Let Student Voices Ring—In and Out of School
Imagine building a bonfire in a local park—legally, of course. You start throwing in file folders filled with papers, and somehow your laptop ends up in there too. Before you know it, everything you’ve collected, catalogued, and annotated is burning in the fire. When faced with the concept of student-led classrooms, many educators visualize something… Read More ›
Resources for Assessment in Project-Based Learning
This is a compilation of resources to support the development of high-quality, authentic assessments of any learning project. The list features links to help teachers include quality formative assessment as well as consider standardized tests when using project-based learning. It also includes overview resources by project-based learning foundations, as well as relevant research. This is a… Read More ›
Pittsfield Tries New Approach On Education
This radio clip from New Hampshire Public Radio features Pittsfield schools. The small district of Pittsfield adopted an approach that flips the traditional model of teaching through student-led discussion and independent projects. To learn more about Pittsfield schools, this short case study in Pioneer magazine provides a look at the school. Also check out the… Read More ›
How an LMS Can Solve Professional Learning’s Challenges
This interview transcript looks at the role of Learning Management Software (LMS) in the delivery of professional development opportunities for educators. EdSurge staff interviewed Ken Dirkin, the Director of Online Professional Learning at Michigan Virtual, a nonprofit provider of digital learning solutions for Michigan’s K-12 schools. He discusses how LMS can deliver a personalized experience… Read More ›
Leveraging Digital Depth for Responsive Learning Environments
This paper explores the potential for wearables, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) to help create more responsive learning environments that: Increase student engagement Enhance the personalization of learning Increase understanding of others’ experiences and perspectives Help develop greater levels of self-awareness Foster critical thinking Increase student agency The paper presents a frame for… Read More ›
Designing for Equity: Leveraging Competency-Based Education to Ensure All Students Succeed
This Competency Works publication offers equity strategies for personalized, competency-based education to ensure a more equitable K-12 education system. Competency-based education systems, designed to ensure all students achieve success, hold promise as a uniquely powerful model for fostering equity, but only if equity is an intentional design feature embedded in the culture, structure and pedagogy.… Read More ›
360 Story Lab
The Digital Promise Global’s 360° Story Lab supports young people to produce 360° media on topics that affect their communities. Virtual Reality technology can be used to expose students to many new perspectives, experiences, and places. Students can also learn to be creators not just consumers of this technology. Through experiential storytelling and immersive technologies,… Read More ›
2018 Youth Leadership Institute
The Youth Leadership Institute is designed by youth for you. It is an annual gathering of youth and adult advocates from Nellie Mae Education Foundation’s grantee organizations who are committed to youth leadership, voice, and organizing in building system-level change that is student-centered and grounded in equity. The Youth Leadership Institute seeks to: Promote student-centered learning… Read More ›
A Focused Practice for Relationship Building
In this article an educator shares a simple practice to build relationships with students. The author describes the use of a 5 x 5 assessment to think deliberately about all students and make time to engage them in conversations on topics important to their lives. Improving relationships can contribute to a safe and engaging classroom… Read More ›
Allowing Students to Design Assessment Tools
As an educator, one would think that the point of every assessment would be clear to students. But if you are anything like me, sometimes we get so wrapped up in designing and creating the tools for students to use on the assessment (or in some cases, even the assessment itself), that we forget to… Read More ›
The Promises, Challenges, and Futures of Media Literacy
The Promises, Challenges, and Futures of Media Literacy addresses the “fake news” problem by evaluating the successes and failures of recent media literacy efforts. Contemporary media literacy programs–commonly organized around the five main themes of youth participation, teacher training and curricular resources, parental support, policy initiatives, and evidence base construction–have demonstrated positive outcomes, particularly in… Read More ›
5 Steps to Guarantee Your PD for PBL is on Point
This article examines ways to ensure professional development to support project-based learning (PBL) is effective. The author provides tips to provide teachers opportunities for professional development that is learner focused, engaging, and embedded in day-to-day practice. The advice is based on the work of the Buck Institute for Education, a leader in PBL. This short article… Read More ›