Play is the highest form of research. Albert Einstein I love when I am invited into schools to do model lessons. I might demonstrate a variety of teaching practices in a range of subjects, but no matter what strategy I focus on, what content we address, the most common response I get from teachers after the lesson is, “The children … Read More
Deeper Learning, Authentic Audiences, and the Bike Path Project with Steven Levy
“When student work culminates in a genuine product for an authentic audience, it makes a world of difference.” [podbean resource=”episode=nj765-8fc9a9″ type=”audio-rectangle” height=”100″ skin=”1″ btn-skin=”107″ share=”1″ fonts=”Helvetica” auto=”0″ download=”0″ rtl=”0″] In this conversation I had the opportunity to talk with my friend and fellow CACE Fellow, Steven Levy who was recognized as the Massachusetts State Teacher of the Year (1993), honored … Read More
Powerful Instructional Practices
This blog was adapted from opening remarks at the Powerful Practices: Implementing Deeper Learning in Christian Schools conference, Gainesville, FL, January 11-12, 2018. “It is nothing but a pious wish and a grossly unwarranted hope that students trained to be passive and non-creative in school will suddenly, upon graduation, actively contribute to the formation of Christian culture.” Nicholas Wolterstorff And … Read More
Do Sweat the Small Stuff
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men… (Colossians 3:23) Thank God for singing cosmic rhythms into the steady beat of time! He fills our waiting hearts with hope-inspired imagination of how things might be different each new day, week, year. In schools we are invited into this hope as … Read More
For the Love of…
For the love of money is the root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (1 Timothy 6:10) “If you want to build a ship, don’t herd people together to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work but rather, teach them to … Read More
Deeper Learning in Christian Schools
The phrase “Deeper Learning” was coined by the Hewlett Packard Foundation in 2010 to define what they saw as skills necessary for the “jobs of tomorrow.” They defined a set of competencies students would need to compete globally and to become engaged citizens at home in the 21st century. The impulse to create these competencies came from the realization that … Read More
God Is a Creator, Not a Manufacturer
By the time this blog is published, it’s probably too late. Students with new sneakers, shiny lunchboxes and sharpened pencils have bounced across sparkling hallways (thank you custodians, everywhere!) to your classroom door. They were greeted by posters that say “Welcome,” or “It’s a Great Day for Learning,” or maybe your favorite Bible verse. There might be an apple tree … Read More
Kingdom Assessment
Joanna (my wife and principal of New Covenant School in Arlington, MA) and I had the privilege of facilitating two institutes this summer on Deeper Learning in Christian Schools. The first was a week with 30 teachers and school leaders at a beautiful retreat center in North Andover, MA. The second was a three-day institute with teachers and administrators from … Read More
Celebrate Learning!
In the 1960’s World of Inquiry School #58 opened as a progressive, inquiry-based school in the Rochester City School District, and for years parents lined up to put their children’s names on the waiting list. Yet over time the school began to lose its original identity. Parent involvement dwindled, discipline problems increased, student performance declined, and school culture suffered. In … Read More
Deeper Understanding Through Art: the ‘Word’ in ‘Flesh’
When I was in the classroom I liked to challenge students to create images to represent an idea. Equally challenging, to look at images and infer the ideas they represented. Class discussions (remember to use protocols!) often yielded a deeper, nuanced understanding by thinking in pictures and picturing thoughts. Adults too! I participated in a workshop with a group of … Read More