#WHATISSCHOOL Thursday, September 21, 7PM EST

ENGAGING FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES IN STUDENT LEARNING

Parents and families are a child’s first teachers, supporters, coaches, cheerleaders, tutors, confidantes, conspirators and advocates. They are the experts about their children and the authors of what they want for their future.

But when it comes to school, families are often left out of the discussion regarding the needs of their children in receiving the best education possible. 

Throughout the scholastic experience many parents can list examples of the positive and negative impact scholastic policy, social engagement, cultural understanding and teaching strategies have had on their children.  These experiences often leave parents frustrated, and they are compelled to advocate for their children but are left feeling shut out and helpless when they do.  

Stress and harmonic imbalance at home can decrease student's ability to enjoy school and perform to the best of their abilities.  So what can we, as educators do?

Join me Laura Hill @candylandcaper this Thursday, September 21 at 7pm EST as #whatisschool welcomes co-host and family learning expert John MacLeod, Community Manager at NCFL, @Wonderopolis. along with ELA Consultant, Wonder Lead Ambassador, #NYEDChat Moderator, Carol Varsalona, @cvarsalona @cvarsalona as we explore ways to increase family, student and community engagement in the learning process.

QUESTIONS

#WHATISSCHOOL Thursday, September 21, 7PM EST 

Q1 How can you integrate cultural values into lessons learned in school?

Q2 How can family or community input bring added value to in-school lessons?

Q3 How can technology bridge the gap between what students learn at home and in school?

Q4 What role does global citizenship play in reinforcing values at home and in school?

Q5 How can families and teachers work together to create lessons that improve their community?

Q6 How can students lead in collaborative programs between schools and communities?

#Whatisschool Thursday, March 2, 2017 6pm EST

Creativity in the classroom, a tool for educators and future leaders.

What if the classroom you imagine was suddenly yours, what would it be like? 

How would you put the wheels in motion to create your classroom? Who would you enlist to help?

Entertainers, The Blue Man Group, sensing a gap in how schools operated strove to bring their love of creativity and inquiry to the classroom by creating the NYC based BlueMan School.  As part of the curriculum, students in grades 2 to 8 come up with ways to improve recycling, create 3D models of New York City, and fix home appliances.  It's a system of "dynamic learning" where students are taught that creating and implementing novel ideas is a critical set of skills.

What critical set of skills would you like to see implemented in your school?  And how can creativity be used not just artistically, but as a mindset through which educators seek out new ways to bring their ideas to life? 

This Thursday join me, Laura Hill (@candylandcaper) and celebrated educator and guest host Mark Weston (@shiftparadigm) as #whatisschool explores ways to implement "out-of-the-box" education that fosters creativity and won’t make you go out of your mind.

Questions #whatisschool Thursday March 2, 2017

1) How can you apply creativity to education to find new and better ways to teach students?

2) What resources could you use to help students and educators bring creative learning to life?

3) How can you foster and sustain a culture of creative learning in your classroom? 

4) How can you integrate a culture of creative problem solving into faculty meetings, PD days and peer-to-peer learning?

5) What resources, technologies, experts, entities or celebrities could you enlist to model and bring a culture of creativity to life in your classroom?

6) What is the singular, critical change you could make today that would make the classroom you envision a reality?

Got a creative school?  We want to know!  Post a link to your school's creativity in the comments section below and share it with the #whatisschool PLN and the world!  No idea is ever too big or too small and besides, one small seed can grow a mammoth tree.

Here are some of our favorites https://tinyurl.com/glx8h2n

Please support Mark and I as we share our views and our own creative expressions at

https://shiftparadigm2011.wordpress.com

http://laurahillbooks.blogspot.com 

Join me, Laura Hill, for a new art show the month of MARCH at PJFL