Roman Krznaric’s website describes him as “a cultural thinker and writer.” He speaks on a range of topics including “empathy, the history of love, the future of work, and the art of living.” His 15-minute talk outlining elements of his book, “How to Find Fulfilling Work,” offers this bit of Aristotle wisdom: Where the needs of the world and your talents … Read More
Education: A “Putting People First” Endeavor
What makes an educator an educator? Or, more importantly, where does “effective teaching” begin? Is it with standards, content, and resources? Or with relationships, connections, and shared experiences? Or perhaps some combination thereof? The New York times recently featured a short award winning documentary about Jeffery Wright, a physics teacher in Louisville, KY. The video is moving, not just because … Read More
Unpacking the Basics of Equity in Education
Achieving equitable classrooms, schools, and communities is vitally important, yet much easier said than done. While educators and education leaders may sometimes feel powerless to affect change on a large scale, they do have control over their local environments — classrooms, schools, and districts. It is here where equity work can, and should, begin. Below is a video of Rachel … Read More
A Landscape of Stumbling Blocks or Stepping Stones?
Our varied perspectives on gun control, safety, and equity will be thrown into stark contrast as we process the recent tragic events in Newtown. Our discourses, dialogues and debates will not be simple or easy, but they will be essential and necessary to not only heal from this tragedy, but to ensure that it doesn’t happen again. In a recent … Read More
What We Want To Interrupt
In an excerpt from an interview with a “young adolescent in jail for selling drugs,” author Thomas J. Cottle lays bare the nuanced complexity of educating youth who have a fragile, if any, grip on hope. Two moments pulled from his post illustrate, at a minimum, problems with the lesson our system implicitly teaches students: “Smart” is defined by traditional … Read More
Fixed vs. Growth Mindsets
Mindset, the seminal book by Carol Dweck, a Stanford University psychologist, unpacks the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset. In a fixed mindset, the belief is that intelligence is fixed and static. You are smart, or you aren’t. This was the widely accepted theory of cognitive development until a series of experiments in the 50’s and 60’s by … Read More
Why Giving Matters More than Taking
Below is a guest post by Nia Robinson, a 15-year old student and change agent. She has started a campaign to raise money for All Kinds of Minds. Here is her motivation. For most people, the holidays have became a time of receiving gifts. To challenge this concept, I decided to do something I have wanted to do for a … Read More
Hating School, Loving Learning
As we debate the ins and outs of how to improve student “achievement,” let’s remember to pause and hear what students have to say. The sooner we give the growing movement of students advocating for their vision of transforming education a welcomed and honored place at the table, the sooner we will move closer to equity in our schools. Below are two powerful … Read More
Royal Society Recommendations for Neuroscience in Education
The Royal Society, a self-governing Fellowship of scientists from around the world dedicated to “excellence in science and to encourage the development and use of science for the benefit of humanity,” released a series of modules in 2011 as part of their Brain Waves Project. The four modules explore the intersection of neuroscience, society and public policy with summarized analyses … Read More
Education Improvements by Nia Robinson
Check out this effort to change the education paradigm by 15-year old student, Nia Robinson, through raising money and awareness. In her call to action she uses the below Sir Ken Robinson speech that was turned into an RSA Animation. Watch, listen, learn, and then head over to her GoFundMe page and make a donation.
