Bits & Pieces

Mr. Babylon is done blogging about his teaching.

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In the most hilariously on-target post I've read recently, Fred points out that blogging can be hard to quit.

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I met someone whose parents have the same first names as my parents.

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My cat is insanely cute.

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I am procrastinating.

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I have more questions about the contract, but I need a break from that conversation for a while.

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Still procrastinating.

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How do people feel about group quizzes? Here's what I mean: You do a jigsaw - that's where the kids are in groups and become experts on various aspects of a topic. Then you regroup them so that each new group has one expert on each part of the whole topic. Then they teach each other and are held responsible for some kind of product done together. The quiz is taken individually, and each kid gets two grades (or the average of the two): his or her own grade, and the average grade of the group. The idea is to hold the kids accountable for making sure all members of their group learn all the material, while still rewarding each kid for his or her own effort to learn all the material.