Scaffolds, Questions, Success in the Classroom... and Then Sharing!

I always learn so much from my PLN! As I read their blog posts and their Twitter feeds I discover new ideas for teaching and learning. Tonight I read several posts that deal with teaching strategies.

Classroom / Green Map System / CC BY-NC 2.0

The Edudemic staff writes about using scaffolding when teaching. They share
(1) resources for understanding the basics of scaffolding and
(2) strategies for implementing scaffolding as a teaching strategy.
The information shared is specific and very helpful. If you want to build up your scaffolding skills, this article is a great place to start!

In Edutopia Dr. Richard Curwin asks "What Drives a Great Lesson?" He posits that "we learn best when questions come before answers"... and that too often we teach the answers without getting students interested in the questions first. Curwin shares ten questions that have worked well in actual classrooms to motivate students when used by teachers to drive an entire lesson. And then he encourages us to add to the list.

In a separate post, Edutopia provides "Success Stories of Technology Integration in the Classroom." The video series described is co-produced with the Teaching Channel. Seven topics are presented. Each one begins with a video and then includes additional resources.

• Enhancing Lessons with Blended Learning
• Collaborative Digital Presentations
• Engaging Kids with Digital Video Production
• Differentiating Instruction through Technology
• Free or Low-Cost Technology Tools
• Video Games and Programming
• Additional Resources on the Web.

My Sharing Loop / Mathieu Plourde / CC BY 2.0

These three posts provide useful ideas for both beginning and experienced educators. Reading and then implementing these strategies can help us to become better teachers. But... keeping these ideas to ourselves is ... well, selfish... when we should be sharing with other educators.
 
We need to share with educators in our buildings and with those who teach elsewhere.
Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano in LangWitches shares (1) why we should share and (2) what we can do to start sharing. If you have any doubts that you (and others in your building) should be sharing the good things going on in your classroom... or if you're not sure how to start doing that sharing... then be sure to read Tolisano's post!