Interesting Headline!

Student "Learning Styles" Theory Is Bunk

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/answer-sheet/daniel-willingham/the-big-idea-behind-learning.html

This article caught my eye for a number of reasons. Altona has received some criticism regarding our unwavering focus on literacy and numeracy. Our students spend half of their day not just attaining proficiency, but hopefully mastering these key concepts that are the foundation of their education for the rest of their lives. Although differentiation has some place in a school, and most good teachers use it in one form or another, my own philosophy is don't contrive to create lesson plans that meet the needs of all of the different types of learners. Focus on "hard" skills that students must have, regardless of their own particular learning style... if such styles exist and if they are all equally important in the 21st century.

Where have the last 3 weeks gone?

The year is off and running. Our staff has learned, processed and implemented an incredible amount of new systems as our school district moves forward with some real positive changes. Out of everything, I'm most excited about our Virtual Campus application. Looking at some of the teacher's links I'm really impressed with how we are keeping families and students informed on the daily activities. We are really using technology to bridge the gap between what happens in the class and letting parents have much more than a glimpse into their student's day.

To visit: http://classes.stvrain.k12.co.us/ scroll down to Altona!