Want to transform learning? Take kids outside. A lot. So many of my favorite moments in learning came when I was outside exploring, getting dirty, and breathing in the learning. As important as I think that high levels of technology integration is for the future of our students, the blind spot of education system is not using the natural beauty that is a strength of our nation. Places like the Urban Ecology Center in Milwaukee, The Great Smokey Mountain Institute at Tremont, and the Dauphin Island Sea Lab are but three of hundreds of partners that want to work with you as an educator. Watch this video below, then tell yourself that you are doing enough in this area for your kids. It is essential for building the future stewards of our planet.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Five for Friday- Holiday and Video Edition
Loved stumbling on this school that does incredible expeditionary learning.
Why is There Corn in Your Coke? Great video on how we are addicted to high fructose corn syrup.
The History of Life on Earth- Crash Course on Ecology. Great set of flipped, blended learning opportunities for students.
Are we missing the boat on not bringing some of these ways of learning to the classroom?
Looking for some incredible Google Forms that are already done for you? Check these out.
We need to be innovative with Common Core, not just plug it into our current systems.
The History of Life on Earth- Crash Course on Ecology. Great set of flipped, blended learning opportunities for students.
Are we missing the boat on not bringing some of these ways of learning to the classroom?
Looking for some incredible Google Forms that are already done for you? Check these out.
We need to be innovative with Common Core, not just plug it into our current systems.
Peak Oil? Peak Education?
There is so much complexity to the ideas and concepts that we teach and explore in schools. It makes teaching easy and being a facilitator of learning really hard. The infographic below caught my attention the other day. It showcases the gap between the oil that we need to meet demand and the current diminishing oil returns that the planet is giving us. It shows that by 2030, we will have 43 million barrels per day available from our current sources with a demand of 108 million barrels a day with our current projections for consumption. The gap will need to be filled by oil that we have yet to find. It is amazing that in 18 years that we need to close this gap. The alternative is to move away from oil and find a more sustainable way to consume energy on the planet. I wonder if the people working on this project will continue to beat the drum of closing the gap or will they find a more innovative solution, a more sustainable solution. Seems like we have the same choice in education. Do we continue to beat the drum of closing the achievement gap with the same methods that have brought diminishing results or should we look for a fresh, sustainable, innovative way to more forward to serve the kids of the future?
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Celebrating the Journey of Learning
How you get there matters. For too long, the conversation has been on the finish line in education. The finish line is a place that allows us to compare each other. The finish line is where everyone can celebrate together. The finish line is where they hand out the the medals.
After a while though, all the finish lines look the same. There are hundreds or thousands of people that haven't even allowed the sun to set on the day before they are thinking about what is next. The finish line becomes less and less fulfilling. For some, this is when the realization happens that in running and in schools and in life, the journey matters, and the true pleasure of things comes from HOW you made it to the end instead of the focus being just on the end.
As a runner this means, enjoying the beauty of your surroundings during those long runs, feeling stress fade and peace grow during a random Thursday morning run, and preparing for race day so that your nutrition and gear is just right. As a school, this means doing learning the right way by having kids experience learning, dive deeply into topics that they are passionate about, and work together with others so the beauty of diverse opinions blossoms.
For too long, schools, communities, businesses, and elected officials have been lured into staring at the shiny medals at the finish line when more focus needs to be HOW we educate our next leaders, scholars, and citizens.
The lure of the finish line is starting to fade for education also, and without the end, many will be lost, so encourage our friends to focus on the little things that happen each day that can truly make the journey one of energy and happiness for all learners. Only then will the right goals be celebrated at the finish line.
(These videos seem to do an excellent job of talking about the HOW of education. Enjoy.)
After a while though, all the finish lines look the same. There are hundreds or thousands of people that haven't even allowed the sun to set on the day before they are thinking about what is next. The finish line becomes less and less fulfilling. For some, this is when the realization happens that in running and in schools and in life, the journey matters, and the true pleasure of things comes from HOW you made it to the end instead of the focus being just on the end.
As a runner this means, enjoying the beauty of your surroundings during those long runs, feeling stress fade and peace grow during a random Thursday morning run, and preparing for race day so that your nutrition and gear is just right. As a school, this means doing learning the right way by having kids experience learning, dive deeply into topics that they are passionate about, and work together with others so the beauty of diverse opinions blossoms.
For too long, schools, communities, businesses, and elected officials have been lured into staring at the shiny medals at the finish line when more focus needs to be HOW we educate our next leaders, scholars, and citizens.
The lure of the finish line is starting to fade for education also, and without the end, many will be lost, so encourage our friends to focus on the little things that happen each day that can truly make the journey one of energy and happiness for all learners. Only then will the right goals be celebrated at the finish line.
(These videos seem to do an excellent job of talking about the HOW of education. Enjoy.)
Friday, December 21, 2012
Five for Friday-Links and Ideas
Good Piece from PBS on Digital Citizenship
Environmental Sustainability starts with conservation. Nice piece on vampire drawthroughout our houses.
Incredible set of links surrounding wealth, poverty, and economic justice.
Some information about Digital Learning Day
Principals Advisory Council is working on examining how we could qualify for the Bronze Award for Eco-Schools USA
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Transparency, Vulnerability, A Road Forward?
Marketing works. Certainly not a revelation of a comment, but it is amazing that we are in a time when everything is packaged in a way that moves it as far away from its warts as possible Clean coal isn't clean, and The Learning Channel features Honey Boo Boo. When we run from the warts and condemn the imperfections in life, we get to a point when we can't even talk about making them better. A society that is willing to grow has to be vulnerable enough to discuss their blind spots, their strengths that are actually their weaknesses, and their invisible people. I have a huge desire for more transparency and less layers of marketing on everything. Looking for a complex answer to the complex tragedies of New Town, CT and other locales, maybe this is a piece of the answer. Let's get real.
Releasing the Passion of our Students- TEDxMRH
I'm in the middle stages of planning the first TED event at a school in Missouri for April 19. It will be TEDxMRH, and it will be a day of innovative voices surrounding topics of leadership, scholarship, citizenship, and stewardship. I'm most excited to hear the voices of students and teachers as they talk about their passion for learning and their hopes and dreams for learning and schools in the future. Part of the day will feature some TED videos, and I'm considering this one below. This young woman speaks about the importance of learning for learning sake. Very powerful. Also, if you are interested in being a part of the event, please contact me, and we can discuss speaking, attending, and various other ways to participate.
How do you describe the benefits of technology integration at your school?
Building a strong sense of why surrounding technology integration continues to be an essential challenge for schools. Even in places where families and communities support high-tech career, the gap in understanding between communities and schools surrounding the purposes of technology integration can be very high. For us, technology integration is about giving students voice and choice. Two essential elements to keeping our students energized and engaged in their learning. Why do you want to integrate technology at your school? Until you have a good answer, expect push back, skeptics, and more to fill the space and time surrounding this issue.
Friday, December 14, 2012
Five for Friday- Links and Ideas
Continue to believe that Project Based Learning resources at the Buck Institute are second to none. They also have some fantastic on-line classes.
Friday, December 7, 2012
Five for Friday- Links and Ideas
There is a growing energy surrounding the idea of makerspaces in schools as a way to teach design, critical thinking, and more.
A University of Missouri student is doing a film on how testing impacts students and school. The final product should be interesting.
What are we doing to build a sense of wonder in our students? How can we build on our desire for kids to wonder about ideas and topics?
What does it really look like to put the learner at the center of the learning design? Can we truly push our thinking to allow this to happen?
Friday, November 30, 2012
Five for Friday-Links and Ideas
Here are some great thoughts about why we collect data surrounding student growth in an authentic way.
I hope that we are on the way to more deep project-based learning opportunities for kids.Here is a great chart showcasing the difference between projects and project-based learning.
What type of teacher are you. This blog may explain.
Sunday, November 25, 2012
My Learning over Break
Are we promoting physical fitness in our 1:1 environment? Some thoughts are the importance of the balance.
The Digital Media Learning Research Hub has some incredible videos to promote thinking and learning.
We are always looking for grants that fit our dreams and passions. This seems like a great clearinghouse.
Research about the power of moving schools to more intrinsic motivation continues to overwhelm me in a positive way. Here is another piece on the topic.
Does authentic assessment produce better quality data that minimizes cheating? Great thoughts in this article.
Higher Order Thinking Strategies and Tools seem like they were an educational wave that should have taken more of us with them. These research-based ideas can add to cooperative learning, reflective learning, and project based learning.
How do we connect kids with the concept of compassion. This TED talk attempts to start the conversation.
Free lesson plans surrounding Common Core standards.
Is there a way for us to do asynchronous digital citizenship or does it require community conversation?
This is some stretch curriculum ideas for middle school, but it would be perfect for a high school economics classroom. Make economics come to life through these videos.
The Digital Media Learning Research Hub has some incredible videos to promote thinking and learning.
We are always looking for grants that fit our dreams and passions. This seems like a great clearinghouse.
Research about the power of moving schools to more intrinsic motivation continues to overwhelm me in a positive way. Here is another piece on the topic.
Does authentic assessment produce better quality data that minimizes cheating? Great thoughts in this article.
Higher Order Thinking Strategies and Tools seem like they were an educational wave that should have taken more of us with them. These research-based ideas can add to cooperative learning, reflective learning, and project based learning.
How do we connect kids with the concept of compassion. This TED talk attempts to start the conversation.
Free lesson plans surrounding Common Core standards.
Is there a way for us to do asynchronous digital citizenship or does it require community conversation?
This is some stretch curriculum ideas for middle school, but it would be perfect for a high school economics classroom. Make economics come to life through these videos.
Friday, November 23, 2012
Urban Ecology Center
The Urban Ecology Center is one of my favorite dreams that has come true. The city of Milwaukee now has three locations where the staff of the Urban Ecology Center helps kids and community members connect with nature and foster an understanding of place. This dream began when one man looked at the possibility of Riverside Park becoming reborn into a place of wonder from a place of crime and urban decay. Though I live six hours away in Saint Louis, I can still feel the power of this dream on the community of Milwaukee and beyond. The video below showcases how the Urban Ecology Center is changing communities one hike at the time. In Saint Louis, we have an incredible system of well-supported county and state parks that give our students and families and opportunity to connect with nature, but there is more work to be done. How do we support the inherent desire of families to find happiness, peace, and connectedness with nature? How do we model this for families in nature? How do we make sure that families have the resources and supplies to make this possible? Schools and communities needs to continue to support ways to connect families to communities especially the natural beauty of their community. Thanks to Ken, Beth, and the entire staff of the Urban Ecology Center for living this dream and being models for the rest of us.
Get "Outside" The Box on Science
The video below got me thinking about the future of science education. There is no subject that is more stuck in tradition with the easier road forward that science. Every business and university is pumping money into STEM classes, looking for partnerships, begging teachers to do it differently. There is truly a treasure trove for resources in this area including grants, experts, and opportunities, but too many science educators are still making volcanoes, foam ball solar systems, and having students decorate poster boards for the science fair. Everyday science doesn't happen in rows in classrooms. It happens outside. It happens when students interact with nature. It happens when students are talking about real, serious adult problems surrounding food, water, and energy. Students will never be future scientists learning science in a classroom. Put down the books, pick up the sticks. Stop with the multiple choice tests (science is never multiple choice) and start having kids keep a scientific journal. Have your student engage in a citizen science project, do an energy audit in your school, test the water quality in your fountains, analyze the impact of noise or indoor air quality in your classrooms. Leave some room for the unknown. Create an authentic audience. It is no longer about resources. It is about the will to do things the right way. Push back against the standardization of science for the healthy of our kids and our planet.
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Five for Friday- Links and Ideas ThanksGIVING edition
HAPPY THANKSGIVING
As we return to talking about our TEDxMRH conference in April, how we put together our first TED talk
We need to stop preparing our kids for the real world, and prepare them to shape the ideal world.
Our best chance to stop bullying is to connect kids with nature.
Are we doing enough to foster creativity? Can it really be supported every day in every class?
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Innovation Requires Design Thinking
I'm ready to do this whole thing differently. It is rare when a mid-career teacher, principal, parent, or anyone else really used these words with the genuine gusto to carry this desire to reality. It is hard to shed the baggage of the past, push aside your mental models, and embrace a new path. Systems grow roots. Change becomes really hard. The more that I read and experience the concept of design thinking and design thinking in education, the more that it seems like it is a way forward for people and schools that are beginning to grow roots. How can more schools create space for design thinking in their growth process? How can we allow the necessary adult failure inherent in design thinking to occur safely? How can we build a passion for new and better ways to serve our dynamic system? I'm thankful this break to give more thought to moving systems forward in a sustainable way that results in healthy kids, families, and communities.
EcoLiteracy and BioEmpathy
Being part of a healthy learning community means so much more than producing kids that can memorize knowledge and do well on multiple choice tests. This fact seems to be growing into common acceptance in larger and larger circles in our nation, but the question remains about what the rest of the learning should look like. What opportunities and experiences for growth should we provide students in order that we build the whole child? What skills, knowledge, and understandings are necessary to help to mold our future leaders, citizens, and stewards, so that they can fulfill their duty to leave the planet better than they found it.
Below is a great video about the habits of highly empathetic people. Empathy seems like one of those necessary cogs that we should be nurturing in our kids at school as often as that we can. The second chunk of sharing comes from the Center for Ecoliteracy. It highlights five areas that seems like the starting point for a great conversation surrounding ideas and skills that should be filling our schools. See if those five vital practices ring true to you also.
It is a great time in our work as we are growing a model of education that is whole, healthy, and hopeful.
With a goal of nurturing students to become ecoliterate, the Center for Ecoliteracy has identified five vital practices that integrate emotional, social, and ecological intelligence. They are described at greater length in our book, Ecoliterate: How Educators Are Cultivating Emotional, Social, and Ecological Intelligence (Jossey-Bass, 2012), from which the excerpt below is taken.
We
work to inspire teachers to use a variety of learning opportunities
that help students consider and apply these practices in a diverse range
of contexts. These practices allow students to strengthen and extend
their capacity to live sustainably.
1. Developing Empathy for All Forms of Life encourages students to expand their sense of compassion to other forms of life. By shifting from our society's dominant mindset (which considers humans to be separate from and superior to the rest of life on Earth) to a view that recognizes humans as being members of the web of life, students broaden their care and concern to include a more inclusive network of relationships.
2. Embracing Sustainability as a Community Practice emerges from knowing that organisms do not exist in isolation. The quality of the web of relationships within any living community determines its collective ability to survive and thrive. By learning about the wondrous ways that plants, animals, and other living things are interdependent, students are inspired to consider the role of interconnectedness within their communities and see the value in strengthening those relationships by thinking and acting cooperatively.
3. Making the Invisible Visible assists students in recognizing the myriad effects of human behavior on other people and the environment. The impacts of human behavior have expanded exponentially in time, space, and magnitude, making the results difficult if not impossible to understand fully. Using tools to help make the invisible visible reveals the far-reaching implications of human behavior and enables us to act in more life-affirming ways.
4. Anticipating Unintended Consequences is a twofold challenge of predicting the potential implications of our behaviors as best we can, while at the same time accepting that we cannot foresee all possible cause-and-effect associations. Assuming that the ultimate goal is to improve the quality of life, students can adopt systems thinking and the “precautionary principle” as guidelines for cultivating a way of living that defends rather than destroys the web of life. Second, we build resiliency by supporting the capacity of natural and social communities to rebound from unintended consequences.
5. Understanding How Nature Sustains Life is imperative for students to cultivate a society that takes into account future generations and other forms of life. Nature has successfully supported life on Earth for billions of years. Therefore, by examining the Earth's processes, we learn strategies that are applicable to designing human endeavors.
Below is a great video about the habits of highly empathetic people. Empathy seems like one of those necessary cogs that we should be nurturing in our kids at school as often as that we can. The second chunk of sharing comes from the Center for Ecoliteracy. It highlights five areas that seems like the starting point for a great conversation surrounding ideas and skills that should be filling our schools. See if those five vital practices ring true to you also.
It is a great time in our work as we are growing a model of education that is whole, healthy, and hopeful.
With a goal of nurturing students to become ecoliterate, the Center for Ecoliteracy has identified five vital practices that integrate emotional, social, and ecological intelligence. They are described at greater length in our book, Ecoliterate: How Educators Are Cultivating Emotional, Social, and Ecological Intelligence (Jossey-Bass, 2012), from which the excerpt below is taken.
1. Developing Empathy for All Forms of Life encourages students to expand their sense of compassion to other forms of life. By shifting from our society's dominant mindset (which considers humans to be separate from and superior to the rest of life on Earth) to a view that recognizes humans as being members of the web of life, students broaden their care and concern to include a more inclusive network of relationships.
2. Embracing Sustainability as a Community Practice emerges from knowing that organisms do not exist in isolation. The quality of the web of relationships within any living community determines its collective ability to survive and thrive. By learning about the wondrous ways that plants, animals, and other living things are interdependent, students are inspired to consider the role of interconnectedness within their communities and see the value in strengthening those relationships by thinking and acting cooperatively.
3. Making the Invisible Visible assists students in recognizing the myriad effects of human behavior on other people and the environment. The impacts of human behavior have expanded exponentially in time, space, and magnitude, making the results difficult if not impossible to understand fully. Using tools to help make the invisible visible reveals the far-reaching implications of human behavior and enables us to act in more life-affirming ways.
4. Anticipating Unintended Consequences is a twofold challenge of predicting the potential implications of our behaviors as best we can, while at the same time accepting that we cannot foresee all possible cause-and-effect associations. Assuming that the ultimate goal is to improve the quality of life, students can adopt systems thinking and the “precautionary principle” as guidelines for cultivating a way of living that defends rather than destroys the web of life. Second, we build resiliency by supporting the capacity of natural and social communities to rebound from unintended consequences.
5. Understanding How Nature Sustains Life is imperative for students to cultivate a society that takes into account future generations and other forms of life. Nature has successfully supported life on Earth for billions of years. Therefore, by examining the Earth's processes, we learn strategies that are applicable to designing human endeavors.
Friday, November 16, 2012
Five for Friday- Links and Ideas
Do we let folks see how hard we work? Should we expose our grit and effort more often? This is great piece from Seth Godin.
Building technology literacy continues to be an essential duty of schools. Check out this infographic.
VocabSushi seems like a great site for blended learning surrounding vocabulary.
Are you concerned about students having empathy? Here is a fresh way to think about this complex topic.
BONUS: I'm exploring a new app. Ringya, you should give it a look.
Thursday, November 15, 2012
The Story of the Common Core
We don't do standards or standardized tests very well. We've had a lot of practice. We've tried, but we just don't do them well. Should we keep trying? I sometimes think that it is the only thing that we know how to do. Have we entered a lost generation where everyone thinks that the options are just standards and standardized tests? This is what worries me about the Common Core. I sort of like the story that David Coleman tells about the Common Core, but I fear that the only lens and common language that we have is through standards and standardized tests. What if we viewed this as an opportunity to recapture the joys of learning that comes from experiencing learning, project-based learning, and connected learning. I want this type of learning to be the legacy that I helped to build in education.
Keynote Speech from David Coleman, Contributing Author of the Common Core Standards from NYC Public Schools on Vimeo.
Keynote Speech from David Coleman, Contributing Author of the Common Core Standards from NYC Public Schools on Vimeo.
Stop Stealing Dreams
There is no doubt that even the most innovative places can lose their way quickly. Innovative places don't stop to take breather; they learn to breath in the moment. Innovation isn't something that you did. Innovation is something that you are. You can't stop to enjoy the past because the innovation itself was enjoyable. There isn't time to let everyone catch up to you while you plan your next move. It is too hard to accelerate again. Cruising altitude is fast, but it feels comfortable. Terminal velocity brings clarity. Innovation defies all normal. Can schools really handle this? Do they have the capacity? Listen to the video below, then tell me if we have a choice.
Monday, November 12, 2012
Fail Faster
Have we come to a place in our world where fear impedes change at the highest levels? Is it still possible to find solutions without an unhealthy sense of urgency? Has the disconnect between rich and poor become so great that we feel like time is our friend and not our enemy? When will we learn that failing is about progress? How can we support learners in their efforts to fail? Can we have space to fail? At no point in time is there a greater need than now to fail, so that deep innovation is possible. Let's walk together. Let's fail together. Let's serve our mission together? Let's find deep happiness together.
Saturday, November 10, 2012
First Generation
I continue to work everyday for these kids. I have something deep in my soul for helping that first student in a family not only make it to college, but find success in college. I'm blessed to work in a school district that understandings that lifting kids from poverty means going deeper than literacy and numeracy. We realize that it is about being leaders, citizens, and stewards that know how to reconnect with their community, and build a life and a career based on personal passions. How many families are you introducing to college this year? How many of your kids will break the barrier into college and inspire aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews into believing that college is the beginning of the path to a lifestyle that creates enough space economically in their lives that they have time, talent, and treasure to serve and have empathy for others. Are you dedicated to the First Generation?
Are You Ready to Push to the Education Hilt?
A lot of folks have talked about this incredible video over the last month, but I wanted to throw a different wrinkle into the equation. Being a school innovator takes courage, not just the type of courage that comes from being different from those around you, but the courage that comes from being willing to leave a comfortable place because you don't agree with the leadership even though it will hurt your family. I'm talking about the courage to tell the largest contributor to your school that her views aren't good for kids, and she should look at reshaping her views. I'm talking about the courage of standing tall in a room of "yes" people to say "no" because it is the right thing for kids, and if everyone was viewing it through a systems thinking lens they would agree. Educational courage is in limited supply. Most people that talk about innovation either have no skin in the game or they aren't in a position to truly do the hard work of implementation. This video shows a courage of words, but it has to be coupled with a courage of action, a courage of action that truly is as risky as placing a bet on the future of our schools and our kids.
Friday, November 9, 2012
Jamie Cloud- TED
I have had the great fortune of having dinner with Jamie Cloud, learning from Jamie Cloud, and feeling the brilliance of Jamie Cloud. She is one of those passionate individuals that has remained focused for decade on teaching our youth about the essentials of education for sustainability. Her focus has inspired schools, teachers, and others to fight for a greater voice surrounding the social, economic, and environmental justice issues facing our planet. This TED talk is an incredible synthesis of those ideas that should be a part of the learning of all students in all schools throughout the country.
Five for Friday- Links and Ideas
“It’s going to be more about teachers having nimble classrooms.” This was the quote in the middle of this article about blended learning.
Brooklyn Castle seems like a great documentary about schools, budgets, and overcoming those obstacles.
Great piece by Angela Maiers about the importance of telling our story and helping students build those skills.
Slides to help us think about learning differently.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Expanding the Definition
Just the beginning of some thoughts in this area....
Education based on a limited definition of success will always create conditions in schools that promote some of the worst teaching and learning practices. Cheating, teaching for the test, and the elimination of minutes in the schedule for the arts and physical education are all by-products of a narrow vision of what excellence in education means. Currently, schools looking to grow their definition of success are meeting incredible external resistance. The process of overcoming this resistance requires a continuous conversation between students, staff, parent, and the greater community.
Thoughts? Comments?
Education based on a limited definition of success will always create conditions in schools that promote some of the worst teaching and learning practices. Cheating, teaching for the test, and the elimination of minutes in the schedule for the arts and physical education are all by-products of a narrow vision of what excellence in education means. Currently, schools looking to grow their definition of success are meeting incredible external resistance. The process of overcoming this resistance requires a continuous conversation between students, staff, parent, and the greater community.
Thoughts? Comments?
Monday, November 5, 2012
Five for Friday- Links and Ideas
Great trailer about a documentary on First Generation college kids and the difficult road they have.
The Sunshine of Your PLN in the Dark Moments
There are dark and lonely days in our work. These aren't the days when someone doesn't turn in their homework or when there is a disruptive class or even when lesson plan bombs, but these are the days when none of what we do makes sense anymore. These moments usually creep into our heads and souls when the pressure of the day has lifted a bit or the quiet of life find us just for a moment, and this usually follows with an incredible sense of loneliness, fear, and emptiness. It sometimes lasts a few seconds, but it can hover like a cloud for weeks or longer.This is the quiet side of education that is rarely exposed for anyone to see. It is hidden behind spirit wear, a forced smile, and need to have it together for the kids. We need to be able to share these moments with our PLN. In these moments, we need the power of our connections to sustain us, listen to us, comfort us, and rebuild our mindset. We can always share stuff (resources, tools, strategies), but are we ready to share ourselves, the private fears, the moments of darkness? True communities and networks of empathy and caring grow to this incredible level. While many of us have turned to our PLN into a place learning, the key to a sustainable PLN is becoming a growing ecosystem that supports its members in these darkest moments to believe again that the work that we are doing is noble.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Love Hate and Everything in Between
I've been spending a lot of time reading and thinking about empathy in schools. It seems to me that building an empathic schools is a proactive effort to combat bullying and teacher citizenship. I stumbled across this great trailer for the movie Love Hate and Everything in Between recently. It seems like one of those films that would really hit home for students. I spoke with the folks involved with the film, and they let me know that it will be featured on November 13 on New York as part of the dialogue at the Imagine Science Films series. The film is also available to schools
and institutions through their US distributors:
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Five for Friday- The Late Edition
Is Nature a Cure for Bullying?
Some interesting statistics. America's Report Card 2012: Children in the US
Should we create an elective hour that allows kids to choose their own course from a place like Udemy?
Here is an interesting piece about reading aloud and the benefits that it can bring readers young and old.
Didn't know about PopTech until recently. Another place for great ideas.
Monday, October 15, 2012
The Golden Age
Is it possible that we are in a Golden Age of Education? This doesn't mean a Mission Accomplished Age of Education, but a place that outstrips the overall accomplishments of the United States Education System during any time in history. Clearly, it is easy to fall into a trap of nostalgia believing that where and when you went to school was the best of times, but often, the reality is that there is no perspective of the system as we were inside of the system. Schools probably worked for us as current teachers, educators, etc., but there were certainly kids dropping out, disappearing from the system, and draining the social services of our country during your eras also. The data below raises some interesting points about how more students have access to education for a longer period of time now and how education continues to bring greater numbers out of poverty. Are we too negative about the system as a whole and does this negativity inhibit future growth and innovation?
[Source: U.S. Census Bureau]
[Source: U.S. Census Bureau]
How are We Measuring the Tough Stuff?
As the nation goes crazy surrounding the implementation of the Common Core Standards, it seems like there may be a bit of leaving for vacation without turning the iron off. There are a number of really important things in education sliding to the side as the space and time for Common Core sucks up all of the oxygen in the room. One of those concepts is how to focus and develop the tough elements that come from our education system like grit, self-control, and collaboration. While the standards don't make this impossible or dictate not to teach these things, the time, energy, and resources are being shifted away from this work making it only the resolute teacher or the rebel teacher that will continue their journey in this area. Schools hold the unique potential to be cauldrons of growth in these non-academic areas. Schools are the reason that new leaders, citizens, and stewards emerge, but not solely because of the knowledge that the schools have passed on, but because of the passion that the culture of the school has enriched. Be careful as everything becomes about Common Core that there are essential non-cognitive factors that we need to remain focused on as teachers, leaders, and learners in our buildings. Angela Duckworth does a great job refocusing our priorities with this TED talk below.
Friday, October 12, 2012
Five for Friday- Links and Ideas
Here is a great list of traits to share and discuss with kids who are looking for excellence.
Continue to come back to these Thinking Routines as keys to moving our classrooms forward.
Art, art, and more art. Our kids need art in all subjects.
Still haven't landed on the best digital citizenship stuff for student or teachers. This seems good.
Frustrated by the overuse of Lexile levels. Read here.
Great stuff for teacher who are never satisfied with their classrooms; 7 new ideas
Why teaching grit doesn't mean teaching compliance.
Incredible collection of Project Based Learning resources
Continue to come back to these Thinking Routines as keys to moving our classrooms forward.
Art, art, and more art. Our kids need art in all subjects.
Still haven't landed on the best digital citizenship stuff for student or teachers. This seems good.
Frustrated by the overuse of Lexile levels. Read here.
Great stuff for teacher who are never satisfied with their classrooms; 7 new ideas
Why teaching grit doesn't mean teaching compliance.
Incredible collection of Project Based Learning resources
Friday, October 5, 2012
Five for Friday- Link and Ideas
System Thinking from NSTA
JouleBug look like a great way for schools to combine gamification and sustainability
Great inspiring piece about Staying a Lover of Little Things
Not sure that I love all of these ideas, but the conversation about better grading will move us forward.
Interesting piece about flipping the math classroom.
JouleBug look like a great way for schools to combine gamification and sustainability
Great inspiring piece about Staying a Lover of Little Things
Not sure that I love all of these ideas, but the conversation about better grading will move us forward.
Interesting piece about flipping the math classroom.
Let the Bammys Grow and Flourish
It has been a few weeks now since I returned from Washington, DC and the Bammy Awards. It was truly a pleasure to have received an invitation to this incredible event. For those that don't know about the Bammys, here is the official description.
The Bammy Awards is a cross-discipline award that identifies and acknowledges excellence throughout the education field -- from teachers, principals and superintendents, to school nurses, support staff, advocates, researchers, early childhood specialists, education journalists and parents. The Bammy Awards were created in response to the tremendous national pressure on educators and education leaders to improve student outcomes, and the intense scrutiny that today's educators face as a result.
The Bammy Awards acknowledge that teachers can't do it alone and don't do it alone. The Awards aim to foster cross-discipline recognition of excellence in education, encourage collaboration and respect in and across the various domains, elevate education and education successes in the public eye, and raise the profile and voices of the many undervalued and unrecognized people who are making a difference in the field.
After having a few weeks to return home and allow the event to soak in, it is clear that the Bammys are an event that are needed to reshape the mental models surrounding schools and teachers. There are so many incredible things to celebrate in education today, and the momentum remains to talk about the negative and focus on the failure. The Bammys can be a part of the momentum stopping counter narrative that brings our nation back around to a common sense, solution-oriented approach to moving forward in education.
The Bammys provide a night of celebration, a night of beauty, and a night to hear what is right about our work with kids. The challenge of moving from an inaugural event that is the celebration of an idea to a version 2.0 of an event is that there are now expectations that the Bammys begin to play a role in change. Playing this role will require an incredible program that is broadcast and shared at a level seeps into the DNA of our families, leaders, and communities.
Bravo to the Bammys on year one, and I'm looking forward to supporting this celebration for many years to come.
The Bammy Awards is a cross-discipline award that identifies and acknowledges excellence throughout the education field -- from teachers, principals and superintendents, to school nurses, support staff, advocates, researchers, early childhood specialists, education journalists and parents. The Bammy Awards were created in response to the tremendous national pressure on educators and education leaders to improve student outcomes, and the intense scrutiny that today's educators face as a result.
The Bammy Awards acknowledge that teachers can't do it alone and don't do it alone. The Awards aim to foster cross-discipline recognition of excellence in education, encourage collaboration and respect in and across the various domains, elevate education and education successes in the public eye, and raise the profile and voices of the many undervalued and unrecognized people who are making a difference in the field.
After having a few weeks to return home and allow the event to soak in, it is clear that the Bammys are an event that are needed to reshape the mental models surrounding schools and teachers. There are so many incredible things to celebrate in education today, and the momentum remains to talk about the negative and focus on the failure. The Bammys can be a part of the momentum stopping counter narrative that brings our nation back around to a common sense, solution-oriented approach to moving forward in education.
The Bammys provide a night of celebration, a night of beauty, and a night to hear what is right about our work with kids. The challenge of moving from an inaugural event that is the celebration of an idea to a version 2.0 of an event is that there are now expectations that the Bammys begin to play a role in change. Playing this role will require an incredible program that is broadcast and shared at a level seeps into the DNA of our families, leaders, and communities.
Bravo to the Bammys on year one, and I'm looking forward to supporting this celebration for many years to come.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Things I'm For
Things I'm For
This was my recent effort to get a new positive vibe in my mission to help kids.
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