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

The Motivation Equation

Jason FlomBrain, Community, Education, Learning, Student, Teaching, Whole Child

The upcoming new ibook by Kathleen Cushman, “The Motivation Equation,” stands to expand on her pioneering work in leveraging students’ voices in shaping learning environments, pedagogical practices, and transforming how we talk about learning. And thank goodness. Often missing from our education discourse is, ironically, the most important element of our education system: the learners. In this newest endeavor (you … Read More

Year at Mission Hill Chapter 8: The World of Work

Jason FlomCommunity, Education, Learning, Student, Teaching

This chapter, “The World of Work,” offers a look at applying a school-wide theme through integrated projects. Teachers organize opportunities for authentic experiences based on the ideas and recommendations of the kids in an effort to allow students to “see their ideas actualized.” This practice for building student agency works because it helps them develop confidence in the value of their … 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

Year at Mission Hill, Chapter 7: Behind the Scenes

Jason FlomCommunity, Education, Equity, Science of Learning, Student, Teaching, Whole Child

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)

Jason FlomCommunity, Education, Learning, Policy, Student, Teaching

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

To Break the Mold, Is Competency Learning the Key?

Jason FlomCommunity, Education, Learning, Policy, Teaching, Whole Child

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

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

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