RAFT Hands-On Education

Rita Mercado, First Grade Teacher, Serendipity School The idea of having parents come into the classroom can be overwhelming at times, but it is an important step in having them gain an understanding of the learning that happens throughout the day that isn’t able to be sent home in the form of checked work or a neat looking project. As I began to incorporate more STEM and STEAM projects into my curriculum, I started thinking about how I could paint a clear picture for the parents about just what it was that we were doing. Of course the idea was introduced at Back to School Night and written about in newsletters, but what else could I do. I invited the parents in for a STEAM Night. After giving a brief introduction on the acronyms and examples of what this looks like in the classroom, the parents were able to move around the room and participate in activities designed for exploration. Once they had a few minutes to play, I posed some questions and challenges...

By Elisha Burns, RAFT Fellow Let me be one of the first to say there is an elephant in the room of education and it is called content knowledge.  As a teacher that has spent a few years teaching I can honestly say that the new Common Core curriculum has really opened my eyes to some of my own educational weaknesses. Have you seen some the questions that our students are being asked in the new curriculum? I consider myself an educated person (I do have my Master's degree in Elementary Education), but some of the questions being presented to my students really makes me question my level of content knowledge. It's not that I can't solve the problems, but I find myself spending quite a bit of time working out the problems so that I can teach my students how to tackle them. In the era of Common Core comes the new problem of teacher knowledge, especially in high needs areas. Gone are the days of catchy rhymes and memorizing factoids, the new standards requir...

By Earlene Coleman B.A.,M.Ed   It can be a little unsettling when you think you're teaching the perfect lesson and actually very few students are paying attention.  Teaching has often been called a “noble profession," one requiring diligence, patience, and a great sense of humor. At times it has been called “art.” However, for those in the trenches, we realize that more is needed and that nothing requires such focus, attention, dedication, and refinement of one’s teaching abilities as keeping all students engaged in classroom learning. After all, Learning is more than merely taking in facts or being able to recall information. When students walk through the door, you feel the hope and eagerness of teaching them something new. You select from a bag of tricks to enhance the clarity of the lesson being taught, and as teachers; we need to be creative in order to reach the hearts of your students. I've observed many teachers in the classroom devel...

By Betty Ko, Director, Lovely Taiwan Foundation Tricycles made of chairs from bus and classroom In the center of a busy and bustling Taipei, lies a cleverly titled building called the Creative Reuse Center (CRC). The CRC is a place that's based on creativity as well as sustainability - two features that are extremely important to Taiwan's future development. Only opened in October 17, CRC has received scrap materials, excess inventory, from more than 40 enterprises. The center will offer workshops teaching how to turn these materials into art. In November and December alone, we will be holding 20 workshops. Volunteers’ workshop Within one month of opening, CRC has experienced numerous visits   and attention from schools, families, businesses, media, and artists with favorable responses. As a director of the Lovely Taiwan Foundation, CRC’s funding organization, I’m proud to say that our inspiration came from my visit t...