At the start of 2017, Flocabulary traveled to Standing Rock, ND to work one-on-one with students in the community. Why the trek from our hometown of Brooklyn to the Great Plains? The students in this community are Lyric Lab pros, and with the school’s special focus on the arts as part of the nationwide Turnaround Arts program, we wanted to collaborate to offer avenues for student voice and expression in a community embroiled in a national controversy.
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…
Perhaps you caught his story on TV: Second grade teacher Michael Bonner made the national spotlight after a video of his students performing and dancing to an original rap about reading went viral. The video was so inspiring, Ellen Degeneres even invited Michael on her show (twice!), highlighting the amazing ways he connects with students and helps them achieve. With the magical classroom culture he's created—and his video-making skills—we had to track this teacher down. We asked Michael about his biggest inspirations as an educator, what his students have taught him, and more.
Educators across the country and around the world use Flocabulary to engage students and help them achieve. And how educators and students use Flocabulary is quite different classroom to classroom.