Creating a Peer Coaching Program to Grow Student-Centered Learning (Part 1)
In southern Maine, the little corner of the world where I teach, coach and learn, we are in the midst of transitioning to a student-centered learning (SCL) model. The Biddeford School Department is a public, K-12 system serving 2,425 students. I am an instructional coach at the middle school and am in my second year… Read More ›
6 Ways Administrators Can Prove the Efficacy of Digital Tools
This article, written by a principal, includes thoughtful insights for implementing an effective digital transformation in a school. It discusses ways to select, implement, and assess the efficacy of new technology. It focuses on the importance of being able to explain and show positive impact to all stakeholders. To lead a change process, principals must… Read More ›
6 Strategies for Promoting Student Autonomy
This article introduces six concrete strategies teachers can use to foster independence in the classroom. The strategies can be used to support a flexible classroom in which students are working on their own or in small groups on a variety of tasks at one time. Teachers should model the strategies and give students multiple opportunities… Read More ›
ASCD Citizens in the Making Resources
Two resources from the ASCD Express issue Citizens in the Making highlight ideas and resources for teachers who want to incorporate more project-based projects that will allow students to use their voices to inact change in their local communities. Teaching for Active Citizenship: Ideas and Resources describes several active citizen projects in which students take on… Read More ›
Competency-Based Education: Lessons Learned After a Decade of Transformation
It has been nearly a decade since Sanborn Regional School District in New Hampshire made the decision to shift to a competency-based system of learning. Having served as the high school principal during this transformation, I learned a great deal about what worked for us and what we would avoid if we had it to… Read More ›
Catalyzing Equity Through Culturally Responsive Education and Competency-Based Education
This article introduces a tool and video created by the Mastery Collaborative, a program of the Office of Postsecondary Readiness in the New York City Department of Education, to help educators improve equity in their classrooms and schools. The Mastery Collaborative has identified how practices of culturally responsive education go hand-in-hand with mastery-based learning practices, as… Read More ›
Making Media Literacy Central to Digital Citizenship
While there are many new technologies coming into the classroom, video has been used consistently by students in and out of school for many years. The author of this article, a Director at Common Sense Education, asserts that students should learn to harness video to to bring about positive change, becoming savvy digital citizens. This… Read More ›
Exploring Student-Centered Learning in the ESSA State Plans
Many of us who research or implement student-centered learning approaches read with excitement that states now have the flexibility, under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), to include such approaches into their accountability requirements. With states required to submit their plans for implementation last month, we explored how many states chose to include student-centered learning… Read More ›
What Student Choice and Agency Actually Looks Like
This article features the ways in which schools across the country are building student agency and choice. The article, written by a staff member at The Learning Accelerator, describes strategies used by schools documented in their Practices at Work initiative. These examples of real life school strategies highlight many ways student ownership can be increased… Read More ›
7 Things Teachers Need to Know About Native American Heritage Month
November is National Native American Heritage Month. The article below was originally posted on Indian Country Today on November 12, 2014. It contains tips & best practices that can be used in the classroom throughout the year. Without guidance, too many teachers will celebrate Native American Heritage Month in the only ways they know how:… Read More ›
Why Relationships Matter for Urban Students’ Engagement
This post is a follow-up to “Do I Have a Voice? Student Ownership Drives Engagement Among Urban Youth.” We all want to feel connected to and accepted by others. Research shows that positive relationships with adults in school have motivational and academic benefits for students. Nevertheless, researchers and practitioners both tend to emphasize academic and… Read More ›
How one Chicago high school turned the corner using full-time internships
This article highlights the intensive internship program at Chicago Technology Academy. The school, which serves predominantly minority students from low-income families, has committed to month-long, full-time internships for all seniors as part of its turnaround efforts focused on project-based learning. The article discusses the academic and social emotional benefits to students who can build confidence,… Read More ›