May Toolkit: What Not to Wear Do There are two ways to implement any new set of standards: the right way, and the wrong way. Of course, the reality isn’t this neat and tidy, but there are definitely some errors to avoid during the implementation process. Read this article by Johnna Weller before the next […]
April Toolkit: A Little Rain to Water the Flowers The Common Core State Standards are not all songbirds and sundaes. There is some rain: critics of the standards. It is worth knowing about the criticisms. Before the next faculty meeting, read these two contrasting points of view on the CCSS: Why Common Core Doesn’t Matter (and […]
March Toolkit: Starting the Shift (Yes, I am aware that the March toolkit is being published in April. Life tends to happen, and I allowed it to delay the post. I will publish the April toolkit next week to get back on schedule.) Before the next faculty meeting, read about the instructional shifts required by the Common Core. […]
Yesterday I had the enormous privilege and opportunity to participate in the Digital Learning Day national event at the Newseum in Washington, DC. I first got to be part of the opening keynote panel, where I spoke on revitalizing assessment with digital tools. I was then asked to present a demonstration math lesson. (See my links and lesson plan for […]
February Toolkit: Mission and Transfer within the CCSS Before the next faculty meeting, read your district’s mission statement. (Ours is on the district web site.) A well-crafted mission statement is all about transfer: making sure that what we do has lasting impact on students beyond their years in our classrooms. Consider these questions as you read: How […]
As part of my district’s plan to realign our curriculum with the Common Core State Standards (which we are calling the C4 Project, for Cheltenham Common Core Curriculum), I will be developing a Toolkit for Principals. Each month, I will prepare a four-part package of resources and activities they can use both for their own professional development and as part […]
On Wednesday, I had the privilege of visiting Anastasis Academy in Centennial, CO, about a half hour outside of Denver. I’ve known two members of their team, co-founder Kelly Tenkely and teacher Michelle Baldwin, for several years. Being in town this week for the NAGC Conference, I couldn’t miss the opportunity to see first-hand what is happening at Anastasis. Anastasis […]
NPR aired a piece on Monday morning about how Japanese schools (at least in the elementary grades) promote struggle as the pathway to learning and understanding. It was a profile of work by psychology professor Jim Stigler. The essence of it, and a nice parallel with Carol Dweck’s work on mindsets, is that unlike most American schools where […]
As I’ve been working on my session for this Saturday, I’m referencing a metaphor for thinking about learning in terms of food, one of my favorite topics. Since I won’t have the time to explore this idea thoroughly in the session, I decided to expand on it here. But first, credit to two people who heavily inspired this post: Kristen […]
This Saturday, I will be presenting a session on Digital Storytelling with Interactive Fiction at the NAGC Conference. I’ve written about Interactive Fiction before so I won’t go into an explanation of what it is here. IF has a great deal of potential, however, for aligning with and helping students meet the Common Core standards. Considering just the anchor […]