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The Common Core emphasizes the instruction of nonfiction. I'm all for that push in general. Nonfiction is the genre where I spend the vast majority of my (ridiculously limited) free reading time. It offers so many rich texts through which we may integrate the traditional disciplines. Still my two degrees in English have served me very well in helping me understand context, motivation, and complexity in the world around me. This little NPR article discusses a study that offers empirical evidence for the power of reading literary fiction. As we de-emphasize the arts and literature, how many opportunities do we lose to teach and foster empathy?

"Competency-based learning is a proposed alternative to traditional K-12 advancement that allows students to progress at their own pace as they master the subject matter rather progressing after a fixed interval--a pre-defined amount of "seat time" in the classroom"

"...the day is growing nearer when quality higher education confronts the technological disruptions that have already upended the music and book industries, humbled enterprises from Kodak to the Postal Service (not to mention the newspaper business), and helped destabilize despots across the Middle East." Ten years ago who would have thought that these institutions would be "threatened" by computers? Are schools evolving rapidly enough to meet the challenge?

"Anybody can be creative ... You just have to learn how."

"The best way to unleash creativity ... is to give students an "experience," or in d.school speak, a design challenge. Under his teaching model, however, students aren't just handed a problem to solve-they must define the problem themselves through research and direct observation."

"...it is behavioral change that enables students to gain innovation confidence, something he believes is as important as gaining literacy skills. "For me this is a mindset," he says. "It's a way of thinking that you can use in every part of your life."

"In order to 'think different,' you have to act different." - Ask yourself...when was the last time you heard of a new initiative in a school and said this? "Wow! That's truly innovative and is a completely unique approach to education!" - Where is the innovation and innovators in our schools? How do we foster innovation in education? How do we find and support innovators?

"In isolation neither the research nor the teacher seems to have much of a chance for sustained discovery, growth, and positive change." (p. 39) "Faculty members are changing how they teach and making informed choices when it comes to teaching strategies. They feel empowered and are encouraged to take risks, are fostering collaborations in their teaching and are talking about teaching. For some, the change in how they teach has been radical. For others, the change has been small but still noticeable." (p. 42) And to what do the conveners attribute this success? "We saw that we are learners together in this learning community and we are our own best resource: Our collective knowledge is an invaluable asset." (p. 43) Retrieved from: http://www.cs.kent.edu/~volkert/science-learning/files/sirum-madigan.pdf

As educators do we model those "best practices" for learning which we expect from our students? How do we... "Engage ... in active learning experiences; Set high, meaningful expectations; Provide, receive, and use regular, timely, and specific feedback; Become aware of values, beliefs, preconceptions; unlearn if necessary; Recognize and stretch ... styles and developmental levels; Seek and present real-world applications; Understand and value criteria and methods for (our own) assessment; Create opportunities for (peer to peer) interactions; ...; Promote (peer) involvement through engaged time and quality effort" Retrieved from: http://pandora.cii.wwu.edu/cii/resources/outcomes/best_practices.asp