Edu Change & Student Advocacy

     Most schools make grand promises. They have mission and vision statements, slogans, banners, posters, quotes and much more. But how often are these just words and not really practices? In my experience, far too often. That’s why my recent visit to one elementary school in Redmond, WA was so special. The school is Ella Baker Elementary; a K-5 school in its very first year in the Lake Washington Unified School District. And not only did the restore my faith in the promise of education, but in the promise of America as well.      In an effort to be fully transparent, I was there to work with the teachers on project-based and service-based learning at the request of the principal - Kim Bilanko - a friend and colleague of mine.      In its first year, it’s obvious that Ella Baker Elementary is a special and unique place where the staff has bought into being a transformational experience for all of their students. Students and staff not ...

     If June is associated with the end of another school year, May is often associated with celebrations. One annual one that tends to get lots of attention is Teacher Appreciation. It used to be Teacher Appreciation Day, then week and now it’s the whole month of May. But in an era where we are desperately in need of recruiting more new teachers, as well as going through some of the most turbulent teacher labor issues, maybe we can’t have enough teacher appreciation.      As a former site leader and activities director, I facilitated a great deal of teacher appreciation events. We did it all from breakfasts, lunches, dinners, raffle prizes, coffees, gifts, car washes and even massages. They were all fun and well deserved. And why these are fun and do offer some appreciation, especially if students are involved in teacher appreciation, I’m still challenged by the larger implications.      Just like our other national holidays or celebrati...

     Personalized Learning maybe one of the most widely used education catch phrases in an attempt to capture what is truly changing about what and how students can and could learn. The challenge is whether this is just another edu fad or something that will become foundational in the necessary transformation of future education. The What      Personalized learning is an educational approach that aims to customize learning for each student based on their respective interests, strengths, needs, skills, abilities, background and experiences. To go further, it’s also an effort to involve the learner in their own education. The more one feels invested in their own educational journey, the more likely they will be successful and learn at higher levels. The Why      It’s fairly safe to say that we are certainly living in unprecedented times. Whether it’s globalization, technology or colossal human challenges, the rapidity and radicalness of ...

     “Get to work!”      “Back to work!”      “Start working!”      “You need to work harder!”      “Johnny needs to work more!”      “Kids need to have a better work ethic!”    These are just a sample of expressions that most teachers have uttered repeatedly throughout their years in our universal respective classrooms.      Regardless of instructional approach, subject, grade level or any other factor, teachers are ultimately faced with the task of getting students to work. Indeed, probably since the first teacher and student interaction occurred, teachers have often tried to figure out how to get their students to both work, as well as work at high levels.      Traditionally, our students have worked for a variety of reasons - grades, approval, compliance, fear and future success. In terms of motivation, we have tried many things inclu...

     As a new calendar year approaches, many of us will participate in new year’s resolutions - that time-honored cultural tradition in which we collectively and individually resolve to change an undesired trait or behavior, accomplish a personal goal or otherwise improve our lives.      In schools, we tend to do similar annual cathartic activities in the summer. Educators typically take the summer to expand their professional skills, make new plans, pilot new technologies or resources - ultimately embark on a reflective journey about making the next school year more creative, engaging and successful.      What if we combined the annual reflective journey of summer with the resolutions associated with the new calendar year? This would become a mid-year reboot, restart, redo or redesign? Instead of waiting until next summer, let’s in January (or even before Winter Break here at the end of 2018), one could implement a new strategy, tool or id...

     Project-based learning has been touted as the pedagogical cure-all for many things. Indeed, I have long argued it’s the ultimate instructional response to the need for real world relevance and application, problem solving, collaboration, student engagement, presentation skills, mentors and even tech integration. It’s the pedagogical glue if you will.      But one area that is maybe not mentioned as often is its connection to Social-Emotional Learning. Indeed, PBL may not just be the best academic answer, but also the best cultural answer. Project-based learning, through it’s diverse and varied experiences, allows students multiple opportunities to engage with others, as well as themselves, in new and more personalized ways. By contributing to something larger than themselves, i.e. a real world project, they begin to see themselves as contributors and advocates who have self-worth, a voice and a real role in the world at large.      Here ...