10 Facilitator Moves for Adult Learning

Jason FlomCommunity, Education, Leadership, Learning

Word association quiz. When someone pairs “School” and “Learning” who is the first learner you think of? A student? A class of students? If so, you are like the majority of people. And for good reason — the student learner is the most important point of focus for schools. However, capitalizing on the unique interests, affinities, and personalities of students … Read More

Resources for Talking to Your Kids About the Case of Trayvon Martin

Tyler IzuagieCommunity, Equity, Leadership, Teaching

With Zimmerman’s innocence decided, the underlying issues of race and profiling continue to ignite quarreling responses and catalyzing debates about race in America. Here are some helpful sources that can help you talk to your kids about the issues surrounding these debates. In an NPR post entitled, The Talk: What Did You Tell Your Kids After the Zimmerman Verdict, speakers share … Read More

Disrupting Injustice: Principal Strategies to Advance Social Justice

Jason FlomCommunity, Education, Equity, Leadership, Learning

The problem: Social injustice across our social landscape, with concentrations in schools where social justice is most needed. A solution: Leadership focused on targeting, disrupting, and transforming such norms into new outcomes. Teacher College Record published a paper by George Theoharis, an assistant professor in educational leadership and inclusive education at Syracuse University, titled “Disrupting Injustice: Principals Narrate the Strategies They … Read More

5 Characteristics of Learner-Centered Teaching

Jason FlomCommunity, Leadership, Student, Teaching, Whole Child

Maryellen Weimer (whose bio includes: Penn State Professor Emeritus of Teaching and Learning and Editor-in-chief of Teaching Professor) addresses the wide spread use of the term “learner-centered” in her post, “Five Characteristics of Learner-Centered Teaching” on The Teaching Professor Blog at Faculty Focus. At the heart of her concern is this: “With widespread use comes a certain definitional looseness.” To … Read More

The Importance of Student Voice

Jason FlomCommunity, Education, Leadership, Learning, Student

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

America’s Promissory Note . . . Still Outstanding

Jason FlomEducation, Equity, Leadership, Learning, Student

In a startling article in the New York Times, columnist Charles M. Blow lays out some statistics published in a recent UNICEF report that should equally appall and inspire us. He writes, According to the report, the United States has the second highest share of children living under the relative poverty line, defined as 50 percent of each country’s median … Read More

How to Increase Group IQ

Jason FlomBrain, Community, Leadership, Learning

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

Stop Deficit-Model Thinking

Jason FlomEducation, Leadership, Learning, Policy, Science of Learning, Teaching

This is a guest post by Chris Lehmann, the founding principal of the Science Leadership Academy, a progressive science and technology high school in Philadelphia, PA. This post was originally published on Chris’s site, Practical Theory. A few years ago, a vendor for one of the many online tutorial companies was giving a presentation at a principals’ meeting. The vendor was talking about how … Read More

Year at Mission Hill, Chapter 5: The Eye of the Dragon

Jason FlomCommunity, Education, Equity, Leadership, Learning, Student, Teaching, Whole Child

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