Archive: 2012
Collaboration, Really?
When I think of instances of true collaboration, Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Choir comes to mind: a blending of individual voices, each making his or her best effort to interpret the phrasing to contribute to the breathtakingly beautiful whole, all with the common goal of rendering a beautiful piece of music together. This extraordinary accomplishment suggests to me a metaphor for what we need to be doing as educators.
Review: Raising the Standards Through Chapter Books
Americans today are reading less. The National Endowment for the Arts reported that less than one-third of 13-year-olds read daily and 19 percent of 17-year-olds are non-readers. Even those that do read, the report suggests, aren't reading as well. Reading scores among students today have declined. While employers report the increasing importance of reading as a basic skill, many graduates today fall short.
Competency-based Approach Can Support Personalized Learning in Ohio
Nearly 40 percent of college freshmen in Ohio need to take remedial courses because they are unprepared for college-level work. The total bill for remedial classes in 2009 came to $130 million, rising to $147 million in 2010. Remediation is most costly to students who take longer to complete their degrees and are more likely to drop out.
Impact at Scale: Contribution, Translation & Execution
I usually write about Good Work–finding and doing mission-related work–on Sunday, but I spent the last two days with a couple dozen inspiring folks sharing strategies for creating impact at scale. Using a mixture of investment and organizational, they making a difference around the world. Leila Janah, Samasource, is…
Top 10 Reader Favorites in February
This February, Getting Smart readers enjoyed articles around personal learning networks, blended learning, digital learning, spatial intelligence, tablet applications, and student motivation.
A Turning Point for Personal Digital Learning
Fritjof Capra is a physicist who plowed the systems thinking ground for Peter Senge and the new science ground for Meg Wheatly. He opened his seminal piece The Turning Point by noting that man always assumes he is at a turning point. As a pattern spotter,…
Webinar: Digital Learning Beyond School
It’s time to ensure that as teachers and schools find ways to use technology to advance learning, so do community organizations like Ys, libraries and cultural institutions that provide informal learning opportunities to millions of our least-advantaged kids.
PBL in Primary: Making Up the Rules
This year, I have been using PBL (passion or project-based learning) in my classroom. Although language arts and math have certainly been involved, I have mainly been using the outcomes of my science, social studies and health curriculum as the focal point of my backwards-by-design planning.
SmartTech Roundup: Shattering Barriers to Edu
Shattering Barriers to Education MIT plans to launch MITx, its first free, online course designed to be fully automated, this March. With no fee or prior entrance requirements, this online program is breaking down the longstanding barriers of education. Now, all you need is a computer and Internet connection.
Good Work: The Importance of Saying Thank You
Through grace we are helped not to stumble and through grace we know that we are being welcomed. -M. Scott Peck As a young superintendent, I ran around trying to fix things. I remember a day that started with a 7:00 a.m. meeting with six union presidents, where…