The Cornerstone Accolades: April 2009

How is it time for another monthly round-up already? It feels like I just finished the last one… but maybe the time slipped by because I’m frequently recommending blog posts on Twitter. You can check out the posts I don’t include here with the Accolades by visiting my Twitter page. Now, without further ado, an April collection of awesomeness from the edublogosphere:

Hyperconnected II by Teacherninja. What a perfect reflection on the topic of Web 2.0: How do we keep up with everything? The post references a number of different blogs and comments and offers some superb advice.

Tackling Testing by Betty’s Blog. Betty describes watching a science teacher take test prep activities to a new level, making the activities meaningful and relevant. It’s a simple description that I found inspiring and quite do-able.

If Only We Could Make Teaching More Like Coaching! by From the Trenches of Public Ed. Dennis has a gutsy assertion: “Kids who are out for a sport want to be there. I firmly believe that, at least at the high school level, school should be the same way.”

Survival Kit for Teachers Looking to Relocate by So You Want to Teach?. Joel has some great tips with lots of links on topics from deciding whether to quit, to successfully interviewing for a teaching job.

If Wishes Were Attitude Adjustments by Miss Brave Teaches NYC. A brutally honest and amusing tale of two students who absolutely ruin a guided reading group.

Nuts and Bolts of the Read Aloud in My Middle School Classroom by The Reading Zone. A wonderful Q&A that is perfectly detailed and provides much-requested guidance for teachers of the upper grades.

Maybe There’s Something to Darwinism After All by Assistive Principles. The author writes: “It’s a terrible feeling that comes from watching young people blow off the opportunity to succeed–not miss it, but actually turn it down…”.

Tricked Into Learning by Confessions of an Untenured Teacher. This post has great ideas for turning worksheets into hands-on learning activities.

The Teacher’s Mission by Confident Teacher. Mr. Bibo’s teaching practice is permanently changed after a trip to Mexico in which he watches children playing with rocks instead of toys.

Hope and Change by Teach on Purpose. This is a beautiful post recounting a life-changing conversation the author had with a student: “It’s in those dangerously beautiful moments, when you haven’t had the chance to run your politically correct filter, that you just might change a life (or lose your job–but let’s stay positive on this one).”

What Do You Do to Keep Students (& You!) Focused Near the End of the School Year? by Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day. Practical and useful ideas. Great post, Larry!