"The best approach is to learn the work by doing the work and having someone that you can share and reflect with. I think teachers respond well to the immediacy and collegiality of this approach."

"First Day of Class Activities that Create a Climate for Learning By: Maryellen Weimer, PhD in Teaching Professor Blog There's no discounting the importance of the first day of class. What happens that day sets the tone for the rest of the course."

I don't care what her bio says, the author HAD to have gone to AUNE. Great activities for first day of class...OR opening up a meeting, workshop, etc.

"The Future isn't Created. It is Co-Created"

Great lessons for leadership and working with teams.

"Think big and follow these tips to make the most of your next brainstorming session."

Has examples, lessons, lessons learned. Tons of potential here!

Today's teams are not well designed for getting work done in the twenty-first century, argues Professor Amy C. Edmondson . One starting point: learn the skill of teaming.

"...teaming process that includes a deep recognition among individual players of the interdependency of their roles. This recognition leads naturally to early and consistent communication among formerly separate parties throughout their joint work. Once the task is completed, more communication-this time in the form of reflection and feedback-must take place."

"The key to generating truly innovative ideas, he says, is learning how to challenge the status quo-which is why he's busy trying to teach people how to "think wrong'" Important pieces to consider when engaged in our work.

Really interesting set of linked protocols for organizational planning. "The Collective Action Toolkit isn't a rigid template for problem solving. It's designed to be flexible and accessible, with an action map and activities arranged into six categories, from building a group, to imagining new ideas, to planning change. The toolkit challenges groups to move beyond discussion to action, continually clarifying their shared goals based on what they learn through the problem-solving process."

Really a great post by Vermont Superintendent Dan French. In this he talks about educators from across districts and beyond "utilizing the collective wisdom of their peers." He sees a potential providing an opportunity for educators where "Curriculum development and professional development are 'open sourced' with best practices being identified, implemented, and evaluated much more quickly across a group of schools since teachers are no longer working in isolation within their own schools or districts." I can't help but think of the CFG work that I did with my Principal Cert. cohort. It also has me thinking of the powerful possibilities for members of the #CSPMT program and the work we are beginning to engage in.

"I used to think I was a pretty good teacher. Now I realize that I did the best I could with the knowledge I had, but my classroom was woefully inadequate for many of my students. I failed to equip them with what they needed."

"...researchers and educators ... want to know how kids learn by tinkering - fooling around with something until one understands how it works. They want to know what happens cognitively - how this learning process helps form habits of mind, builds character and how it affects the individual."

"How do we create functioning, collaborative groups?  So I did a little thinking about the pieces of the puzzle the I consider when to facilitate effective collaboration and searched for some reputable sources for more ideas."

Can creativity be taught? Absolutely. The real question is: "How do we teach it?"

A Dropbox folder where I will storing documents, websites specific to CSPMT "stuff" as I collect it.

"Dropbox is a free service that lets you bring your photos, docs, and videos anywhere and share them easily. Never email yourself a file again!"

Tools for Documenting and Making Learning Visible "...includes three types of learning tools: documentation tools, protocols, and technical help."

Relates to the conversation CSPMT has about video in classrooms, institutes, workshop presentations on Sat., October 27. Great resources for using video to document and reflect on student learning and professional practices.

Everything you have ever wanted to know about Critical Skills, but were afraid to ask...in 4 concise pages.

"I have moved to criteria lists because it doesn't really talk about an evaluation aspect per say, but rather a list of expectations."

Supervising professional and support staff for a Comprehensive PreK through 8th grade elementary school. Must be a dynamic educational leader with a proven knowledge of curriculum, teaching methods and assessment. Candidate should be astute, creative individual, open to new ideas, capable of analyzing data and recommending changes. The district is currently involved in a review and revision of our curriculum, the development of formative assessments and a district-wide adoption of the Antioch University Critical Skills program.

"Powerful learning begins to manifest when students take responsibility and ownership for their learning - when they become co-creators of their learning experience, rather than their education being something that is done to them. True student empowerment and engagement begins when we cross the threshold of co-creation."

Embedding technology into our classrooms should begin with the question "How do we enable students to use technology as part of the learning process...rather than use it as part of our teaching process?"