Photos from the first Rowland Foundation retreat with Barry & Wendy, the Board of Trustees, Director Chuck Scranton, and Rowland Fellows 2009-2013.

This is the slideshow from my session at the 2012 Rowland Conference on School Transformation at UVM. Even with the minimalist zen presentation style, there are still some concepts, quotes & statistics which may be useful if you're making the case for change at your school.

Charlie MacFadyen & Robin Fawcett, two very talented colleagues, gave this presentation at the CVU School Transformation in 2010 with support from the Rowland Foundation. While you need Charlie & Robin to get the full effect, the slides alone provide one of the best explanations of authentic assessment I know of. It's also a terrific example of "zen presentation".

For the 21st Century, are our graduates "ready now", "ready soon", "work ready", or "far from ready" ? A new way to look at student outcomes, job preparedness, skills, and creativity in the years to come...

Here's a brief description of a 3-credit UVM course to be offered this summer with links to the 2nd Annual Rowland Conference on School Transformation. This intensive, one-week institute will bring together leaders of school transformation in Vermont schools and connect current transformation initiatives from around the state with the latest research. You can choose the time and location by enrolling at UVM's Summer U here (choose EDLP from the drop-down menu): http://learn.uvm.edu/courselistsummer/index.php EDLP 380 (61346) Jun. 18-22 at Rutland H.S. with Adam Rosenberg EDLP 380 (61348) Jul. 30-Aug.3 at UVM with Mike Martin

Nice rationale for the advantages of ePortfolios for today's students. I think tit's interesting that the author's arguments for using them with 6-year olds are the same as mine for using them with 16-year olds...

This is the report we discussed in my reading group at the Rowland Fellows meeting this week. The Pew research Center's report on the Millennials, the generation born between 1980 and 1997, is full of interesting findings which have implications for how schools will need to change in order to reach the Net Generation.

This article is from the discussion led by Rowland Fellow Adam Rosenberg who visited Finland in 2010. The author, Pasi Sahlberg, emphasizes how Finnish teachers are respected as innovators and experts in their field--much like the philosophy of the Rowland Foundation! He contrasts this approach with the test-based accountability system so prevalent in the U.S. Here's another Finland article which discusses The Finland Phenomenon, a film featuring Tony Wagner's exploration of the Finnish school system. Wagner will be the keynote speaker at this year's Rowland Foundation Conference on School Transformation. http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/11602/the_finland_phenomenon/ Watch The Finland Phenomenon trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcC2l8zioIw For more on the Rowland Foundation Conference at the University of Vermont: http://www.therowlandfoundation.org/annual_conference.shtml

When it comes to NCLB and educational opportunity, Darling-Hammond & Ravitch are rock stars in the field. Here's a very approachable presentation of some of their Finland ideas. Good for a school board meeting? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GP3tF2fF2B4&feature=related

Dr. Helen Barrett shows how portfolios can be used as reflective work tools and and also to report out on student learning--two different purposes obviously.This is a follow-up to the discussion led by Jean Berthiaume at our Rowland Fellows Meeting this week. Here is her lecture on the topic: http://blip.tv/eportfolios/balancing-the-two-faces-of-eportfolios-3162109

Here's the slideshow from the "Keepin' It Real: Authentic Assessment" session as a free download. It has several useful links and a few funny videos too. More conference materials from other sessions coming soon!

Here's a Burlington Free Press article about the conference keynote with Sir Ken, a truly great speaker.

I'm looking forward to seeing Sir Ken at the Rowland Foundation Conference this week! In this interview, I like how he debunks some commonly held myths about creativity. Huge implications for teachers and 21st Cent. Skills...

Great place to get started here!

http://jfmueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/whatisit.htm

Are these authentic? Experiential, project-based, relevant, collaborative, creative...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tX3RiHT4FIc&NR=1


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PTS0_s0moc&feature=related

Here's another great resource from an organization that is really questioning our national obsession with testing.

http://fairtest.org/k-12/authentic%20assessment