Chapter 7 of this fantastic series delves into the fuel that keeps the fire going — questioning everything in relation to the whole child: Asking for help. Inquiry to inspire students’ voice. Shared inquiry about students. Building a community of curiosity, which changes teachers’ perspectives on teaching, learning, and their own empowerment as educators, empowerment they then pass on to … Read More
18 Myths of Education (Infographic)
Below is a provocative infographic from Open Colleges, an online university in Australia. What do you think about these? Agree? Disagree? Little bit of both? Share your thoughts in the comments. <img alt="" src="http://informed.s3.amazonaws.com/informed/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/600px_final the original source.jpg” /> An Infographic by Open Colleges
11 Characteristics of Meaningful Work
Note from the Editor: While this piece by Shawn Murphy is related to business practices and targeted to managers and business leaders, the parallels to education and student learning are striking. Teachers, curricula developers, and education leaders can find plenty herein to ponder, reflect on, and apply in practice. It was originally posted at Switch and Shift and is reposted here with … Read More
The Importance of Student Voice
The following is a guest post by Mark R. Boyer, Assistant Superintendent for Learning, Singapore American School. I was recently approached by a high school student who asked, “In order for student voices to be heard, should student evaluations of teachers be mandatory and used in the teacher’s performance review? Furthermore, is there a way to make sure that student feedback is … Read More
The Student Quest: Choose 2 Matter
If you ever have a chance to meet Angela Maier, you’ll know who she is immediately.While probably not the tallest person in the room, in a hall of 5,000 she may well be the most energetic. A former teacher turned consultant, author of two books, including “Classroom Habitudes” and now Chief Instigator, Angela has amassed a global, passionate network at … Read More
To Break the Mold, Is Competency Learning the Key?
This piece was first published at Mindshift KQED and was written by Katrina Schwartz. It is reposted here with permission of Mindshift. More schools are starting to question whether traditional age-based classrooms are the best way to go, and to change the dynamic of teaching to the middle, they’re experimenting withcompetency-based learning, a system that moves kids along at different paces once they’ve … Read More
Year At Mission Hill – Chapter 6: Like a Family
The idea of living “like a family” is explored, like other topics within the school, as a community — among faculty, students, parents, and every combination thereof. Faculty see parents as partners, and talk about trust, cooperation, and communication as building blocks of that key relationship. The footage shows interactions between parents, teachers, and students — the kind of interactions … Read More
How to Increase Group IQ
The following is a guest post by Annie Paul Murphy – book author, magazine journalist, consultant and speaker who helps people understand how we learn and how we can do it better. This post was originally published on her site, The Brilliant Blog. What makes a group intelligent? That is: what enables a team of people to effectively solve problems … Read More
Year at Mission Hill, Chapter 5: The Eye of the Dragon
So much of the language that we know to be valuable in education comes alive at Mission Hill. Art. Empowerment. Choice. Voice. Inspiration. Creativity. Student experts. Student teachers. Community. Every year they employ a school wide theme that aims for depth and breadth throughout the school. This year’s, “Long Ago and Far Away,” and the students share a seam of … Read More
Year at Mission Hill, Chapter 4 Love and Limits
Working and playing — essential components of learning and keystones for establishing both the love and limits that create a safe space for each student. The question of how to best set appropriate boundaries within a loving context became all the more important because Mission Hill is a full inclusion school, meaning students with exceptionalities are not pulled out and … Read More
