Smart Review: Blackbird Education Platform
In the past few years, there has been a noticeable increase in programs related to STEM in education. The push toward bringing more opportunities to students is in preparation for the required skills of the future. According to the World Economic Forum, there is an increasing demand for STEM-related skills for the future, as […]
7 Tools for Promoting Communication and Collaboration
Now that most educators and students are back in the classroom, it is a great opportunity to focus on building relationships and to create more authentic, meaningful and engaging learning experiences for our students. It is also important that we find ways to promote communication and collaboration between students while in our classroom, between […]
What Could You Do with 5 Additional Hours of Time with Students Each Day?
This is the final piece of a three-part series on valuing learner time. First, how do you get more time with students to work on things that really matter to them? While there are myriad ways, here’s one way you might think about it. Let’s take science for a moment. Rather than putting the […]
Building An Authentic Learning Culture Starts With Imperfection and Vulnerability
[…] million. “Your mess can be worth millions,” I told them. This conversation fundamentally altered the culture of my classroom. “Cy Time” became a period of class where students would try new things because of the example that this conversation set for them. In direct contrast to this line of thinking is something that rots […]
Connecting Classroom and Community: 7 Strategies to Try (even virtually)
By: Kyle Conley We know that last spring left many of our students in crisis and this fall is our chance to reconnect with them. This is the moment when our students need our reassuring presence (even virtually) and the chance to lose themselves in learning experiences that speak to their whole selves. This […]
Equity and ESSER: Why You Should Prioritize Supporting Students With Disabilities With Your Federal COVID Relief Dollars
By: Sheryl Gomez and Jasmine Tucker As school leaders welcomed students back to the classroom for the 2021-22 school year, they began to determine how to spend the more than $190 billion in federal COVID relief dollars for K-12 including the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) fund. (Find out how much your state is […]
From Classroom to Career: Mastering Real-World Competencies through Alternative Learning
[…] achieve this paradigm shift is by going beyond project-based learning and highlighting the crucial component of portfolio-based learning. In portfolio-based learning (defined here by the University of Warwick), students work collaboratively to take ownership of their learning and apply the knowledge directly within practical, real-world settings. It allows students to go beyond merely documenting findings […]
An Opportunity to Disrupt Education for the Better: Lessons From Starting a School in a Pandemic
[…] no doubt that American education is in a state of disruption, with most established schools laser-focused on the immediate and pressing challenges around reopening and educating their students in the short-term. These disruptive forces also present opportunities. As the Founding Head of School at the New England Innovation Academy—a new school that was set […]
Making the Most of Distance Learning
[…] down, districts were in crisis mode, racing to do something that had never been done before. The primary goal of emergency distance learning was to check-in, engage students, and make sure they were safe. Virtual learning and distance learning can be far more robust and engaging when teachers have time to prepare for it. […]
Telling Stories in the Digital Age
[…] continuing to build those relationships that are so fundamental to the learning that happens in our classrooms. One way that I really enjoy getting to know my students is by the different types of work and projects that I offer them in my classes. For many years, I was assigning projects with specifics about […]
