We’re excited to introduce you to may’s certified brainpop educator of the month, dinah wade! Dinah joins us from franklin, TN, is passionate about teaching computational thinking, and has been a huge champion of our creative coding tool.Cognitive learning theory in the classroom read on to learn more about dinah’s experience as a CBE and how it’s boosted her use of brainpop with students.

I was part of the TETC (tennessee educational technology conference) 2017 class.Cognitive learning theory in the classroom when I took the CBE class, I had no idea of the many wonderful tools that brainpop offered! The class opened my eyes to so many tools and concepts that brainpop offers.Cognitive learning theory in the classroom becoming a CBE has helped me to be part of a community of passionate educators who want to find ways to engage their students in learning!

Until the curriculum changed, part of the 6th grade science curriculum included circuits. 6th grade science classes visited the library to participate in a lesson to learn the basics of circuits.Cognitive learning theory in the classroom I began the lesson with the brainpop video about electric circuits and then played 4 corners to review the video. If you are not familiar with 4 corners, this is a great kinesthetic activity in which students get up and move to different corners (A, B, C, or D) to answer a multiple choice question.Cognitive learning theory in the classroom not only are students able to move, they are able to collaborate with classmates about the information. While watching the video, students were given a printable PDF of a circuit diagram to label.Cognitive learning theory in the classroom we went over the different vocabulary terms and parts of a circuit before applying our learning to the makey makey kit. Students then had the opportunity to apply their learning by setting up a makey makey circuit board for the first time.Cognitive learning theory in the classroom students then tested materials to see if it was a conductor or insulator. For students that had a quick understanding, they were able to move on creating different game controller designs using various insulators and conductors.Cognitive learning theory in the classroom upon leaving the library, many students asked their science teachers when they could return for more science!

BrainPOP allows me to differentiate my lessons easily.Cognitive learning theory in the classroom for example, when working with collaborative special education classes, students are able to use the vocabulary terms that are already recorded.Cognitive learning theory in the classroom there are many built features in brainpop that allow all students to be successful such as closed captioning, pre-recorded vocabulary, student choice, prompts for make-a-movie, and more!Cognitive learning theory in the classroom all students should have the opportunity to learn and have fun while doing so!

Before becoming a CBE, I thought brainpop was just a “video and a quiz.” while I love the brainpop movies and they help to introduce and reinforce concepts, that was the end of my brainpop usage.Cognitive learning theory in the classroom when I attended the CBE course, I learned about the creativity tools, PDF’s, and game based learning that brainpop offers! In tennessee, teachers are evaluated by the TEAM rubric which follows very closely to bloom’s taxonomy.Cognitive learning theory in the classroom in order to score well, students must apply what they have learned! BrainPOP allows this to happen and the students ENJOY it! While teachers want to have great evaluations, it isn’t about us, it’s about creating fun and engaging lessons for our students!Cognitive learning theory in the classroom brainpop helps teachers AND students love learning!

Becoming a CBE also has introduced to a wonderful community of teachers around the world!Cognitive learning theory in the classroom I am part of the CBE facebook group which allows me to learn and share ideas on how to best use brainpop in the classroom. Building a community of learners is important in the classroom.Cognitive learning theory in the classroom teachers must model this by participating in learning communities of their own!

Students will not retain their learning if they are not engaged.Cognitive learning theory in the classroom we must use students’ interests in order to best teach them! We live in a digital world, so it makes sense to use digital tools to teach our students.Cognitive learning theory in the classroom we must be careful to let them dig in with these tools, not simply use them to type or write on a computer. I am very passionate about teaching students computational thinking skills, so creative coding is one of my favorite brainpop tools!Cognitive learning theory in the classroom not only do students share the vocabulary and skills on a topic, but they code their sprites/backgrounds to share the information they learned!Cognitive learning theory in the classroom