Dear MCPOP members, 

Although I am a teacher educator for TEFL/ ESL/ ESOL teachers, I have been a member of your community for more than 10 years and have followed your posts and your ideas with great interest and appreciation.  

There is a great disconnect between the world of English Language Teaching, at least in Europe, and the world of mainstream education which we…

Does anyone have any great activities/resources for teaching ethical codes throughout history?  Currently, I am looking for something for India's Ramayana and Rome's Stoics. 

Additionally, I have a great claymation version of the Allegory of the Cave (Plato) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69F7GhASOdM anyone have any addiitonal ideas for Plato?

My first experience with LEOs was a success. Students were engaged, collaborated and cooperated while exploring the figurative language in the song “Firework” by Katy Perry.  Students work in core groups on daily basis, so using a variety of LEOs in my lesson went very well. Student knowledge was deepened during this time on several different concepts that support the learning goals. Some students expanded their understanding of tone and mood.…

  I was one of the panelists on today's "Pop Literacy" Webinar (December 6) sponsored by School Library Journal and ISTE.



The program was full of ideas, resources and recommendations. You can listen to the archive…

Check out the beginning of my new YA historical novel, The Gift of Diamonds, a great teaching tool to learn more about Romania, the Holocaust, Communism, and Terrorism. 

http://www.thegiftofdiamonds.com/pages/chapter_sample_loaded.html

I'm really pleased to announce the launch of the online Fun Palaces Comic Maker as featured on BoingBoing.…

I'm really pleased to announce the launch of the online Fun Palaces Comic Maker.…

I used to think…..(Radio version)

Auckland Libraries have just given me permission to share the storyline & materials from 2013's TimeQuest, a citywide school holiday programme for children and teens which used a sci-fi scenario to deliver play-based learning across the city's 55 library branches.

Auckland, 2379. It’s the end for planet…

Over in Parkes Shire, Australia, we've just released a Creative Commons-licensed tabletop roleplay game for all ages. It's easy to learn, quick to play, and students can add their own rules to make it even more exciting. You just need a few paper cut-out characters, a measuring tape, plus a handful of dice and Lego bricks.

You can download the game's 8-page PDF, including character sheets, here at the Parkes Library "Dog-Eared" website:…

Over in Parkes Shire, Australia, we've just released a Creative Commons-licensed tabletop roleplay game for all ages. It's easy to learn, quick to play, and students can add their own rules to make it even more exciting. You just need a few paper cut-out characters, a measuring tape, plus a handful of dice and Lego bricks.

Cory Doctorow, whose work inspired the game,…

MakeBeliefsComix.com Launches Free Comic E-book

To Help Literacy, ELL Students Express Their Creativity

In its efforts to provide more writing tools for educators, MakeBeliefsComix.com has launched a free interactive digital comic book for students enrolled in literacy and English Language Learner programs.

The book, MakeBeliefsComix FILL-ins,  is found at…

Comic Book Dice is a playful 3D adaptation of Jessica Abel and Matt Madden's 'Panel Lottery', a comic creation activity for all ages.

I first trialled this activity at a youth event for the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design in Manila, Philippines, and…

 

Young people are exposed to too few positive female role models in science, Sai Pathmanathan, a science education consultant, writes in this opinion piece. She observes that many students love science and asks why more do not choose it as a career, reflecting…

It's making its way around North America.  The 2014 exhibition features nearly 100 original artifacts, costumes, weaponry, storyboards and more from seasons 1, 2 and 3, plus select pieces from the fourth season of the epic fantasy series. Details on exhibit locations and more on the GoT Facebook…

Twice a year I give a shout out to all that can hear about my favorite collaborative project called the Noonday Project hosted by Stevens Institute of Technology’s Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education (CIESE) which twice a year has students from around the world recreate measuring the circumference of the earth similar to what Eratosthenes did 2200 years ago. The measurements are done at the time of the Equinoxes approximately March 21 and September 21. It's not…

http://www.nypl.org/blog/2013/10/04/classroom-connections-two-wars-african-americans-emancipation-and-american-revolution

Once the snow has melted, and mud dries up enough so wearing flip flops is possible, the season of dress code violations begins. Whether your school dress code policy is ultra conservative or lassiez faire, every spring, there will be one or two students, usually female, who will challenge the dress code with an alarmingly inappropriate outfit.

Part of the problem is that middle and high school females come in all shapes and sizes. A T-tank may be perfectly acceptable on one boyish…

Human beings are natural born learners. Our children learn their first language almost effortlessly. Curiosity, concentration, creativity, compassion & intelligence are native abilities for all of us. Take a look...

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Art-of-Learning/402701759761659