Eighth grader Maya peered through the window into the chaos that was 6th graders pulling together their Space & Scale Exhibition and shuddered. “I remember doing that when I was a 6th grader and not having a clue about what I was doing. I wasted so much time looking up information that was irrelevant. I didn’t… Read more »
PBL: Practice By Living* As part of the class debrief after the end-of-year project, one of my teachers had his students imagine what it will be like when they go to college and are tasked to work with a group of peers some of whom would never have previously done projects. Our students marveled that… Read more »
Immersed in the talk of technology at this year’s ISTE conference, I have been thinking a lot about the role technology plays in Project Based Learning. Technology is best taught and learned when a project task requires the specific function the technology offers. So, for example, I am motivated to learn the iMovie software when… Read more »
When analyzing the relative merits of the teaching profession, one of the challenges often raised is that teachers (and I would posit principals as well) must always be ‘on’. It is difficult, if not impossible, to close the door and have a quiet workday in the face of the daily barrage of students’ needs that… Read more »
The week of March 14th was momentous for me – packed with an array of divergent learning. At my school, Paulo Freire Freedom School, it was our Intersession Week during which students spend 4 full days doing experiential learning, more often outside the school then in a classroom, on a topic about which they and their teachers are passionate…. Read more »
Our Morning Meetings are always informative, sometimes riveting. At least they are in my estimation; I have no hard data to back this up. For some, this may be a problem. Our educational system has become increasingly obsessed with accountability – asking schools for measureable outcomes to justify all time spent. This is a problem. Don’t… Read more »
A few years ago there was a lot written about the Slow Food Movement. Reacting against the fast food industry and eating on the run, Slow Food proponents urged the need to savor real food – its flavor of course, but also the effort that brought the food to one’s plate. I’m not sure why… Read more »
It should come as no surprise that research tells us in general – the more you read, the better you read. What might be surprising are the statistics of how much reading is, or more accurately, isn’t happening. On their free time (weekends and holidays) teenagers spend only 4.2 minutes reading a day. Only 27%… Read more »
In the Spring, there isn’t a more beautiful place to be outdoors than right here in our amazing Sonoran Desert. Over Rodeo Break the National Park Service (NPS) is offering a 3 day Wilderness Camp at Saguaro National Park to children 10-14 for only $40.00 with scholarships available. Email Ranger Chip to inquire about registration. It is part of the NPS… Read more »
“An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.” -Mahatma Gandhi “When will our conscience grow so tender that we will act to prevent human misery rather than avenge it?” -Eleanor Roosevelt For many people, middle school was something they just had to get through. Being bullied was something that, while of… Read more »