I’m often asked, “When is the best time to start a cohort of teachers designing Learner-Active, Technology-Infused Classrooms with you?” My answer is always, “There is no best time; different times have their advantages.” An eight-day summer workshop is critical (coupled with a leadership session). In thirty years of working to transform classrooms and educators’ […]
Student-Driven Differentiation
There is a big paradigm shift looming in education: the need to shift focus from teaching to learning, from teacher as information deliverer to teacher as facilitator of learning. That means on any given day, the teacher’s primary focus should be not on a lesson plan or textbook page, but on a student, and another, […]
Design Process Is Just Good For Kids . . . and the World!
I often hear design process and design thinking mentioned in connection with STEM and STEAM programs; and yes, clearly, if you’re going to solve a design problem, it’s good to have a design process. But the type of methodical thinking involved in design process is just good for everyday life! So build it into everything […]
Students Can Change the World While Mastering Standards
I recently heard a comment that children make up 30% of the world and 100% of our future. I love that! How can we position students to change the world while ensuring we are giving them the foundational skills detailed in the standards? The key is in the “flipped triangle:” While it may seem like […]
Addressing Student Behavior Through Facilitation
I’m pleased to share this perspective on a more productive way to address student behavior by guest blogger Shané Beauford, Coordinator of Systems Thinking at IDE Corp. Student behavior is a hot topic in schools, with some schools moving to programs that depend on extrinsic rewards to prompt positive behaviors. Often, when addressing student behavioral […]