This time last year, I had just returned from my induction into the the Rowland fellowship. It was the first time that someone had given me full autonomy for my professional learning and it felt amazing. I was so grateful. I set out to inquire about how Enosburg Falls High School could implement ACT 77 […]
When I wrote my Rowland fellowship proposal a little over a year ago, my main concern was to make sure that mandated personal learning plans didn’t become another superficial piece of paper that had little meaning for students. Over the past year, I have made a lot of discoveries and confirmations. I think the number […]
What does it mean to be “smart” at math? Traditionally, one who is fast at math is good at math or smart at math. If it comes easily that is considered a good thing. I recently visited several schools that are communicating a different message about math. I also attended the Creating Balance in an […]
It’s hard not to know what you know but sometimes your expertise and knowledge can obscure innovation that could transform your classroom and school. We have been doing classrooms and schools the same way for a long time. As humans, we are drawn to routine and school cultures give us that. We are more likely […]
The Finnish culture and economic system may be central to the success of Finnish schools and the achievement of their children but there are many aspects of their culture that can be replicated despite our different culture and economic system. Concrete Take-Aways The food in Finnish schools is a priority. Every child gets free lunch […]
Now that we have a critical mass of teachers involved in transforming our school, the need to get a critical mass of other stakeholders involved is imminent. As I began my sabbatical this year, this issue was at the forefront of my planning. The three groups of people that I have been thinking about are […]
Vermont’s move toward more personal and proficiency based learning in public education is an enormous shift from the traditional model that we have been using for many years. While Vermont is extremely innovative inside the classroom and offers its teachers quite a bit of autonomy compared to many other states, the overall structures and […]
The idea of separating students into honors and non-honors classes is fraught with problems, increases the achievement gap and ultimately increases inequity in every classroom and between all students. When I was in school, I wasn’t seen as being “smart” or good at school. As a result, there was never any consideration of me taking […]
In Tony Wagner’s book Creating Innovators, he argues that play, passion and purpose are at the center of developing innovators. His research identified that when young people are allowed to play, are given opportunities to pursue their passions and are given work that has a purpose bigger than themselves, they find meaning, experience success and […]
Feeling guilty about having a good time? I get this pang of guilt when I learn something and it is actually fun. When I try to plan a learning activity, whether it is for kids or adults, and find myself trying to make it fun, I question its value. Why? Why do we do this? […]
