This blog is the sixth and final part of a series on learning transfer. For more on teaching for transfer, see the first post, second post, third post, fourth post, and fifth post. What if we plan backwards from students’ ability to transfer their learning to
This blog is part five of a series on learning transfer. For more on teaching for transfer, see the first post, second post, third post, and fourth post. How can one of the most powerful questions help us in this moment in time: What if? What if rather than marching
This blog is part three of a series on learning transfer. For more on teaching for transfer, see this first post and this second post. “Why do we have to know this?” It’s the age-old question students pose when they doubt the importance of the content they’re asked to learn.
This blog is part two of a series on learning transfer. For more on teaching for transfer, see this first post. Every time we poll teachers about their highest priority, student engagement tops the list. How can we move beyond “party tricks” and toward self-directed learning? We’ve found five shifts that
Welp. We’re still here, in this not-so-fun space of teaching during a pandemic. Can a simple shift in mindset offer much-needed energy and impact on student learning? So glad you asked. Turns out, yes! The challenge we face as teachers is to reorient our classrooms so that transfer is the
The word “engagement” has quickly become yet another cotton candy buzzword in education—sweet, desirable, and inoffensive, but offering little in terms of substance or sustenance. After all, it’s hard to argue against the idea that students should be awake and focused on their learning in
“Science is built up of facts, as a house is built of stones; but an accumulation of facts is no more a science than a heap of stones is a house.” - Henri Poincaré, mathematician and philosopher, 1905 The research on learning is clear. From mathematics
It’s 1:52pm on the last day of school. There are about two dozen sixteen-year-olds in my 7th block class sitting in a giant circle. No one is on their cell phone. No one is distracted. Everyone is focused, attentive. The conversation dances across topics and disciplines: history,
Most often when we ask teachers about why they want their students to learn certain topics, we hear teachers say that they hope their students will lead productive lives in the future. They want students to be strong thinkers, problem solvers, readers, writers, and speakers. They want kids to see
What if we could truly do school differently? Picture a fifth grader who has identified animals as one of her passions. She has chosen to work on the problem of endangered species and make recommendations for improving the situation. Monday morning starts off with a Skype