Kicking Off Teach Chat
Posted by Brainspring on 7th Jan 2015
Hi everyone,
Today’s a big day… Teach Chat begins! I can’t wait to dive into reading, discussing and sharing The Smartest Kids in the World with you. I’ve had the book over a week now, and it’s been torturing me not to start reading it.
How to Join In
Some of you may have noticed posts have already started on the Facebook page and Twitter. Yes!
Remember to join Teach Chat on Facebook and follow me @4TeachChat on Twitter, if you haven’t yet.
Most of the discussion is going to happen in those two places because anyone can post whenever a thought pops into their mind. That’s exactly what Teach Chat should be: us coming together to share thoughts and ideas as we read. So don’t worry about writing a short essay or coming up with some profound insight (although you’re more than welcome to do both of those as well), just join in the conversation! Some things that seem obvious or unimportant might actually be a new perspective for someone or spark a meaningful discussion.
Using Facebook and Twitter will also let us keep Teach Chat an ongoing conversation. Keep checking there, even if you don’t see a blog post. Posts about Teach Chat will be every other Thursday. I’ll give a quick summary of what we read and some highlights from the discussion. Then I’ll kick off the next section of the book! You’re more than welcome to read ahead and comment on the blog posts as well. I’m also planning to try and schedule a few real-time chat sessions for those who can make it. Google+ and Facebook are both options for that.
Beginning Discussion Suggestions
That’s probably enough of me going on and on. It’s time to see what you have to say!
Here are some of the things I’ve been thinking about:
What could other countries be doing that makes their students “smarter”?
Do other countries have advantages we don’t in the US? Thing like education policy, societal expectations, social structure, culture, genetics…
Even before reading about other countries, what things about education in the US could be improved?
Ready…Set…Chat!
Post your thoughts and questions on Facebook and Twitter!
The next Teach Chat blog post will cover the first 2 chapters, so try and get through those by January 22.