Edu Change & Student Advocacy

      One of the tenets of project-based learning, as well as preparing students to work in 21st century environments, is that student work is public. Students need to have their work assessed, critiqued, evaluated, appreciated and experienced by others beyond their teacher. Student work needs to be seen by as many people as possible including, but not limited to teachers, peers, school leaders, parents, business partners, community members, specific career professionals and experts. This is predicated on core concepts related to relevance, engagement, skill development and student ownership. The more we showcase and exhibit student work, the more students care about producing high quality work. If one is wondering about all of the ways to get student work to be public, here is an attempt to create a list:   School can host a public student showcase or exhibition focused on student work. A teacher can host a public student showcase or exhibition focused on student...

     I have begun to ask school leaders and edu officianados this question:  Since all students K-12 could theoretically choose to go to online school tomorrow, what are you doing at your school today/and or tomorrow that would make them still want to come to a Face-to-Face learning environment?       In other words, what are any schools doing that cannot easily be replicated online? Naturally, things like direct instruction, assessments, readings, activities can be easily conducted online. Heck, even collaboration and projects can be done digitally right? However, we may want to acknowledge that FTF environments could offer some advantages to students in terms of their skill development, experiences and real world preparation. Here are a few things that schools may want to consider maximizing if they hope to keep students coming and attending their FTF environments: Pro Gear / Equipment / Technology / Resources:      Cons...