"Implementing proficiency-based learning options for the long term requires purposeful and specific components to ensure that practices can be sustained and result in a new learning culture that improves student achievement."

Extensive resource for everything that you need for Project Based Learning. Video, Tools, Research Adam Rosenberg posted this a while ago, definitely worth another look.

Almost 200 videos that describe what PBL is, How to do PBL, Example Projects, and more.

"Can schools as we currently know them ever accomplish the mission we've established for them? This week Richard Elmore, one of the nation's most prominent educational thinkers, emphatically shared his conviction that they cannot. "

"Clinging to dysfunctional models will actually do more damage to our children in the long-run, and so more dramatic shifts of thinking and practice now seem in order."

Looking at our efforts and our work as Rowland Fellows...are we providing "palliative care" to our schools? When we think about what we do, our work must embrace true innovation rather than "fortifying existing institutions that no longer work." I feel we are on the right track and am humbled by the work that is being done through this foundation.

Paraphrasing here..."Society & Learning moving from Hierarchical models to Newtork Relationships as a the central organizing principle." ~ R. Elmore

Education policy leaders and professors, contributors to the recently published The Futures of School Reform, talked about reform of the education model in American schools. They discussed the teacher's role in the classroom, tenure, and collective bargaining and responded to questions from members of the audience.

Just a ton of topics covered in this two hour video. But, some great issues raised and ideas discussed.

"...at the structural level, companies need to be constantly reflective, assessing their relevance... And they should expect to constantly change without fear of their own identity--because it's better to be an adaptive (school) than a well-recognized fossil."

"The best way to promote change is to constantly challenge talent. And the only way to do that is to never act like the learning process is done."

"...by all means ask a team to do something new. But right when you do, make sure to call in experts for roundtable lunches to answer questions. People will be less afraid of change if they know it's expected, and if the (school) provides the right resources to enable it. And those old habits? Let them die.

"What if students instead came to each course or classroom with a digital backpack of data about their learning levels, preferences, motivations, and personal accomplishments? How would this improve each teacher's ability to tailor learning to meet the needs of individual students? What if parents and students could easily access their child's records to share the information with afterschool providers? How would all of the personalization this affords add up to deeper learning and improved college and career readiness?"

The experience of using portfolios in the past may lead to some push back from veteran educators. Reframing ePortfolios as tools to help them might be a good way to begin a process of an indiscernible evolution rather than attempting to implement sudden change. ~jf

"What do teachers wish they knew about new students? In what environment do they learn best? Are they meeting the standards in key areas like math, reading and writing? What goals have they identified for themselves? What level of support do they have at home? Do they participate in any community programs or organizations? Do they do best when working alone or with peers? What are their outside interests that I can use to motivate learning? Is there anything in their learning history that I should flag for follow-up or special attention? What did other teachers note about their strengths and challenges?"

An Odyssey Of Creativity, Innovation and Critical Thinking An Action Research Study By The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board Links to the full report: Unleashing Potential, Harnessing Possibilities, the Executive Summary and the Report At-a-Glance are all worth a look

"Under what conditions do healthy and creative individuals and organizations flourish?"

"...this work will have a significant impact on improving student achievement and well-being. This work is rooted in the belief that the more the organization recognizes, values and taps into the creative and unique capacities of everyone within and connected (to the school), the greater the opportunity to reach and teach all of the students in our care. This is the imperative in fostering a truly engaged and creative approach to learning and to individual and organizational health."

"I read a blog post found in my Reader feed, which leads me to a link on YouTube, that leads me to a quote, which leads me to the person who stated the quote, to find a link on their Twitter profile, only to find another article on something that I would have never found myself. ...That is how learning should be; continuous, connected, and meaningful." 

Great video at end of article!

Sign up for the Coalition of Essential Schools Fall Forum 2012 | An Ongoing Conversation Among Friends

If you don't have a Twitter account and you are in education...you NEED one.  I cannot tell you how many people have told me that it is the best and most personalized Professional Development that they have ever experienced...I'd agree.

If we really want to "transform" education we need to stop worrying about if the initiative is going to succeed or fail. Because, as I've said before...there are no failures...only first attempts.I know I post quite a bit...this article, however, has more to teach than most.

"...the most important insight from design thinking was that you have to make sure you've defined the right problem before you try to solve it. So, you act like an anthropologist to understand human needs and problems before jumping to solutions."

"...this shift in mindset requires a different kind of leadership. ... linear analysis for planning and executing when the decision-making information is known, and a discovery mindset when they must use small bets to create the data."

"...it is not about your skill set, but more importantly, your mindset, when trying new technologies."

"I don't remember playing basketball, shooting free throws one day, and then coming back and being able to dunk 4 months later. To get better, you have to practice."

Recognizing PatternsPredictingQuestioningCoordinatingMasteringExperimentingDecidingNetworkingPersistenceOptimistic

"Writer and educator Mike Martin has been thinking about the future of schools and is looking forward to the Rowland Foundation's School Transformation Conference at UVM this week, where educators will consider the importance of innovation. (Martin) Estonia is one of the European Union's smallest countries, but it's where Skype comes from."

Nice piece on VPR by 2009 fellow Mike Martin.

Google Doc folder containing: Printable Matrix for resources and attributes, Content Curation Digital Gallery - Editable Google Doc 5 Attributes of Content Curation - Infographic 5 Attributes of Content Curation - Clarification/Criteria 6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon Curation - Game for thinking about linking

The 5 Attributes of Content Curation are … Seeking, Sorting, Synthesizing, Socializing, and Sharing. *Seeking is when students Identify, Investigate, Explore, and Inquire into an idea or question. *Sorting is when students Collect, Organize, and Contextualize those pieces that they discover. *Synthesizing is when those students then make Connections between information and ideas, when they Make Sense of these things and go on to Innovate and Create NEW information and ideas. *Socializing is when students Communicate, Collaborate, Revise, and Peer Assess as part of the LEARNING process. *Sharing is when students Propose ideas, solutions, and brand NEW questions. It is when they Publish and Present these things that show again as Dr. Wagner says…"What they can do with what they know."

Great clip on what it means to be knowledge-ABLE...and Content Curation.

The Finnish education system is one of the best performing and most equitable in the OECD. With Prime Minister Julia Gillard's promise to make Australia one of the best five performing countries for education in the world, what can we learn from the Scandinavians?