Sara Bernard
Sara Bernard's Latest Posts
Lessons Learned: How a Progressive New School Adapts to Realities
When we envision a well-rounded, progressive education for our kids, we think of a vibrant environment that nurtures students’ passions, provides structure for rich and deep learning, a place where kids can get their hands on projects that are meaningful to them. That’s the goal at Brightworks, a small, K-12 private school just starting its [...]
Should Students Advance At Their Own Pace?
Flickr:Kreative Eye- Dean McKoy What if student learning wasn’t based on age, but on proficiency? That might happen soon in Oregon’s public schools if Senate Bill 909 unfolds as planned. Oregon governor John Kitzhaber ushered a group of education bills through the legislature in June. One of them, SB 909, created the 15-member Oregon Education [...]
Move Over, Sal Khan: Sixth-Graders Create Their Own Math Videos!
Eric Marcos is a sixth-grade math teacher at Lincoln Middle School in Santa Monica, California. But his kids stay after school, spend hours on their homework, and accompany him to education conferences (and even sometimes lead his presentations). None of Marcos’ students are doing this for extra credit. They’re simply learning a lot about math [...]
Brightworks: A School that Rethinks School
Flickr: tinkering-unlimited At Brightworks, a K-12 private school set to open in San Francisco this fall, there will be no tests, grades, or transcripts. Instead, students will participate in activities and interact with professionals in various fields, design a project that they bring to fruition themselves, and produce a multimedia portfolio that they’ll share [...]
What Would the Freedom Riders Have Tweeted?
“It was like watching a movie, but it was going on for a month,” says Jennifer Klein, World Civilizations teacher at the Open High School of Utah, an online charter school. Welcome to the latest iteration of Twitter in education. Using TwHistory, a group of 12 of Klein’s students researched historical documents, took on a [...]
Retweeting History Brings Those Stories to Life
From following conferences to collaborative story-writing, there are plenty of exciting ways to use Twitter in school (see this lengthy list, for example). But here’s one more: TwHistory, a new, free tool that encourages teachers and students to dig deep into history, get inside the heads of historical figures, and reenact historical events in real [...]
New Teachers Seek Support Online
If you’re a new teacher in your first classroom, a little advice from a veteran educator goes a long way. For those who can’t get face-to-face mentoring time, online mentoring can be a big help, says Alyson Mike, director of online professional development at the New Teacher Center, a nonprofit based in Santa Cruz, CA. [...]
14 Free and Simple Digital Media Tools
Easy ways to create videos, edit photos and design audio slide shows — without your own personal I.T. guy.
5 Ways Teachers Are Getting Inspired This Summer
Summertime is typically spent unwinding, unplugging, and for many educators, untangling from the daily rigors of teaching. But summer is also the perfect opportunity to get more familiar with ideas and tools that might take time to understand and use during the school year. We asked a few teachers how they’ve been spending their summer [...]
Five Progressive Schools of Education
If the way we teach and learn is changing, the way that teachers learn should be changing, too. What are schools of education doing to keep ahead? The following is a handful of examples of teacher education schools and programs whose progressive, tech-infused approach toward 21st century teaching is helping educators enter the classroom well-prepared. [...]
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