CHANGEd: What if we rethink time and curriculum for grand challenges? 60-60-60 #7

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At TEDxAtlanta: Community on Tuesday, I heard many amazing thinkers and doers. Among them, Rhonda Lowry shared the idea that networked literacy is essential – that we must value relational connections over industrial-age containers (like…bell schedules?!). At virtually all the TED and TEDx events, we hear from amazing folks that are making positive differences in the world. What if we tried 1/2 time with the traditional departmentalized subjects and re:purposed the resulting 1/2 time as “grand challenge curriculum.” We could explore and attack the various challenges of our “real world” and benefit mightily from the problem-solving and transdisciplinary studies.

[My word count today is 95. I embrace that failure! Thanks for reading the extra 50+%. I could write for WEEKS and MONTHS just on this topic!]

CHANGEd: What if…60-60-60 Project Explained

CHANGEd: What if schools factored in experiment days like snow days? 60-60-60 #6

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When scheduling, many schools factor in “snow days” – days that won’t be re-calendared for inclement weather cancellations. What if schools factored in experiment days like snow days? We could plan for radical pilots and seemingly outlandish learning designs to test various hypotheses. We could learn by doing and negate the argument, “We have too much to cover.” Call ’em…”grow days!”

CHANGEd: What if…60-60-60 Project Explained

CHANGEd: What if we valued teacher teams as much as sports and music teams? 60-60-60 #5

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What if we valued teacher teams as much as sports and music teams? How often does your school football team practice? How often does your band or orchestra rehearse? How often do your teams of teachers rehearse and practice together? Do you even think of your teachers as collectives of teams? School transformation will happen when we commit to rehearsal and practice.

CHANGEd: What if…60-60-60 Project Explained

CHANGEd: What if national organizations created conferences like the classrooms for which many advocate? 60-60-60 #4

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What if national organizations created conferences like the classrooms for which many advocate? What if NAIS, ASCD, Learning Forward, etc. insisted on more variety than rooms only set up in rows and columns of chairs? Maybe schools need a national conference center that models/practices traits of 21st century learning spaces and methodologies. Leading by doing could get more to understand/follow.

Example of a conference that came closer to modeling constructive PBL and collaborative design rather than ironically sage-ing from the stage (could such a model work for a 1500-4500 person event?):

CHANGEd: What if…60-60-60 Project Explained

CHANGEd: What if we really engaged storytelling? 60-60-60 #3

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What if…we really engaged storytelling? In A Whole New Mind, Dan Pink declares the invaluable nature of story. Countless experts implore us to develop storytelling’s power in communicating. On Thursday, @epdobbs and I participated in NPR’s StoryCorp. This priceless experience keeps me thinking about how to utilize story more deliberately in our educational designs and transformational efforts to enhance school.

CHANGEd: What if…60-60-60 Project Explained