Embedded Files
Innovative Strategies
Innovative Strategies
Mind Mapping
Mind Mapping
“The soul never thinks without a mental image.” -Aristotle
“The soul never thinks without a mental image.” -Aristotle
Mind Mapping helps students visually organize information and shows relationships among content knowledge.
Helps with ideas:
Analyze
Comprehend
Synthesize
Recall
Generate
The Mind’s Eye
The Mind’s Eye
Uses background knowledge to imagine a setting, events, feelings, and make predictions. This strategy also strengthens vocabulary making it great for ALL learners.
This strategy is great for K-8 and can be adapted for any content. The two videos provided demonstrate the strategy in action in an ELA classroom and a Math classroom.
Use the template below as needed. The template works best when printed.
Socratic Seminar
Socratic Seminar
Socratic Seminars are formal discussions that are student led and based on content in the classroom. Students are encouraged to ask open-ended questions to one another which strengthens their active listening and critical thinking skills.
The two videos to the right showcase the strategy in an elementary school and a high school as this strategy is ideal from upper elementary through college.
Genius Hour
Genius Hour
Genius Hour is based on Google's 20% Time where Google employees are encouraged to pursue a personal passion for 20% of the work week. Gmail, Google News, and Google Glass along with many other innovations were the result of the company providing employees time for self-directed research in the work week. Genius Hour in the classroom follows the same principal...allow students one hour a week to discover other passions outside of the content.
The video below is meant to introduce Genius Hour to students.
The video below is meant to introduce Genius Hour to students.
What is Genius Hour?
What is Genius Hour?
Suggested articles for getting started:
Suggested articles for getting started:
Novel Engineering
Novel Engineering
Novel Engineering is a way to Integrate engineering and literacy. Students identify a problem from the text being read and work to engineer a solution. To understand this strategy better, please watch this Introductory Video from the National Science Foundation.
Novelengineering.org is a great resource as you get started looking for books to use with this strategy. The books listed provide an overview of problems and potential solutions students may be able to develop, of course we know our students may be able to develop some very out-of-the-box solutions, so the suggestions listed at novelengineering.org are just that - suggestions.
Distance Learning/Virtual Field Trips
Distance Learning/Virtual Field Trips
Click on any link below to access some great distance learning opportunities!
Click on any link below to access some great distance learning opportunities!
Georgia Public Broadcasting: Education : Georgia Studies Virtual Field Trips
California Academy of Sciences *
National Geographic Education*
Newseum *
*sites will require you to type in 'virtual field trip' into a search menu to easily find the field trips.
Speed Up Innovation with Design Thinking
The Art of Innovation
Design Thinking
Design Thinking
Design thinking is a non-linear process in which ideas develop through collaboration. In the classroom, this looks like students actively questioning, building, redesigning, and testing their thinking throughout a problem.
What is Design Thinking and Why Is It So Popular? by Rikke Dam and Teo Siang
Flexible Learning Environment
Flexible Learning Environment
Flexible learning environment is more than just allowing students to sit in a bean bag during class time. Flexible learning environments is a combination of instructional strategies and different structures that allow students to have access to what they need as they need it. While physical space is often the go-to first change made in a classroom, it does not end there. Providing opportunities for collaboration, peer feedback, and student directed learning should also be encouraged as a teacher decides to use a flexible learning environment.
To learn more about flexible learning environments please view the videos provided and check out the articles below:
Why Flexible Learning Environments? from Getting Smart
Learning Environments from Edutopia. View the comprehensive list of resources related to flexible learning.
K-5 example
K-5 example
Middle School example
Middle School example
Report abuse