system
Really Different Schooling
You’re a teacher. Have you ever wanted to make a major change in the way schools work? Do bears defecate in the woods? We know there are all sorts of inefficiencies in the system, so Read more…
school leaders
Sharing Your Story with the World
What is happening at your school that is so powerful that you wouldn’t want any child, anywhere, deprived of the experience? I’ve been asking this question as part of presentations I’ve made for years, typically Read more…
technology
The Computer Says You’re Not Paying Attention
What if we strap electrodes to kids’ heads to monitor how focused they are, and share the data for all students in the class with all parents? Is this an Orwellian nightmare, or your deepest Read more…
inspiration
Inspiring Visits, Part 2 – The Hospital School
On the same day I visited the off-the-charts intriguing space of Playground Global (see this post), I also visited a school of a kind I didn’t know existed. Several months ago some friends from graduate Read more…
inspiration
Inspiring Visits, Part 1 – The Not-at-a-School Playground
Earlier this month, I spent a day in Palo Alto at two places, both of which have a heightened ability to provoke thoughts. I’ll save the second place for the next post. The first, Playground Read more…
teaching advice
For Who They Are
We all are asked for advice from time to time, and over my years as a high school teacher, I occasionally get a question from one of my charges about relationships. Whether asking me is Read more…
teaching advice
One Who Tries
We frequently ask students to try harder. It’s one of those things a teacher is supposed to do. But saying it, and saying it in such a way that it elicits the effort we want Read more…
service
Off the Charts Cool
In the swamp of seemingly endless stories about corruption, lies, shootings, and similar, it can be hard to be optimistic about the future. And yet, there are people like Manu Prakash. Centrifuges are devices used Read more…
school leaders
Those Millennials…
“The workplace should be a positive environment where employees feel a sense of camaraderie.” This line is from a post by Ashira Prossack at Forbes.com about making a workplace a good setting for those we’ve Read more…
school leaders
The Minefield of Discussing Educational Anything
Last week I attended a program at Stanford titled “Does AI belong in the classroom?” (That’s a pair of letters: a capital “a” and a capital “i,” and it stands for “artificial intelligence.” It is Read more…