2016-12-06 16:05
Many years ago, I taught a class on charity at a Jewish summer camp. The kids who came to this camp were typical American preadolescents and teenagers. They came to camp for their friends… Read More
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A Pass Educational Group partners with organizations to develop customized content. Our blog provides information that will be helpful to individuals and organizations developing content. Similar to the content that our company develops, our blog provides the highest quality content.
2016-11-23 13:59
In December, 1998 and January, 1999 the ASCD, a leading association focused on curriculum development, published a journal on spirituality in schools. It contained an article by Charles… Read More
2016-11-14 20:44
Teachers have high hopes for creating open dialogues in their classrooms. They strive to build lessons that incorporate the rich skills of debate and conversations. How can teachers help t… Read More
2016-11-07 14:40
Imagine somebody telling you, “You must learn this precise information and you must learn it in this way.” To me, this is abhorrent. I don’t want somebody to tell me w… Read More
2016-10-18 12:25
As an instructional designer developing higher education courses, we need to look at the big picture. How do the courses in higher education build a pathway for students and how will stu… Read More
2016-10-11 12:15
The great thing about science is the many opportunities to use fun equipment and tools. Integrating engineering practices adds a new dimension by challenging students to design and build spe… Read More
2016-10-04 11:51
Motif, symbol, and theme: Do you know the difference between these three literary terms? Because of the interdependence of these devices, people often use them interchangeably—and in… Read More
2016-09-30 17:24
CNN has published an article titled "Congress suddenly has buyer's remorse for overriding Obama's veto." The article reports that for the first time in Barack Obama's presidency, C… Read More
2016-09-27 11:47
Although it is the third mathematical operation that students are exposed to, multiplication tends to be more challenging to students than their previous encounters with addition and subtr… Read More
2016-09-20 11:51
Geography is alive and well in social studies. The waxing and waning of geography education as a standalone course is still an important topic of conversation, but social studies… Read More
2016-09-13 12:04
Physics class can be a lot of fun! It doesn’t get much better than rockets, amusement parks, and roller coasters. In order to write a good physics course, make sure you address misco… Read More
2016-09-08 11:41
Virtual Field Trip
As a higher education curriculum developer, I enjoy reusing interesting projects that I experienced when I was a college student. One of my favorite graduate courses was… Read More
2016-09-07 11:17
Let me preface by saying, yes, grammar is important. While students and even adults might find grammar dry or difficult to study, it serves to make communication as clear as possible to th… Read More
2016-09-06 11:46
In 2015, The Washington Post revealed that a typical (public school) student in the United States takes about 112 standardized tests between pre-kindergarten and graduation. Many educators… Read More
2016-09-02 12:10
Economics is treated differently by each state in terms of the way the curriculum is oriented and how the material is presented. With the recent national emphasis on basic personal finan… Read More
5 Similarities Between Developing Courses For Kindergarten Students And Courses For Higher Education
2016-09-01 11:31
Both Want a Reason Why Learning the Information Is Important
“Give me a reason why I need to know this information!” This is a common phrase heard throughout every class, at eve… Read More
2016-08-31 11:35
Biology is a fascinating field of study that is literally full of life! From the atoms that come from distant stars to our cells, microbes, and atmosphere, biology plays a role in our… Read More
2016-08-30 11:34
It is important for content developers to know the difference between standards and goals. Why? Because these have the capability of working against or assisting a content developer&rsq… Read More
2016-08-26 11:34
When it comes to writing good history curriculum, there are a handful of universal truths that cross all of history’s sub-disciplines. The following tips can help writers align curri… Read More
2016-08-25 11:48
In the United States, algebra is seen as the gateway course to higher-level math courses and, in some cases, even college. This is oftentimes a student’s first encounter with abstrac… Read More
2016-08-24 11:40
Answering this question doesn’t necessarily mean what type of gaming, graphics, or fun stuff should be added to the course to make the student interested. It means how do you convi… Read More
2016-08-23 11:54
Every subject area has that one topic that is particularly difficult to keep students interested in. In ELA, that topic might just be grammar. Even educators who love grammar can have a ha… Read More
2016-08-19 12:21
Grade schoolers and teenagers alike have difficulty with subtraction. Sometimes these difficulties come from improper application of memorized rules, and sometimes they come from a lack of… Read More
2016-08-18 12:06
Civics curriculum is some of the most universally taught social studies material in primary, intermediate, and secondary schools, both public and private. From basic knowledge about the br… Read More
2016-08-17 12:40
Ever had a problem you can’t solve even though you spent a lot of time thinking about it? You try one solution then the next, each with no correct answer, until suddenly—&ldquo&hellip…Read More
2016-08-16 11:37
Most content writers know that they should look to the applicable standards before writing, but how do they unpack the standards? Review the three tips below to make sure that these standa… Read More
2016-08-12 11:50
Appropriately named from the Latin word meaning “small stone,” calculus studies changes in variables over time at infinitesimally small intervals. Whether taken in high school… Read More
2016-08-11 11:07
Social Studies is really an umbrella for various liberal arts studies. The academic disciplines within the field are necessarily interconnected and often overlap. From classical history to s… Read More
2016-08-10 12:01
While there are many reasons why a curriculum developer might incorporate a novel into a course, the fundamental reason we study a particular novel is because we believe it to make valuabl… Read More
2016-08-09 12:30
Why should content developers care about standards? Because writing without standards is like creating without a vision. Michelangelo always said that he was “releasing the sculptu… Read More
2016-08-05 11:57
It’s 4:38 on Friday afternoon and you have just been informed that the Subject Matter Expert (SME) for your next project is leaving the organization. The project kicks off in two wee… Read More
2016-08-04 11:41
While next-generation assessments have exposed content writers to new ways of asking students to demonstrate proficiency of standards, many are still unaware of the plethora of technology… Read More
2016-08-03 12:02
Looking for a way to authentically and fully assess student comprehension? Use performance tasks! As science content writers, we are familiar with hands-on challenges that assess discrete… Read More
2016-08-02 11:24
Who is my audience?
The audience you are writing for is very important. At any age or grade level, the learners want to know why they need to learn the material presented. The cognitive l… Read More
2016-07-28 12:22
Curriculum writers have multiple audiences to consider when preparing content. Perhaps the least considered audience is the student who is supposed to benefit from the material. This isn&r&hellip…Read More
2016-07-27 12:02
Career and Technical Education Students Need Literacy Strategies, Too!
A recent study published by Cornell University found that combining literacy strategies with activities in the C&T… Read More
2016-07-26 12:09
In The Speed of Trust, Stephen M. R. Covey describes trust as “equal parts character and competence.” He goes on to say that a leader fails as a result of a character or comp… Read More
2016-07-25 11:45
3 Strategies for Developing Performance Tasks in Math
Performance tasks provide an opportunity to assess students’ higher-order thinking and reasoning, which is sometimes difficult… Read More
2016-07-22 08:30
Understand the Best Practices of Teaching
There are many models and methods of teaching available for instructional designers to use. Keeping up to date on the newest and best pract… Read More
2016-07-21 12:09
PARCC defines technology-enhanced items (TEIs) as “tasks administered on a computer and [that] take advantage of the computer-based environment to present situations and capture resp… Read More
2016-07-20 11:37
Every English Language Arts (ELA) student approaches a course with different talents, struggles, and experiences. ELA course writers should be aware of the diversity of the modern classroo… Read More
2016-07-19 12:11
Once entrenched in a student’s mind, preconceived notions are difficult to shake and can lead to confusion down the road. Here are four common misconceptions, with ideas on how to ad… Read More
2016-07-15 12:20
Keeping up with the newest theories, designs, and technologies is part of an instructional designer’s job. With so many resources out there it’s difficult to find just one… Read More
2016-07-14 11:59
“An expert is someone who has succeeded in making decisions and judgements simpler through knowing what to pay attention to and what to ignore.” Edward de Bono
Beyond th… Read More
2016-07-13 12:23
When developing a technology-enhanced item (TEI), how do you ensure that the TEI type you’ve chosen makes sense as an assessment tool? Here are five questions to ask yourself to dete… Read More
2016-07-12 11:53
Many students, in preparing for their future, enroll in career and technical education classes to gain real-world experience and explore their interests. But what options do students hav… Read More
2016-07-07 11:04
If you ask the average student what they think about career centers, they might make comments such as “Career centers are only for seniors.” or that “Many graduates are h… Read More
2016-07-06 12:04
Every great course begins with the knowledge of a Subject Matter Expert (SME). Being an effective SME, however, requires more than an understanding of the subject matter. Because the S… Read More
2016-07-05 15:16
Performance tasks, which provide students opportunities to put their knowledge into practice, can be a double-edged sword. While they give students the chance to show what they know and en… Read More
2016-07-01 11:50
There is no magic prescription for ensuring that curriculum and delivery are always in sync. Writer intent, instructor style, and student ability are all considerations beyond the… Read More
2016-06-30 16:00
Being familiar with common student misconceptions not only opens a window into student thinking, but also encourages math course writers to develop effective strategies to help students… Read More
2016-06-29 11:56
Many 21st century classrooms are equipped with a variety of high-tech resources, from computers to iPads to SMART boards. Along with these new technologies come new methods of assessment… Read More
2016-06-28 12:16
Instructional designers have the most important role in the development of e-learning materials. The instructional designer creates the “face” of the content that is seen and… Read More
2016-06-24 11:44
The math course writer of generations past might have relied only on old textbooks in developing content, but the math course writer of today has so much more available to assist in crea… Read More
2016-06-23 12:18
Every good science course should include activities that help students better understand the nature of science. What is the nature of science? In a nutshell, it’s a way of know… Read More
2016-06-22 12:14
It’s easy to get swept up into popular trends when writing curriculum. More difficult still is being one of the people swimming against the current. Standar… Read More
2016-06-21 17:50
Like curriculum developers in other core disciplines, English Language Arts course writers should be experts in their field. They should have a strong command of the conventions of languag… Read More
2016-06-18 01:44
It’s easy to fall into a routine of approaching math content the way you learned it as a student yourself. The 21st century learner, however, is expected to tackle mathematical concept… Read More
2016-06-16 18:38
Now, more than ever, science is an exciting subject to study as new discoveries are being made, technologies introduced, and frontiers explored—all communicated globally in a blink of… Read More
2016-06-15 13:34
Writing Social Studies curriculum entails diverse authorship. Economists, historians, political scientists, sociologists, and geographers are all grouped into a single discipline, but we oft… Read More
2016-06-14 12:28
You can find just about anything on the internet—but what you find isn’t always high quality. For English Language Arts (ELA) course developers, sifting through different websi… Read More
2016-06-10 12:30
Being a math course writer in the midst of an educational reform movement can be overwhelming. It’s easy to get caught up in addressing the individual content objectives of a lesson wi… Read More
2016-06-09 13:39
As a society, one of our goals is to foster scientifically literate adults. These adults must make informed decisions when talking with their doctors and voting on complex, politically fraug… Read More
2016-06-08 17:46
Innovative curriculum writing in Social Studies is more practical than ever thanks to technology and the globalized world. Beyond electronic encyclopedias on 1990s CD-ROMs and even the vast… Read More
2016-06-07 11:10
From inception to finalization, creating English Language Arts (ELA) courses can be a daunting task. How do you incorporate standards efficiently? What texts are best for teaching objectives… Read More
2016-06-03 13:35
Writing a course in science and starting from scratch can be daunting. Here are ten great resources presented within a three-step framework to help you along the way. How to get started? Beg… Read More
2016-06-02 18:39
Traditional curriculum writing in Social Studies has turned into a somewhat robotic process. Compiling archived content, loosely linking that content to standards, and then packaging it into… Read More
2016-06-01 15:10
Each of the core academic subjects has a unique set of challenges, but English Language Arts (ELA) courses carry an important additional responsibility: Language arts skills are essential fo… Read More
2016-05-31 14:41
Developing mathematical content is no easy task. Here are six things every math course writer must know before diving into lesson and assessment development:
1) &n&hellip…Read More
2016-05-21 12:37
Is fantasy baseball educational?
An intrepid reader recently asked me whether fantasy baseball was an educational experience. It seems she had been having this debate with her son, a seni… Read More
2016-05-18 14:13
Today, if someone mentions disruptive ideas, it generally refers to the way a new technology has revolutionized the way we’ve come to know things to work. Ride-sharing apps, for exampl… Read More
2016-05-12 19:40
Educators are always searching for new ways to reach learners through meaningful learning experiences. Undoubtedly, learners that see the value in their learning will be m… Read More
2016-05-11 19:13
Students make math mistakes for many reasons. They rush through their work or lose focus and make a copy error. Sometimes that sneaky little minus sign just doesn’t make… Read More
2016-05-10 20:06
Baseball is good for teaching younger students too!
The last couple of weeks I’ve been writing about how a teacher (or parent) might use baseball or any other sport to apply theory… Read More
2016-05-06 20:02
Earlier today, I had the opprotunity to watch a video cast in which Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan thanked several of their teachers who enabled them to become the people that they are… Read More
2016-05-04 14:56
In a recent blog, I discussed the basics of baseball economics and how to use baseball as a way to help students apply the economic principles and terms they were learning in the classroom… Read More
2016-05-03 19:52
Consider the following two questions:
How can smartphones be used in math class?
How can math teaching and learning be supported by the smart phone?
While these two questions seem… Read More
2016-05-02 14:40
In today’s classroom there are multiple ways to implement social media, the driving force of today’s communication. One such way is through the use of a Learnin… Read More
2016-04-28 14:41
It’s spring. Time for baseball. Time for a lesson in economics.
As part of an economics lesson, ask students whether they think baseball teams make money, for instance, or w… Read More
2016-04-26 16:24
The world of education has changed significantly over the last decade. Educators and educational publishing companies are adapting their materials and methodologies to accom… Read More
2016-04-25 17:52
One of the most important goals of education today is to prepare students to further their studies in higher education - college readiness preparation. For… Read More
2016-04-22 20:23
It has been almost 30 years since I attended the Teaching and Curriculum Program at Harvard Graduate School of Education. Most of what I learned has long been forgotten, as the r… Read More
2016-04-21 18:51
If you’re looking for a creative alternative to the traditional book report, I’ve got just the idea for you: The Book Trailer Project! Through the use of a movie making app and… Read More
2016-04-14 14:24
This point in the school year can be one of the most stressful times for teachers and students alike: state testing is underway. As the standardized test monster storms throughout… Read More
2016-04-11 13:57
Several weeks ago, I had the opportunity to sit on the floor during the Detroit Pistons game against the Miami Heat. I was close enough to the Pistons bench that I could hear their head… Read More
2016-04-07 15:56
An intimidating spiral bound pink booklet was my initial exposure to English Language Arts Standards. Twelve years ago when I entered my teacher training program my professor handed… Read More
2016-04-01 15:24
In examining the principles of personalized learning and instructional design, it is important to look beyond technology.
To make learning truly personal, educators must go beyond simple … Read More
2016-03-29 16:58
As an elementary school student of the early 1990s, I grew up accustomed to worksheets as a form of instruction and assessment. Years ago, when I began my first year of teaching, I fell into… Read More
2016-03-24 18:21
The simplest way to understand instructional design is to differentiate it from instruction. Instruction is the teaching of subject matter content; instructional design addresses how that ma… Read More
2016-03-22 14:23
Imagine if all books were written in a literal stance. Reading would be a bore! I’m delighted and thankful for inferences; when I’m reading, I transform into a detective who&rsqu&hell…Read More
2016-03-17 18:35
Aligning district English Language Arts curriculum to Common Core Standards can be challenging, particularly if a teacher is using curriculum that’s based on national and state standar… Read More
2016-03-14 12:00
When I first started teaching, I opened our school's Geometry textbook and found that it was premised on my classroom being organized into groups, every day, all the time. The introduction t… Read More
