Students at the Center Newsletter – September 2014
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The Past and The Promise: Today’s Competency Education Movement Executive Summary
Competency education is attracting significant interest as a promising way to help meet our national priority of ensuring that all young people are ready for college and careers. In competency-based schools, students advance at different rates, based on their ability to demonstrate mastery of learning objectives. Teachers provide customized supports to help propel everyone to… Read More ›
The Past and the Promise: Today’s Competency Education Movement
This report, the first in the Students at the Center’s new Competency Education Research Series lays a foundation for assessing the potential of competency-based models, grounded in an exploration of the outcomes from previous like-minded efforts. Recent research and theory from the learning sciences show that a personalized approach to competency education may help better… Read More ›
Extended Learning Opportunities
Heather Cole of Pittsfield Middle-High School talks about her extended learning opportunity working for the Pittsfield Police Academy.
Putting Students at the Center: A Reference Guide
Today, we know more than ever about how students learn. Education researchers have identified key components of college and career readiness, while research in the cognitive sciences has revealed the neurological pathways of effective learning and shown how it affects the brain. This reference guide from the Nellie Mae Education Foundation delves deep into the principles… Read More ›
What is Student-Centered Learning? (brochure)
Why should education be one-size fits all? Learning doesn’t stop when the final bell rings. Does your brain only work when you’re sitting in a chair? How do we prepare today’s learners for tomorrow’s economy? Learn more about student-centered learning from this Nellie Mae Education brochure. Download this brochure >
Tech-based Student Support Resources
To complement our School Counselor Advocacy Letter[/popup_trigger],the Students at the Center Hub team curated a set of tech-based tools particularly suited for counselors wishing to improve communication strategies and documentation with students and teachers. Based on feedback gathered from New England-based counselors, we developed a menu of web-based resources to respond to the counselors’ interest… Read More ›
An Advocacy Letter: Recognizing the importance of support staff in a student-centered school
Dear_________________, As a school counselor, my work would not be possible without the tireless support of the teachers, school leaders, and students who work and learn in this building. I feel privileged to be a part of our school community. As we have been working to make our school more student-centered, I am excited to… Read More ›
PBLWorks
PBLWorks “builds the capacity of teachers to design and facilitate quality Project Based Learning and the capacity of school and system leaders to set the conditions for teachers to implement great projects with all students.” Developed by: Buck Institute for Education Audience: Educators, administrators, and parents Potential Use: Professional development This is a great site… Read More ›
Six Tips for Brain-based Learning: A Resource Guide for K-12 Educators
This free, 13-page resource guide by Edutopia offers practical tips for putting brain-based learning into action in K-12 classrooms, along with supporting resources including reading lists, videos, and published articles. Overview This resource guide covers 6 topics: Creating a safe climate for learning Encouraging a growth mindset Emphasizing feedback Getting bodies and brains in gear… Read More ›
The Mysterious Workings of the Adolescent Brain: A Virtual Visit with Cognitive Scientist Sarah-Jayne Blakemore
Sarah-Jayne Blakemore delivers a lively TED talk and recorded interview. She introduces the ways the adolescent brain is different from the adult brain and provides a glimpse at how one leading neuroscientist in the field approaches her work. Edge.org commentary: The Adolescent Brain TED Talk: The Mysterious Workings of the Adolescent Brain Audience: Educators, Pre-service… Read More ›
Inside the Teenage Brain: A Six-Part Television Series
This six-part series chronicles how scientists are exploring the recesses of the brain and finding some new explanations for why adolescents behave the way they do. The website that supports the series includes a rich collection of videos, links to research and other online resources about the brain, interactive diagrams, and practical tips. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/teenbrain/ (Also… Read More ›