Businesses are moving away from the Office Space days of cubicles and fluorescent lighting, opting instead for couches, standing desks, bean bags and other methods of creating comfortable environments. (In fact, I’m writing this sprawled out on a couch tucked away in a cosy corner of Flocab HQ.) The same should go for classrooms, yet it has stagnated. Here are some things to consider when evaluating a shift in your classroom design:
It’s that time of year again! Stores are filled with school supplies, eager children and even more eager parents. As teachers, we are shopping for bargains, and are fastidiously decorating our classrooms. The new school is about to begin, and although your desks may be in neat rows and posters of cute kitties may abound, are you really ready? Here are a few things you should do at the start of the new school year.
Earlier this spring, we asked members of the Flocabulary community to share stories of how their class loves to learn with Flocabulary by posting photos or videos on social media tagged #HowWeFlocab. We hoped this plethora of pics would not only give us a glimpse into what's happening in Flocab classrooms -- but would connect educators through community-sourced ideas. Learning together is always better. From sketchnotes to rap battles, and test prep to poetry, we found teachers using Flocabulary in out-of-the-box ways to bring joy into the classroom and make learning engaging and fun. Ready to get inspired? Snag these teachers’ tactics…
We recently updated our Privacy Policy to include information related to our new mobile application. Protecting the information of students, teachers, and other Flocabulary users is of utmost importance to us, and we’re a signee of Pledge to Safeguard Student Privacy. Aside from additions pertinent to our mobile application, no other changes have been made; the updated policy doesn’t change how any personal information is collected or used by Flocabulary. You can view our complete privacy policy here.
After convincing the 8th grade social studies team to try out the unknown with a rhyme-writing project, we began our test run with our first period homeroom students. For 20 minutes a day, students were given a week to complete raps of their own in groups of three, the freedom to choose any social studies topic from class, and given full responsibility to work at their own pace in computer labs alongside peers. The great thing about Lyric Lab is that it’s structured in each video, so students were able to listen to what the Flocabulary rappers did, and get inspired…
