Super Bowl Special: Interview w/ 2x Ohio Coach of the Year Steve Specht

Congratulations to Steve Specht for being named as the 2012 Team USA coach for the International Bowl against the IFAF World Team!

Cincinnati high school football coach Steve Specht has been with his alma mater St. Xavier for the last 17 years. After a winning season that brought them all the way to the Ohio regionals, Specht still strives to teach his players to become good men.

Coach Specht, considered one of the best all-around coaches in the country, was kind enough to share his insights what makes a good coach and a great teacher.

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Stretching Ourselves as Educators

Flexibility, as displayed by water, is a sign of life. Rigidity, its opposite, is a sign of death. ~Anthony Lawlor

As a former ballet dancer, a teacher, and a technologist, it dawned on me what incredible power there is in flexibility. It's not uncommon to assume an easily movable object is a flimsy one. People tread nervously across suspension bridges and balk at the thought of buying a camera tripod as silly-looking as this one. And yet, the more I think about it, the more I realize the ingenuity and inherent power in flexibility.

Surveying many educational environments reveals that some of our most powerful assets as teachers and learners are, in fact, the most flexible ones. These assets include the wires beneath our school grounds, the resources we find online, and most importantly, our very selves.

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Snowy Day & Winter Lesson Ideas

We recently had our first Chicago snow storm which meant digging out my car, an unpleasant drive to work and basically feeling soggy all morning. But I am determined to maintain a romanticized winter wonderland mentality this year.

To stay optimistic, I'm focusing on the upside of snow.

1. It's pretty (esp. through the window while you're warm and cozy next to a fire drinking cocoa).
2. Snowball fights and snowman building
3. Shoveling is great cardio.
4. Snow days!!!!
5. And, finally, seasonally sensational learning opportunities.

Here are a few of my favorite snowy school day activities:

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Top 12 Super Bowl Activities for the Classroom

A significant holiday is approaching -- not Valentine’s Day or President’s Day – Super Bowl Sunday. While you won’t get a day off work, the Super Bowl practically counts as a national holiday, especially for your more sports-crazed students.

But how can you take advantage of the Super Bowl enthusiasm in the classroom? And how do you do a Super Bowl activity when some of your students – and maybe you yourself – aren’t really excited about football?

My Top 12 Super Bowl Classroom Activities are guaranteed to bring a winning attitude to your classroom, even if your home team isn’t playing.

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Teaching Math Without Words: Interview with MIND Research Institute

The MIND Research Institute is on a mission revolutionize math education in America by helping elementary and secondary students excel to their full academic potential. With help from their own JiJi the penguin, they are taking an innovative visual approach to teaching math concepts while aligning to state standards.

In this exclusive TeachHUB interview, get to know JiJi the penguin and learn how MIND Research Institute is teaching math without using words.

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We Learn By Teaching

Although I am employed to teach, I consider it something of a disappointment if I don't learn something myself during my teaching sessions.

Sure, it is my prime responsibility to ensure that my students are given the best opportunities to learn, and I take pride in creating the best possible learning environments and experiences I can offer. The real magic occurs when we are all learning together, and I would like to argue that this should be the case in any learning environment.

In his 1968 book Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Paulo Freire wrote 'Education must begin with the solution of the teacher-student contradiction, by reconciling the poles of the contradiction so that both are simultaneously teachers and students.'

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Inclusion Educator Checklist: Sharpen Your Collective Voice

Alto, baritone, soprano, and tenor offer different voices, but together they produce harmonious sounds.

Inclusion, also composed of diverse but valuable collaborative voices, is intended to yield melodic classroom performances. Inclusion occurs through team efforts with scores of players accompanying each other. Each voice is a valuable one that comprises an inclusive chorus.

Administrators, educators, families, students, and related staff are a few of the inclusive collaborators. When educators stand side-by-side to reach and teach students with administrative and family support in place, inclusion collaboration is achieved.

This type of collaboration results in diverse voices honoring one another to produce ongoing quality performances. Ultimately, effective collaboration sets the stage for many academic, social, behavioral, and emotional ovations for students who learn together in inclusive classrooms.

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