I’ve been trying to imagine the pothole filled ride that 2017 is about to deliver, and I’m not sure “buckling up” is going to do much good. I can’t remember a new year that augured so much uncertainty. You? My first instinct is to tie everything down, stick to the routines, make sure emergency measures
Our Resolution: Be Less Efficient. And Ship. Read More »
As the year draws to a hectic close, and clichés like that one become more prevalent, I have been reflecting not so much on my best books or films or even restaurants of the year, but rather, on what I have learnt* over the past 12 months? Here at Modern Learners, we’ve spent another year,
What Have You Learnt This Year? Read More »
I got an email recently from a superintendent in a district where I’ve had the good fortune of visiting a number of times. She writes: “It is interesting to me that teachers really believe they can’t take risks. How do we help them believe they can and must???” As with many, many things education, I think
Tell “Risky” Stories Read More »
They used to say that everyone had a good time when the circus came to town. Well that may be true, but I’m not so sure that this is happening with the circus that has surrounded the release of the 2015 PISA results this week. While the PISA process itself is quite straightforward, it’s the
The Circus Around International Benchmarking Read More »
Stay with me on this. Its a topic that I think warrants a little more than we normally share here, and I promise, no politics and no mention of the “T” word… I’m not sure if you’re fully aware, but right now there are signs of a fundamental shift in the way our students will
The End of the Beginning of New Credentials Read More »
So what happens now that Donald Trump is the soon-to-be president? You can do a quick Google search to find out what the pundits think the direction will be. If you do, you’ll note that almost every initiative will continue to be driven by the same stuff: improving test scores, higher graduation rates, more college acceptances, etc.
I was lucky. I completed my teaching degree in the 1970’s during a time of new ideas, new directions and new thinking. It wasn’t just a time for hippies and Woodstockers, but importantly it was also a time of provocative and open discourse around education, which inspired vigorous public conversations around the role of school and
The Moons are Aligning Read More »
I’m struggling. I know I don’t usually use this space to air my personal angst, at least not explicitly. When Bruce and I started this site and this column, we saw it as a place to push people’s thinking about education and learning, and to create a different narrative for the work that we do
How much of what we do every day is part of a routine, habit, or in some cases almost a ritual? I know that for most of us the getting out of bed, shower, teeth thing certainly is, but when it comes to our work the context of the question shifts, and maybe it’s a
Bells and Cells and other Big Fat Myths Read More »
“How much of our “progress” as teachers has been spurred by fear of failure, of punishment, of low test scores, of a poor evaluation?” That’s a question that has me thinking this morning, asked in an interesting blog post by Arthur Chiaravalli on Medium. It’s especially compelling considering my recent trip to Finland (summarized in our
What If We Stopped Evaluating Teachers? Read More »
Like many of you I’m sure, I enjoy reading Seth Godin. Maybe not as much as I like reading Sarason, Papert, and Frank Smith, but Godin’s thinking is often a sharp left turn from where I often find myself. I was reading some copy he posted on his AltMBA course site this past week: Welcome to the age
Looking at Technology Through a Learning Lens Read More »
“Great intentions are what spur people to collective action, and without such intentions, the inspiration that is fuel for real breakthroughs never combusts. People must be inspired, moved, called by mighty intentions to act.” ~Umair Haque A phrase I find myself using more and more these days (and probably mispronouncing) is “raison d’être” or reason for
Rethinking the (Under-)Education System Read More »
There are many times in our lives when we take risks. For some taking risks is an integral part of their daily lives. Racing car drivers, BASE jumpers are extreme examples; others might say the very act of driving a car or crossing a road presents a risk they face every day. Our perception of
At last count, there are 69 days left until the interminable presidential election in the US comes to a close. I’m not sure I even want to know what will begin after the voting ends. I doubt it will be pretty either way. In the last month, I’ve travelled to Australia and Canada for presentations
Undemocratic Schools, Undemocratic Citizens Read More »
For all that is being written about leadership today, it is probably not surprising that we often take for granted the responsibility that is attached to the role, or trivialise in much the same way the word ‘hero’ has become almost meaningless. Everyone may think they can be a ‘hero’, but everyone sure isn’t a
Leadership and Followship Read More »
