Strategy Share: Support Classroom Discussion by Incorporating Students’ Culture

Student discourse is a major component of any classroom. Teachers work to create a learning environment that fosters critical thought and provides a safe space for new ideas. There are a wide range of facilitation techniques designed to support classroom discussion, but they don’t always allow students to voice ideas based on their own understanding of the world. When we facilitate dialogue that feels separate from students’ lives, we limit the connections they can build. Continue reading Strategy Share: Support Classroom Discussion by Incorporating Students’ Culture

Educator Spotlight: Asking ‘Thick Questions’ to Understand Geographic Data

Peter Michaud incorporates geography into his lessons for subjects ranging from math to literacy. In an activity that combined data and statistics with mapping, he encouraged his fifth-graders to ask “thick questions” and consider different perspectives when answering them. Continue reading Educator Spotlight: Asking ‘Thick Questions’ to Understand Geographic Data

Strategy Share: Creative Writing for Science Class

The following post was written by 2017 Grosvenor Teacher Fellow Shiona Drummer, a 7th-grade life science teacher in Macon, Georgia, after her expedition to the Arctic. The Grosvenor Teacher Fellow Program is a professional development opportunity for Pre-K-12 educators made possible by a partnership between Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic Education. Where I teach in Macon, Georgia, the majority of jobs and careers either deal with … Continue reading Strategy Share: Creative Writing for Science Class

At the Explorers Festival: Kavita Gupta

Kavita Gupta was one of the educators who joined us at the 2018 Explorers Festival. Kavita is a high school chemistry teacher in Cupertino, the heart of California’s Silicon Valley. She is a 2018 National Geographic Education Fellow, a 2017 Grosvenor Teacher Fellow and also completed the National Geographic Educator Certification Program. Kavita’s expedition to the Galápagos inspired her to begin a climate change unit that explored … Continue reading At the Explorers Festival: Kavita Gupta

Weekly Warm-Up: STEM Education Resources

This week is National Robotics Week! It’s a great time to get to know robots—and design one yourself! It’s also a great time to revisit STEM and some great ways to incorporate these concepts into your classroom.  It seems like every school year there is a new buzzword, everything from rigor to flipped classroom to grit. Time will tell which of these concepts have staying … Continue reading Weekly Warm-Up: STEM Education Resources