failure can offer many learning lessons to the person failing

Rejection, when looked at positively, can help us work harder in an effort to succeed. The reality is that when we do not prepare students for failure we are doing our students a disservice. They must learn resiliency and how to move forward in the face of failure.

When looked at correctly, failure can teach us where we went wrong in the first place, and how we can learn to pick ourselves up again in a pursuit to succeed. There are valuable lessons in failing. Too often people keep trying the same solution and keep getting the same result. Failure can teach us that it is not that we are bad at something, just that we have to try a different method to find success.

Dr. Allington made the comment that he would ban computers from an instructional role and that they didn't have a significant effect on teaching students to read.

The second-year study included four reading software products for first grade, Destination Reading (Riverdeep 2008), the Waterford Early Reading Program (Pearson School 2008), Headsprout (Headsprout 2008), and Plato Focus (Plato Learning Corporation 2008).

students need a more balanced program

a vision for the future is important to allow for planning. I’m starting to see school districts make purchases without establishing a long-term vision, and that is a recipe for disaster and wasted dollars.

“We find when we talk about 21st century skills, people often reduce them to skills for the workplace and skills involving technology. And we’re really talking about skills for creativity, for civic engagement, for social life–the full range of experiences that young people will be involved in in the future.”

Instead, educators must become designers of doing.

eaching is a highly skilled craft, requiring not only explicit objectives, but a beautifully designed and irresistible learning experience that asks students think critically, solve a problem, create a product.

Educational leaders have to have the courage to reinvent our schools for real this time. And our teachers must be teachers of children as well as teachers of their subject area. This means possessing pedagogical knowledge -- the tools in the tool belt to design a lesson for the students of the present and the problems of the future.

What is extremely important though is that we recognize the difference between “learning about technology” and “learning with technology”.  Leaders need to understand that distinction.  The second statement opened my eyes to things that I honestly never knew existed in all elements of learning and leadership, and I believe has led me to do my best to help others learn along with me.

ut “Influencer” describes how to tap into 6 very different sources of influence to change specific “vital behaviors” 

The checklist

Personal motivation

one factor supersedes the influences of genes, childhood experiences, and opportunity or wealth when it comes to resilience. In fact, according to decades of research (1), the biggest influence on resilience is something within our control. The biggest influence is our cognitive style -- the way we think.

Students can adjust their own cognitive style by learning about the ABCs of resilience.

People react differently to the same exact challenges, because between A (adversity) and C (consequence) lies the crucial letter B. Here is the more accurate model: every adversity one faces triggers beliefs about that situation, which in turn causes a reaction or consequence.

They recognized that the only real solution for the "bad stuff" was building a solid foundation of the good: the empathy, connections and healthy relationships that create effective learning communities and bolster individual happiness and success. Accountability and amends are key, but discipline, punishment and "zero-tolerance policies" are not the answer.

This approach to learning benchmarks students' development of empathy and understanding of others, their ability to form positive relationships and demonstrate effective approaches to conflict resolution as well as other critical qualities.

No Name-Calling Week provides a critical opportunity to bolster the empathy and understanding that underlie respect of others from the earliest years and evoke the joyful sounds of all children as they play on playgrounds of respect.

Envision Education www.envisionschools.org Envision Education was founded in 2002 on this simple idea. We believe the current achievement gap reflects a systemic failure to understand how kids learn, what motivates them to learn, and what they need in order to learn well. We employ the best practices of high school design —rigorous college-preparatory curricula, small and personalized learning environments, and a focus on measurable results—and add a truly innovative model that emphasizes project-based learning, development of Deeper Learning skills, integration of arts and technology into core subjects, real-world experience in workplaces, and a uniquely rigorous assessment system. Each Envision Education school employs specific learning tactics built upon the four key R’s: Rigor, Relevance, Relationships, and Results. Vibrant learning communities apply compassion and high expectations to inspire and empower students. Our approach is specifically designed to increase student engagement, deepen integration and understanding, promote active learning, and ensure college success. We hold all our students to rigorous academic standards while providing the necessary supports—academic, emotional, and behavioral—so they can achieve success in college and life. Scope: United States