project-based-learning
The Far-Flung Reach of Caine’s Arcade
Who knew a YouTube video of a nine-year-old boy’s cardboard creation would hit such a nerve? Caine’s Arcade, which has gotten more than 7 million views on YouTube and Vimeo since it was posted last April, inspired a global movement, compelling kids across the world to create their own versions of the cardboard masterpiece in [...]
Should Math and Science Teachers Get Special Training?
By Anne Jolly Excited and inspired about the subjects they teach, math and science educators ideally want their classrooms to dive into real-world challenges. But they’re faced with the predictable realities of the school day when designing their curriculum. Each year, students seem to lose interest as the subjects become more difficult and abstract. “And [...]
Why Learning Should Be Messy
The following is an excerpt of One Size Does Not Fit All: A Student’s Assessment of School, by 17-year-old Nikhil Goyal, a senior at Syosset High School in Woodbury, New York. Can creativity be taught? Absolutely. The real question is: “How do we teach it?” In school, instead of crossing subjects and classes, we teach [...]
Why Kids Need Schools to Change
Flickr: Elizabeth Albert The current structure of the school day is obsolete, most would agree. Created during the Industrial Age, the assembly line system we have in place now has little relevance to what we know kids actually need to thrive. Most of us know this, and yet making room for the huge shift in [...]
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 [...]
Seven Fun (and Cheap) Class Projects to Try with Video
By Hall Davidson For educators interested in incorporating video into classroom lessons, here are seven projects to dive into. 1. TURN AN iPAD OR (OTHER MOBILE DEVICE) INTO A VIDEO MICROSCOPE. For less than $8, an iPad can be used as a 45x microscope to capture still images or videos from leaves, household objects, insects, [...]
What’s the Best Way to Practice Project Based Learning?
TB By Peter Skillen Project Based Learning can mean different things to different people, and can be practiced in a variety of ways. For educators who want to dive in, the good news is that a rich trove of resources are available. In order to create your own definition and practice, here are some parameters [...]
Building a Bridge to Summer with Projects
By Matt Levinson The month of May can be a tough time for schools. The end of the year brings mixed emotions for students, teachers and parents, as they prepare for transition into the summer months. Keeping the same routines can be reassuring for some, but recasting school in terms of time and space can [...]
Life in a 21st-Century English Class
Creating a Common Craft-style video is part of the classroom assignment. By Shelley Wright I teach in an inquiry, project-based, technology embedded classroom. A mouthful, I know. So what does that mean? To begin with, I don’t lecture. My students don’t take notes, at least not in the traditional sense, and we don’t read a [...]
Can Learning How to Blog Change Makeal’s Life?
How can learning to blog make a lasting impact on a 12-year-old boy living in a rough, East Oakland neighborhood? In the second installment of MindShift’s My Education series, which examines whether technology in learning can have a lasting impact on low-income kids through the perspective of one child, the question focuses on Makeal Surrell, [...]
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