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For many years, scientists believed that bumblebee flight was aerodynamically impossible. Somehow, despite this “impossibility,” bees are great at getting around in the air! Over half a decade of scientific inquiry has created a better understanding of how the quick flapping of wings paired with a twist on the upstroke creates enough lift for a bee remain airborne. The scientific process leading to a better understanding of the flight of the bumblebee is a perfect example of how science works in the “real world.”

One summer when I was about 5 or 6 years old, I obsessively collected bees. My favorites were bumblebees – fat, fuzzy, and all around adorable. I kept them in glass canning jars – one bee per jar – that had been filled with red clover and had air holes punched through the lids. I loved looking at them, watching them suck nectar from the clover, and buzzing around the jar. Sometimes I had pangs of conscience, watching them in their little glass prisons, and always let them go after a day or two of captivity. There were some casualties along the way for which I felt guilty, but my fascination with them was too strong to give up the collecting.

Do you ever do things in your classroom just to throw your students off balance a little and get their attention? I admit that I think it is kind of fun to watch student’s reactions when I try something totally new in class and they aren’t quite sure what to think. Although the topic of codes and ciphers is different and cool in its own right, you can make it even more engaging for students by immersing students in the subject from the beginning of the lesson.

In fifth grade, some of my friends and I created a cipher in order to pass notes in class. It wasn’t a terribly sophisticated cipher, but it was effective enough to foil the class busybody, who constantly scanned the classroom for miscreants. Many years later, I ripped through the Sherlock Holmes story The Adventure of the Dancing Men, which reminded me of how much fun codes and ciphers can be. It’s a topic that has a long and interesting history, and instantly captures most students’ attention.

You can now search the Gateway on your mobile device.  The Gateway has been optimized for your smartphone which makes it quick and easy to find resources while you are on the go.  Just browse to TheGateway.Org on your smartphone and you will be redirected to the mobile version.  You can still view the full site if you wish by clicking on the "Go to Full Site" button in the footer.

“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” – Confucius

Some students easily grasp concepts in a traditional instructional setting with a teacher in front of the classroom explaining and demonstrating a particular topic. These students are often good note-takers and do not have a problem staying on-task and listening for an extended period of time. Unfortunately, not all students fit in this category. Many students need to DO things to get a deep and lasting understanding of a topic. Teachers attempt to engage these students by including hands-on activities and projects as often as possible, giving these Do-ers a chance to learn to the best of their potential.

At some point or other, a teacher is bound to hear the dreaded student comment “What good is this? When will I ever need this in life?” When students don’t see how subject matter applies to their personal lives – either now or in the future – they often become disengaged from the material and tune out. It’s a frustrating experience for both teachers and students, and a problem that’s plagued educators for centuries. How can teachers demonstrate the importance and relevance of subject matter to their students?

"I never teach my pupils. I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn."
- Albert Einstein

This is a humbling philosophy to think about as a teacher. My job description says “teacher,” but now I’m supposed to be a creator of optimal learning conditions instead? It’s easy to assume that teaching something to your class means that the students all learned it. With the variety of abilities, learning styles, and needs in every classroom (and the possibility that some of the students MIGHT not be listening…) this is not always the case.

Special education is a term that covers a large range of student abilities and disabilities. Most special education teachers work with students with mild to moderate disabilities, which allow the students to learn alongside "regular" students in inclusive classrooms. The teachers and aides that work with students with special needs generally modify the existing curriculum in order to meet the student's individual needs. These students may require additional time when completing tasks, as well as adaptations in the way the content is delivered and how work is completed.

We are launching a new series of Gateway webinars. Like the Gateway, these webinars are free for all users but space is limited so register early. These webinars will focus on select features of the Gateway and how best to use the site to discover and access thousands of education resources. Our first webinar, Introduction to using the Gateway, will introduce users on how to search the Gateway efficiently and how best to locate resources. Other topics that will be covered include Joann's Picks and Peggy's Corner, two popular Gateway columns that each week focus on different themes of importance to educators and feature resources and classroom activities centered on these topics.