The start of a new year is a good time to consider a new learning path or plan for the coming year. What’s yours? What are you most curious about? What are you committed to exploring or investigating? This decision is yours to covet, just as it is for everyone. After all, each of us […]
9-1-1-Sherlock Holmes: Education needs your help!
“It is of the first importance not to allow your judgment to be biased by personal qualities.” – Sherlock Holmes, ‘The Sign of Four’ With a nod to Benedict Cumberbatch, couch potatoes (guilty as charged) are enjoying a renaissance of the world’s finest detective, the sleuth of sleuths who cracks criminal cases seemingly as tight […]
If We Want Imaginative & Creative Kids the Education System Must Prioritize This
According to developmental psychologists, the foundation of human imagination emerges in childhood and its lifelong trajectory reflects the nature of the support that nurtures it during this time. Bolster a young child’s budding imagination at home or in school with encouragement and she will sense this and accept more risks in whatever activities and challenges […]
Keeping Track of Time: How School Takes More Than Its Fair Share
Time and timing is an issue that is often overlooked in education discussions, but it merits closer attention, and especially the very notable differences between school time and personal time. A first and obvious point is that conventional education prioritizes its timing issues over a learner’s personal time. A second point is that, excepting some […]
It’s time to welcome skilled (retired) mentors into classrooms
I’m sure many people will recognize this scenario – someone in your community, maybe a friend, relative, or passing acquaintance – has retired from their 9 to 5 and is experiencing life at a different pace. In talking with them, you discover they have deep expertise in a particular area and they would be pleased […]
‘BIG DATA’ is your friend! … Not Really
Unless you’ve taken up residence in a cave or hermitage, it’s hard to escape a message these days that the future will be, and is being shaped by Big Data. Where yesterday’s data – let’s call it Little Data – was based on sample sizes easily grokked by the average citizen (of n = 1,000 […]
Nature points the way to powerful learning
In early January most of the natural world – in the northern hemisphere – is relatively dormant. In response to a lack of sunlight and colder temperatures, living organisms conserve energy in order to survive through winter. But not so long from now, as the days lengthen and temperatures rise, we will see a change […]
‘The Science of Learning’ report is hardly that …
In late September, Deans for Impact a US-based organization “committed to improving student-learning outcomes by transforming the field of educator preparation” released The Science of Learning, a report aimed at teachers-in-training. Ostensibly summarizing insights about student learning from cognitive science, SoL reifies these into six mission-critical strategies for novice teachers to apply in the service […]
Imagine the look and feel of learning!
In SelfDesign Learning Community – the innovative school I helped co-found in British Columbia in 2002 – our praxis is to support learning in all its shapes, forms and guises. And since we started we have come to recognize that learning is as varied as each learner. To educators and parents perhaps it comes as […]
‘Learning Anywhere Any Way’ era is here – Let’s Seize the Day!
As we turn a page into a new school year, it’s worth considering just how remarkable this time is for nurturing formal and informal learning in children, youth and, well, anyone. Think of it: in community centres, clubs, studios, workshops, the internet, living rooms, parks and classrooms, learning opportunities have never been more plentiful. Whether someone […]
Michael’s book,