Poverty cripples societal advancement. When prevalent in the richest nation in the world, it becomes mindboggling. Why are so many individuals struggling under the weight of poverty in America? Why is nearly 1 in every 4 children considered impoverished in this land of Race to the Top? Are we racing to the top of the wrong metric? My hat goes … Read More
Year at Mission Hill, Chapter 10: The Freedom to Teach
This chapter opens with the voices of alumni, looking back on their experiences as students of Mission Hill and distilling the wisdom they gained from it. A short collection of the alumni voices below: I learned how to be a critical thinker. I learned how to play off my strengths. . . I had teachers who were here to care … Read More
5 Characteristics of Learner-Centered Teaching
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
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
5 Steps to Overhaul Teaching
Once again, Columbia University professor, Christopher Emdin, puts forth a rapid fire and common sense proposal for rethinking urban — and really ANY — education to ensure it is student focused, relevant, and purposefully engaging. The basis of this video: Reality pedagogy which is, “Teaching based on the reality of the student’s experience.” 5 C’s of Reality Pedagogy: The Cypher … Read More
The Changing Face of the Teaching Force (Infographic)
Pop quiz: Q: What is the current mode for years of experience in the teaching profession in the US? A: One. In other words, ask all teachers how many years they have been teaching and “one” is answered more often than any other number. The reasons we have come to this are complex (see the below infographic from the work … Read More
Gaming and Learning . . . Go Hand in Hand?
Emerging research is continuing to unpack some of the pros and cons of “gaming” on students, learning and behavior. For example, a recent study by Iowa State University professors, Dr. Craig Anderson and Dr. Douglas Gentile, found that prosocial games (defined as ones “in which characters help others in nonviolent ways”) can “increase helpful and decrease hurtful behavior.” While another … Read More
