With a bit more creativity and innovation, our school classrooms could do this, too.
A classroom of such flexible-use design would signal to learners that exercise, movement, and kinetics are invaluable parts of being and learning. I was inspired to think of such a classroom by reading this piece on FastCo Co.Design: “Sweating The Details: This Workstation Doubles As A Personal Gym.”
What if we reconfigured classroom furniture to use energy rather than squelch it?
Unpacking “Academic Excellence” | Connected Principals
“What are the distinguishing features of academically excellent schools or classrooms? Are the only valid features of “academically excellent” schools those that are common to all to schools? Can we or should we personalize our understanding of “academically excellent” schools?”
La vida es bella : On Pupils and Masters
“My reflection leapt to the classroom: What defines us as teachers: our titles, our resumes, our PLN’s and social network presence? Our words? Or is it the choices we make in the presence of our students day in and day out?”
In a Big Data World, Don’t Forget Experimentation – Thomas C. Redman – Harvard Business Review
“In the unfolding data revolution, companies must develop the capabilities to experiment.” An important consideration for schools that want to innovate. Schools can and should have R&D work blended into the fabric of their structure and purpose. After all, schools are organizations and institutions of learning.
The Future of Tablets in Education: Potential Vs. Reality of Consuming Media | MindShift
Love this idea of balancing “Someday/Monday” for professional development.
“The Someday/Monday dichotomy captures one of the core challenges in teacher professional development around education technology. One the one hand, deep integration of new learning technologies into classrooms requires substantially rethinking pedagogy, curriculum, assessment, and teacher practice (someday). For technology to make a real difference in student learning, it can’t just be an add-on. On the other hand, teachers need to start somewhere (Monday), and one of the easiest ways for teachers to get experience with emerging tools is to play and experiment in lightweight ways: to use technology as an add-on. Teachers need to imagine a new future—to build towards Someday—and teachers also need new activities and strategies to try out on Monday. Both pathways are important to teacher growth and meaningful, sustained changes in teaching and learning.”
Enstitute, an Alternative to College for a Digital Elite – NYTimes.com
A great piece of brain food for considering possibilities for Education 3.0. Certain paragraphs are full of blended-learning ideas and practices.
Seth’s Blog: Urgency and accountability are two sides of the innovation coin
Really important piece on innovation in successful organizations.
Sesame Street Meets the App Age: How to Nurture Creative Learning | MindShift
The article is about the app market for children’s learning. However, the section headers – LESSONS – seem much more universal to me.
Pedagogy vs. Andragogy | My Island View
“Maybe as adult learners we need to take a look in the mirror before we resume our role as teachers for kids. In the final analysis, I do not think that there are differences in the way we learn as adults, or kids, but rather the differences lie in the opportunities afforded to learn. If we respected kids more as learners, they might be more self-directed and motivated in their learning. If they are allowed to participate in their learning, they might take more ownership. What learner wants to own something that is not in his, or her interest to own? If we can understand better how we learn best, maybe we can alter how we teach to be the best.”
The Abstraction Method of Problem Solving – 99U
Zooming in and out – on spectra of abstract and specific – to enhance problem solving.
You see, the first wave of managers simply replaced their steam engines with electric motors, but they didn’t redesign the factories to take advantage of electricity’s flexibility. It fell to the next generation to invent new work processes, and then productivity soared, often doubling or even tripling in those factories.
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General purpose technologies drive most economic growth, because they unleash cascades of complementary innovations, like lightbulbs and, yes, factory redesign. Is there a general purpose technology of our era? Sure. It’s the computer. But technology alone is not enough. Technology is not destiny.We shape our destiny, and just as the earlier generations of managers needed to redesign their factories, we’re going to need to reinvent our organizations….
Erik Brynjolfsson: The key to growth? Race with the machines, #TED
An adjacent possibility and a prediction of some future history-book paragraphs…
“You see the first wave of educators simply replaced their lectures with flipped classrooms and notebooks with iPads (etc.), but they didn’t redesign the curriculum or schools to take advantage of what we know is critical for innovation, engagement, and internally-motivated purpose. It fell to the next generation to invent new school processes, and then engagement and learning soared, often doubling or even tripling in those schools.
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General purpose pedagogies drive most learning growth, because they unleash cascades of complementary innovations, like community-based challenges and integrated-discipline problem-solving. Is there a general purpose pedagogy of our era? Sure. It’s PBL. But PBL alone is not enough. PBL is not destiny.We shape our destiny, and just as the earlier generations of educators needed to redesign their schools, we’re going to need to reinvent our organizations….”
A wonderful story of the Growth Mindset and the power of making room to pursue passion through play…
When I was 14 years old, I had low self-esteem. I felt I was not talented at anything.
One day, I bought a yo-yo. When I tried my first trick, it looked like this. I couldn’t even do the simplest trick, but it was very natural for me, because I was not dextrous, and hated all sports. But after one week of practicing, my throws became more like this. A bit better. I thought, the yo-yo is something for me to be good at, for the first time in my life. I found my passion. I was spending all my time practicing. It took me hours and hours a day to build my skills up to the next level.
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As a result of these efforts, and the help of many others,it happened.I won the World Yo-Yo Contest againin the artistic performance division.I passed an audition for Cirque du Soleil.Today, I am standing on the TED stagewith the yo-yo in front of you.
(Applause)
What I learned from the yo-yo is,if I make enough effort with huge passion,there is no impossible.
From Chris Thinnes (@CurtisCFEE) at Curtis School and the Center for the Future of Elementary Education:
We find it ironic – and we think the students do, as well – that for all the focus “the education system” receives in the national media, input from students is rarely ever sought. We wanted not merely to give ‘permission’ to students to talk about their shared experience, but to invite them openly to offer their input of how best to improve our schools and our system.
In two blog posts (here and here), Thinnes shares an incredible, transformative experience made possible through a partnership between sixth graders at Curtis School and Cortez Middle School. In the sharing, Thinnes offers a fabulous model and case study for inviting collaborative voice and awareness and action from students – to help empower them to be deeply involved in ways that education and schooling can innovate and reach higher trajectories.
When we see student learners as the core solutions seekers to issues – especially those in which they are primarily immersed – we not only stand better chances at successful transformation, but we also facilitate active citizenship that will likely prove essential to the continued enhancement of our national democracy and global opportunities.
Bravo sixth graders and faculty facilitators at Curtis School and Cortez Middle School!
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Also related: “School Innovation Teams – Start with Outrospection #WhatIfWeekly #StudentVoice”
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