In their excellent bestseller, In Search of Deeper Learning: The Quest to Remake the American High School, co-authors Jal Mehta and Sarah Fine take a comprehensive look at Deeper Learning in high school education in America. They focused on four types of high schools that offer deeper learning and/or rigorous traditional learning: Project based “No excuses” International Baccalaureate Comprehensive (traditional) … Read More
Second Thoughts on Curiosity
One thing I am curious about is the heart. I wonder why your heart goes faster when you run. I am so curious about the heart that beats. –Bryannah, 2nd grade I’m curious about how a brain thinks. What does a cerebral cortex do? I want to learn more about people’s brains so I can read people’s minds. —Devon, 2nd … Read More
Is There Such a Thing as Teaching Christianly?
There is power in the naming of things. I imagine that when God gave Adam the task of naming the animals, Adam didn’t just think up sounds for what to call them. He connected with the genius of what God made each creature to be, and out of Adam’s discernment of “Christ in all things,” each name came forth from … Read More
What? How? Why? Who?
In the last week, my Instagram and Facebook feeds have been inundated with images of the first days of school. Teachers displaying their tidy bulletin boards and kids sporting new outfits and smiling faces grace my screen. I love seeing these beginnings – the new year brings excitement and a re-energizing spirit. School year beginnings make me think of the … 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