Rowland Foundation

Succinct summary explaining the flipped classroom, advantages, challenges and future implications for education.

Sometimes I wonder if the flipped classroom model could be supplemented by a third piece...maybe a "backflip" of sorts to help them stick the landing? Online lecture then face-to-face instruction followed by one-on-one time.

Used the flipped model a bit back at OVUHS with students in Internships. Gave students readings in an online platform (Moodle) to be read and reflectively journaled using an assigned text-based protocol. Students were asked to connect readings to field experiences. Found that there was a Huge benefit to both students and myself with the time this model gave us to thoughtfully reflect and prepare for our face-to-face time. Instead of students coming to me for gaining knowledge, they came to me to share knowledge gained.

Social scientist Amy Cuddy discusses body language, a little neuroscience, and how these can change who we are. Interesting educational implications (and applications) here.

...about transforming the traditional library into "make spaces"

They're Watching You at Work: What happens when Big Data meets human resources? The emerging practice of "people analytics" is already transforming how employers hire, fire, and promote.

"Academic environments are artificial environments," Laszlo Bock, Google's senior vice president of people operations, told The New York Times in June. "People who succeed there are sort of finely trained, they're conditioned to succeed in that environment," which is often quite different from the workplace.

"...administered a battery of tests to a group of corporate presidents, he found that not one of them scored in the "acceptable" range for hiring. Such assessments, he concluded, measured not potential but simply conformity." I would build on this with the statement that current assessment and graduation requirements are great at measuring a student's ability to excel at conformity and irrelevant knowledge sets while doing little to encourage that student's individuality and personal skill sets. Current assessment and graduation requirements are great at measuring a student's ability to memorize what others think important, but not in assessing and fostering the important act of thinking for themselves. Current assessment and graduation requirements are great at measuring who a student is according to an antiquated framework defined within the walls of a school. But, scripted versions of success and knowledge don't allow for assessing and promoting student potential for a world where there are no boundaries or false constraints of whom he/she might become. JF

TNTP's Fishman Prize honors amazing teachers with $25,000 and the chance to share their knowledge with educators nationwide.

The Rural Trust's Global Teacher Fellowship program will be awarding up to 25 fellowships in 2014 to support the professional and personal development of rural teachers. The awards (up to $5,000 for individual teachers and $10,000 for a team of two or more teachers) support teachers' participation in self-designed summer learning experiences and a two-day place-based learning institute in the fall following their summer experience. This fellowship is a stand-alone grant not meant to supplement other grant funds for larger projects. Teachers are encouraged to center their learning in an international travel and study experience, out of which they develop interdisciplinary, place-based learning curricula aligned with their specific state and local content standards.

There are a number of Rowland fellows that might be able to use this to supplement / expand their existing work.

This Huff Post blog post by Karen Gross, President of Vermont Southern College, explores what's needed for the transition from high school to higher ed.

This was very interesting - and has huge implications for how schools move ahead.

Sustainability meets technology and entrepreneurship: "Good Eggs is one of a handful of companies around the country that are tapping into the local food movement and making it more accessible with technology.

""If you're not standing on the edge, you're taking up too much space." Littky

What an ideal #VTed school should look like according to students from across the state.

"Given the potential demonstrated by these new models, dismantling the walls that have separated CTE from more traditional programs leading to higher education should be a priority for educators and policymakers. Our goal should be to have all students graduate from high school ready for both college and careers, and be able to choose from a range of appealing higher education and labor market possibilities afterward."

With Act 77 Every school in Vermont has the opportunity (and needs) to consider the benefits of Career and Technical Education (CTE) for Every student.

"...when we encourage entrepreneurship, we're actually trying to get people to the place where they care enough and where they are confident enough to stand up and try to make things change."

IMHO, the transformation of education isn't about "Innovation" as much as it is about creating Educational Entrepreneurs. And...IMHO, that is what the Rowland Foundation allows for and supports. The question is how do we convince more school and district leaders to do the same? Answer that question first and innovation will follow. Innovation is the Product Of rather than the Means To EdReform

"You can't become fluent in half an hour," Mr. Duroux said. "But you can go back home with a clearer sense that each language goes with a different culture, which goes with a different idea of the world itself. Not to be naïve, but trying to connect with different languages and cultures is a way to change your perspective on the world as a whole."

This is an uplifting read, very relevant to the themes of our upcoming conference.

Hey folks, I know a number of you are interested in Proficiency Based Grading. I also know that finding a digital platform to support flexible pathways and grading models has been difficult. I came across this software and support system. I saw it in action in a small charter school in Wisconsin and it seemed to work very well!

Another piece that puts the focus of Innovation on People rather than Programs. My personal belief is that #EdReform should start and end with empowering PD which is Personal and Purposeful. With that, what if schools modeled their PD on the Rowland Foundation's model of #EdReform? What would it look like if PD were not determined and delivered but instead supported and shared? What if PD were about providing resources and teaching teachers to be data collectors, researchers, developers of innovation? 2 year Action Research cycle? What if every teacher in a school spent a school year coming up with a hunch, collecting data, researching ideas around their hunch...then spent the second year testing it out/implementing it in the classroom, more data collection, presenting outcomes to their peers, and collecting feedback for reflection and refinement?

"What has proved to matter is...the building of knowledge and innovation skills, which are much harder and take longer to get in place and maintain. Leading-edge competency in one's area of practice is indispensable; practice at turning ideas into reality is a must." "...while learning is hard work, and the value is not quantifiable, it is the only way to remain valuable in an economy that thrives on innovation. The more you invest in your people's knowledge, the more innovation you can expect to reap."