At a time when teachers are challenged to accelerate gains and eliminate gaps in student achievement, schools and districts need to move more proactively to provide meaningful, high quality professional development opportunities for teachers (Wei, Darling Hammond & Adamson, 2010).
Read MoreA few weeks ago we finished up our second of two major arts-integrated projects in my 7th grade science class. In the first project, students worked as a class to create a comic book to chronicle the life cycle of a computer, from the sourcing of raw materials to disposal of obsolete machines.
Read MoreI was trying to explain what Pre-text is to a colleague. I began by trying to explain the different activities that we took part in, and then I started to talk about the tangent line. I started to explain the debrief process, and then I realized that I was rambling and making something so simple seem very difficult. So I quickly followed up in saying, “It’s magic; pre-text is magic!”
Read MoreMichelle is an educator of more than 10 years with a passion for aiding in the growth of individuals through the power of education. Her professional expertise includes tutoring for students, diversity work in schools, and strategic planning advice to community organizations.
Read MoreHow does one transport a school model across international contexts? What components of the school model are transferable, what components are not? How does one discover the appropriate balance between fidelity and flexibility in the original model so as to properly adapt the model to a new context with respect for the local community’s needs?
Read MoreBows click wildly as 5th graders bustle hurriedly around chairs and stands. Students shuffle around one another, following winding paths that tend steadily towards their assigned seats. The first of the day's two music classes begins amidst math, science, and ELA classes in neighboring rooms.
Read MoreDo you remember that time when you heard about an idea and thought about how you could apply it to another setting in your life? That feeling when you couldn’t wait to tell someone about your wild, innovative idea?
Read Moreif an architect designed a sidewalk that is only three feet wide, it will not allow two people to walk side by side – hence making it difficult for conversations. If instead, the path were twenty feet wide, activities such as jogging, biking, gardening, and sitting begin occurring. Finally, at a width of sixty feet, the sidewalk becomes a boulevard that incubates the life one would find in a shopping mall – dining, socializing, performances, resting, vendors, etc…
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