Coming Soon: New Findings from the Student-Centered Learning Research Collaborative
Leaders in education rarely have the bandwidth to comb through technical studies in order to apply research findings in their classroom. JFF’s Student-Centered Learning Research Collaborative is cutting through the clutter to deliver useful research findings presented in actionable ways. If you’re an educator, administrator, district leader, or state-level official interested in using student-centered learning… Read More ›
Strategies for Stronger Engagement
Recent statistics indicate that over half of students are disengaged in school, and teachers spend a lot of their time and energy addressing student disengagement. Is disengagement a challenge in your classroom? How can you create more engaging classrooms where deep learning occurs? How can you develop stronger relationships with all of your students? This… Read More ›
Six Fixes for Proficiency-Based Learning
This article offers practical advice to schools and districts implementing competency based education. Drawing on the groundbreaking work being done in Maine, the author outlines 6 issues that are often encountered when shifting to a proficiency-based system and details solutions. This would be a great read for any district of school leader at the start… Read More ›
North Dakota School District Ready to Make Bold Changes
This article discusses the shift to a competency-based model underway in the Northern Cass School District in North Dakota. The district plans to eliminate all grade levels, allowing students to build their own academic path to high school graduation. The changes are supported by state education policy allowing districts to apply for waivers from specific… Read More ›
How Turning to My Students Made Me a Better Teacher
I was frustrated. My students weren’t completing their homework, and I’d run out of ideas for motivating them. I didn’t know what to do. The books I’d read and strategies I’d tried got me nowhere, and despite dealing with the same problem, my peers had no solutions. So, after days, weeks, and months of frustration,… Read More ›
EdTech Connect Venture Cafe
Venture Cafe’s Ed-Tech mini-conference, “Innovation in Education & Educational Services” takes place on August 30th, 2018. This special ‘conference night’ event seeks to bring together the brightest minds who are building, funding, and innovating in the Greater Boston area’s Education Community. This event will provide opportunities not only hear the best ideas and see the latest… Read More ›
Want To Get To Know Your Students? Try Learner Profiles
Each year, I am approached by students with the same concern: They don’t feel that their teachers understand who they are, and they often fail to see how what they are learning is necessary or relevant. When reflecting on these concerns with my colleagues, we all agreed that we don’t know our students as well… Read More ›
Camp C-Block Introduces Blockchain Technology to Black Girls
This article discusses the work done by Project Bitmobile. Project Bitmobile hopes to educate, inform, and inspire young black women in the fields of coding, cyber security, cryptography and blockchain technology. The founder will be touring the country in an RV in the summer and fall teaching young black women about these emerging technologies through… Read More ›
Improving Teaching With Expert Feedback—From Students
This article, part of the Schools That Work series by Edutopia, describes the approach a physics teacher at Trinidad Garza Early College High School took to improve his instruction. He found, through surveys, that letting students voice their opinions on how they learn best was the key to changing his teaching practices and improving students’ understanding.… Read More ›
Fit for Purpose: Taking the Long View on Systems Change and Policy to Support Competency Education
iNACOL will host a webinar to explore details of a CompetencyWorks report discussing the long game in moving toward personalized, competency-based education. Fit for Purpose: Taking the Long View on Systems Change and Policy to Support Competency Education, released earlier this year, introduces four “threshold concepts” to help think differently about what is possible in an… Read More ›
Teacher Inquiry Labs in South Carolina Demonstrate Personalized Learning in Action
This article discusses a hands on approach to teacher professional development. In South Carolina learning labs are part of the state-led support for personalized learning. They are educator-driven and volunteer-run. A host district highlights one personalized learning practice that they are using across the K-12 continuum and district leaders, educators and instructional coaches from across… Read More ›
Every Student Is a Mathematics Language Learner
This article discusses the benefits of explicitly teaching all students how to use mathematical language. The author, a veteran teacher, notes that while English Language Learners often need support to learn mathematical language, many other students struggle as well. The author shares one simple technique to scaffold learning called talking point cards. Any math teacher… Read More ›