The iTeach Blog

Hey Coach, I’ve heard that Maker Ed is a great way for kids to develop creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration skills. How can I incorporate making into my classroom with what I’m already doing instead of as something extra? Sincerely, Maker Curious Dear Maker Curious, You’re right! Maker Ed is definitely a great way for kids of all ages to develop creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration skills. Many teachers want to integrate making into the content kids are already learning, but don’t know where to start or how to secure the resources they need. I hope this post helps you and others discover some ways to start small and take off on your Maker Ed journey. Make Writing Angela Stockman, author of Make Writing: 5 Teaching Strategies That Turn Writer’s Workshop Into a Maker Space and Hacking the Writing Workshop: Redesign with Making in Mind , encourages teachers to use making to motivate, engage, and inspire student writers. She suggests starting a writing wor...

Hey Coach,  I’ve heard so much about breakout education, but I have never used a breakout game in the classroom. How can they benefit my students? Sincerely, Inquiring Mind Dear Inquiring Mind, It’s so awesome to hear that you are interested in breakout education! This is one of my favorite classroom strategies and is loved by students of all ages! First, a little background information for those who are not yet familiar with breakout games in the classroom: Breakout games require students to work together to solve a series of clues and challenges before a time limit expires. These games can be played with physical containers that must be unlocked (available for purchase from BreakoutEDU ), or they can be digital breakouts that are played on any device that connects to the Internet (Check out some ready-made digital breakouts on Tom’s Digital Breakouts or in the BreakoutEDU Digital Sandbox … or, create your own !) In Gamification in Education: What How, Why Bother? (Lee & ...

Hey Coach, I want my students to be aware of the world outside of our classroom by learning with individuals from different countries and cultures. How can I connect with educators around the world who would be willing to partner with my students? Sincerely, Craving Global Connections Dear Craving Global Connections, I applaud you for working to flatten the walls of your classroom! Global collaboration offers many benefits to students, including developing communication skills, building empathy and a sense of interconnectedness, teaching students to overcome barriers and form bridges to other cultures, and preparing students for increasingly globalized workplaces. In 2018, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Center for Global Education at Asia Society released a publication entitled Teaching for Global Competence in a Rapidly Changing World . It provides guidance to educators as they work to integrate global competence into the...

The King's Cup has been stolen and it's up to you to identify the culprit and find the trophy. Well, it's not actually up to you and nothing has actually been stolen. This was the scenario for an activity called   BreakoutEDU .  BreakoutEDU capitalizes on the popularity of escape rooms and combines it with content standards from K-12 courses. Students must use communication and collaboration skills in order successfully work together to solve a series of puzzles while at the same time competing against the clock.  Teach to One Math Teachers at Bear Creek Middle School crafted this caper with their KSU iTeach coach Kali Alford. The team was looking for an activity to help keep their students engaged following testing. They incorporated common math concepts from 6th-8th grade with puzzles that would eventually reveal the identity of the culprit and location of the missing artifact and thus the Mystery of the King's Cup was born. Aside from setup and a few ...