1. Cell phones save us money. They are almost ubiquitous and can reduce the stress and cost of our infrastructure. 2. Cell phones can help students be more organized Most students don’t carry paper plans. We need to integrate their cell phones and/or touch devices as their plan-give them homework reminders, let them vote, podcast, […]
Key Points: At first, this is disconcerting. We could almost hear the sound of keyboard tapping as carefully crafted sentences appeared on the screen. But no one was typing; the words just appeared. And very fast. No one can write that fast. For us two educators, nearly 60 years apart, it was a marvel to […]
Throughout the 40-year information age, we continued to educate young people as if computers didn’t exist. We teach courses that focus on memorization. We teach long division and polynomial factorization as if they were important skills. We gave small problems with known answers when the real added value was solving big problems we had never […]
As winter approaches, now is the time for parents to start planning how to keep their children mentally and physically active during the holidays. Why? Over 100 years (yes, 100 years) of research has documented the occurrence of “winter learning loss,” the loss of academic skills and knowledge that can set students back academically during […]
Winter vacation has begun, but that doesn’t mean learning needs to stop. Opportunities are everywhere, and there are plenty of tools and resources for students at all grade levels to continue exploring this winter. Here are 7 great places to start :. 1. AIClub: An online platform that offers a K-12 curriculum covering AI, but […]
Why they share 1. Kate Fox is the school director of an independent mixed-age learning center in New York City and a middle and high school English teacher. At her school, student-led conferences and student presentations are held three times a year as an authentic assessment and celebration of learning each semester. She says, “We’ve […]
All-white school board votes 5-2 to stop offering black history and literature courses. A Missouri school board that previously voted to repeal an anti-discrimination resolution has now voted in favor of eliminating black history and literature electives. The seven-member Francis Howell School Board voted 5-2 Thursday night to stop offering black history and black literature […]
Key points A recent Gallup poll shows that students rate schools low on enthusiasm for learning, mental health support, career preparation, and personalization. In fact, more than 20 percent of students gave their schools a D or lower. That means at least one in five students is deeply dissatisfied with where they learn. In all […]
The dining room is a learning lab, the living room is a classroom, and the backyard is a playground. Amy’s Anthem home is also a school. High Point Academy serves 11 students ages 6-14 and features a “hands-on, project-based approach to learning that builds real-world problem-solving skills and critical thinking”. Amy provides a safe space […]
Formal learning is a humbling endeavor. As planners, designers, implementers, and general janitors of public and private educational systems, we have the insurmountable task of overcoming children’s natural tendency to play, rebel, and self-direct in the hopes of providing them with a “good education.” Reading, writing, arithmetic, etc. There is nothing wrong with this. It […]
