Topic: Learning Environments
Suggested Reading
De-grade your classroom and instead use narrative feedback Mark Barnes, SmartBlog on Education Author of Role Reversal: Achieving Uncommonly Excellent Results in the Student-Centered Classroom (A 2013 Best Professional Book), Mark Barnes explains how he stopped grading his middle school students, instead using only narrative feedback. Barnes cites the research... Read the full article >
Learning that Connects
When my daughter was a sophomore in high school and was having a rough week at school, struggling to get through her accelerated academic work, she decided to stay off Tumblr for a week. She’s pretty active on Tumblr, her social media platform of choice. When she tells me her... Read the full article >
A New Paradigm - Putting All Students in the Driver's Seat
Today’s students are more connected, more aware and more in touch than any earlier generation. They’re connected to technologies that personalize and empower independent learning. Developing skills to navigate the wealth of knowledge and resources available to them today; they often become their own best teacher. They learn to love... Read the full article >
Deeper Learning: The New Normal
There is growing consensus in states across the nation that the primary goal of the K–12 education system is to prepare all students to graduate from high school ready for college and careers. There is even agreement that for students to be college and career ready they need the same... Read the full article >
Challenges in Measuring Online School Performance
Online learning for students in grades K-12 has been available for over a decade in some states, and the number of programs offered by school systems or virtual (online)1 charter schools is increasing rapidly. Connections Education has been operating Connections Academy online schools since the fall of 2002 and currently... Read the full article >
Student Focused Learning
Today’s education system was built to standardize the way we teach and test. This worked well when most students would progress from school to an industrial job. However, students are expected to perform more complex tasks in today’s workplace, when the current education system does not adequately prepare students for... Read the full article >
Creating a Personalized Learning Experience
At Santa Rita Elementary School in Los Altos, Calif., a scene unfolded in 2010 not too different from scenes in schools around the country. A fifth-grade student, Jack, started the year at the bottom of his class in math. He struggled to keep up and considered himself one of those... Read the full article >
Suggested Reading
Standards for Quality Digital Learning Institutions AdvancED Each and every day, educators and administrators in digital learning institutions around the world seek new ways to help students reach their greatest potential. These AdvancED Standards for Quality Digital Learning Institutions not only provide the foundation for the AdvancED Accreditation Process, but... Read the full article >
SE2R Can Revolutionize How We Assess Learning
Another click and she introduces her personal blog, which houses dozens of writing samples on an array of topics. “You asked me to review the video on reflection letters,” she explains to the attentive teacher. “So I went back to these three posts and added the vocabulary you said was... Read the full article >
Student-centered Learning Powered by Technology
Perhaps the most challenging aspect of teaching is effectively reaching all learners. With 20, 30 or even 40 students in their classrooms, elementary teachers have the daunting task of meeting every student right where they are, supporting progress toward grade-level standards and cultivating the development of the whole child. On... Read the full article >