Lisa Nielsen

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20 Things Students Want the Nation to Know About Education

September 29, 2011 | 10:52 AM | By

NBC

I had the pleasure of spending time with The Innovative Educator blogger Lisa Nielsen at Education Nation conference in New York earlier this week. In addition to the insightful questions and comments she posted on her prolific Twitter stream, Nielsen wrote a great summary of the last panel of the two-day event. Here it is:

By Lisa Nielson

It’s rare for education reformers, policymakers, and funders to listen to those at the heart of education reform work: the students. In fact Ann Curry, who hosted Education Nation’s first *student panel, admitted that folks at NBC were a little nervous about putting kids on stage. In their “Voices of a Generation” discussion, young people provided insight into their own experiences with education and what they think needs to be done to ensure that every student receives a world-class education. After the discussion, Curry knew these students didn’t disappoint. She told viewers: “Students wanted to say something that made a difference to you (adults) and they did. Now adults need to listen.”

Below are the sentiments shared by these current and former students during the segment.

  1. I have to critically think in college, but your tests don’t teach me that.
  2. We learn in different ways at different rates.
  3. I can’t learn from you if you are not willing to connect with me.
  4. Teaching by the book is not teaching. It’s just talking.
  5. Caring about each student is more important than teaching the class. Continue reading →
FILED UNDER: Education Nation, Lisa Nielsen

Nine Tenets of Passion-Based Learning

July 13, 2011 | 12:19 PM | By

Island School

The Island School, a public school in New York City, embodies passion-based learning.

By Kimberly Vincent

We hear a lot about “passion-based” learning, and although in theory it sounds ideal, there are many factors to consider in building an education system around something as intangible as passion. A recent Future of Education talk addressed the topic, with experts in the field weighing in. The group included Angela Maiers, Amy Sandvold, Lisa Nielsen, and George Couros, and the talk was mediated by Steve Hargadon. These are some of the key points that address the issues around passion-based learning that came from the talk, along with some additional thoughts from John Seely Brown, co-author of A New Culture of Learning: Cultivating the Imagination for a World of Constant Change, and educator Jackie Gerstein.

  1. REACH OUT TO THE DISENFRANCHISED. We say that we want creative, passion-driven students, yet we reward the opposite. Standards-based education stifles engagement and passion in students. While drop-outs are considered to be lazy and unmotivated, many are simply not interested because they don’t understand the relevance of what they’re being taught. We’re rewarding students who are best at obedience, memorization, regurgitation, and compliance. And those who do succeed in school often don’t know what to do when they get out. We need to prepare kids to be successful in the real world, not just while in school.
  2. SHOW RELEVANCE TO LIFE OUTSIDE SCHOOL. Passion is the narrative of mattering. It’s that simple and that difficult.  Everyone has a deep rooted drive to know that they matter to others and that what they’re doing matters. When you’re doing work that matters, with people who matter, you’re willing to suffer and study more. Passion-based learning is not about matching students with topics that interest them, it’s about presenting subjects to students in a way that’s relevant. People gain empowerment when they’re doing work that matters and is respected.  Angela Maiers suggests that a class essay rubric may seem irrelevant for some, and that having students surf the web to identify writing standards that are “worthy of the world” may engage them to take ownership of their writing. Continue reading →
FILED UNDER: Culture, future of education, John Seely Brown, Lisa Nielsen, passion-based learning, Steve Hargadon

Can You Have a Viable Education Outside of School?

May 26, 2011 | 4:35 PM | By

Flickr: LIsaW123

Lisa Nielsen works to support public schools in New York City and while she understands school is a viable option for some students, she doesn’t believe it is for everyone.

The author of the Innovative Educator blog has written a free, online book called The Teenager’s Guide to Opting Out (Not Dropping Out) of Outdated and Traditional School.

Nielsen, who helps educators find innovative ways of engaging learners, works at a fairly progressive, forward-thinking public school system that’s experimenting with technology in inventive ways and a push towards personalized learning with the iSchool and Innovation Zone. Still, she believes the traditional school setting may not be “fixable.”

“While students are doing better in a more innovative climate, ultimately, we are just using updated tools to meet narrow and outdated measures on which our students, teachers, and school leaders are judged,” she writes on her blog. “It is not enough to personalize learning for everyone to go down the same path — to college, without consideration of what comes next.”

I asked Lisa to talk about the book, and why she wrote it.

Q. Why did you feel you needed to write this guide?

A. I went to the iNacol Online Learning conference this year and when a keynote speaker asked the audience to share one word to describe high school, as if rehearsed, they responded, “BORING.”  It’s no wonder that in places like those where I have spent my life (Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York), the drop out rate is around 50% and if you ask teens, many of them who are in school don’t really like it. The problem is no one talks about and few Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Culture, dropout, Lisa Nielsen