long time. In some situations though, we are asked to teach something we have not before and have limited knowledge of. We might be uncomfortable at first. We might be nervous about it and we do it. And, in most cases, we do it well.

It's because of our preparation process! We have it down to a tee, so when the time comes to present something new to our students we are ready. The teacher prep process allows us tolearn the information relatively quickly and when we teach it we master it.

What if we taught our students the process? What if we asked them to teach?

I recently interviewed a High School teacher in Woodbury, MN who uses the process. Check it out.

MESSAGE TO TEACHERS: While time constraints might not allow you to have students teach each other in the way presented above all the time, try to incorporate several such activities per semester. They would be the bigger projects, could be collaborative, are a lot of fun, and really supercharge student learning. And isn't this what this shindig is all about?

Thanks for your time! I hope you find the infographic above useful. Please share it with other teachers, students, and parents. I will feature more Brain-Based Learning teaching tools, metacognitive strategies, and posts on social-emotional learning in my future newsletters, so please SIGN UP if you would like to receive tips that help students become better learners and you're looking to add more weapons of mass creation to your teaching arsenal :)

If you find the information in the infographic useful, consider buying "Crush School: Every Student's Guide To Killing It In The Classroom", which is a book I wrote to help students learn more efficiently and effectively using proven research based strategies.

You Have the Power to Change the World. Use it Often.

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Chop It! How To Successfully Complete A Big Project

By Oskar Cymerman | @focus2achieve | BAm! Radio Network EdWords Blogger

Do you assign big projects? Do you give big tests? Do your students know how to complete such big projects? And, do they know how to properly prepare for those big tests?

Whatever the answers to the above questions are, big tasks tend to evoke stress and anxiety in those who have to complete them. As the brain becomes overwhelmed with the perceived enormity of the task, it tends to find things to do that bring on more pleasurable feelings. Procrastination is the result.

You might have assigned a big project to be completed at home and some students did not do it. Or, you might sometimes notice students stuck in a rut while working on a big group project in class and they opt to do something else.

Maybe they're not lazy nor distracted. Maybe their brains are in pain.

So how do they complete the big project successfully while minimizing this brain pain?

We teach them to trick their brains into thinking the project is small.

First, they plan it out. Then they chop each piece off until done.

See for yourself.

Thanks for your time! I hope you find the infographic above useful. Please share it with other teachers, students, and parents. You can access all other Brain-Based Learning infographics I created by scrolling down my ED!Blog. I will feature more Brain-Based Learning teaching tools, metacognitive strategies, and posts on social-emotional learning in my future NEWSLETTERS, so please SIGN UP if you would like to receive tips that help students become better learners and you're looking to add more weapons of mass creation to your teaching arsenal :)

If you find the information in the infographic useful, consider buying "Crush School: Every Student's Guide To Killing It In The Classroom", which is a book I wrote to help students learn more efficiently and effectively using proven research based strategies.

You Have the Power to Change the World. Use it Often.

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Starbucks My Classroom: Small, Medium, or Large?

By Oskar Cymerman | @focus2achieve | BAm! Radio Network EdWords Blogger

Hey Everyone!

I have some exciting news. I was recently invited to appear on Vicky Davis’ podcast “Every Classroom Matters” to talk about flexible seating classroom design and the “Starbucks My Classroom” Project I started.

The project has blown up on social media, and Twitter especially, as many people are sharing resources on #StarbucksMyRoom and providing me and those who committed to “Starbucksing” their room with words of encouragement and inspiration.

When I first decided to change my room, I had no idea this was going to happen. It’s a big project for any teacher to accomplish during the summer (or anytime to be honest)! And, as the word spread, the “Starbucks My Classroom” Project has become an idea that by doing something bigger than all of us we are doing something incredibly important for students. We are shifting the Industrial Age educational paradigm and consciously leading our students and ourselves into the 21st century.

I know that it has only been possible, because of all of you who decided to join in by participating and/or supporting the project. And hopefully even more educators will decide to join after reading this post and listening to the podcast.

But no matter how big this thing blows up it’s important to keep perspective.

There’s no pressure to get everything done in one grand move. The idea is to start shifting classrooms and philosophies to start shifting mindsets. So do what you can. Start with a table or two. Lower the legs and put a rug underneath. Or maybe throw some pillows down on the floor. Maybe get a couple of armchairs, or a couch off Craigslist.

Whatever you do, just start.

Small, medium, or large; just start.

And don’t look back.

Because “it does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” - Confucius

Here’s the podcast: Do Students Learn Better in Chairs or Couches?

Thanks for reading and listening! Please share ideas, pictures, and resources related to flexible seating on Twitter using #StarbucksMyRoom. Sign up for my Newsletter on brain-based teaching and social-emotional learning. And remember that you have the power. Use it.