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April 25th, 2012
As I’ve reported in the past, IQ scores are on the move, rising nearly ten points with each generation. Known as the Flynn effect, after James Flynn, a cognitive scientist, the reason behind the rise in scores is widely debated, but answers focus on one area that should be of interest to teachers: Scores are increasing because children are showing greater capacity for fluid intelligence. That’s the ability to see patterns and solve novel problems without prior information, which relies on better working memory (the capacity to manipulate information) and a longer attention span. Intelligence researchers consider fluid intelligence to be the ultimate cognitive ability—a kind of gold standard for smart. Until a few years ago, fluid intelligence was considered immutable, but research in 2008, using computer programs, showed that it may be improved through training.
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Tags: collaboration, creativity, education, education reform, innovation and education, intelligence, whole child
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April 14th, 2012
Embracing revolution is a quick way to be terminated in education. More than most jobs, teaching demands fealty to higher powers, no matter their expertise, fidelity to the standard curriculum, harmful or otherwise, and the willingness to narrow your horizons to fit the prevailing winds of politicians and other suits who can best decide whether you’re doing a good job or not.
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Tags: 21st century skills, creativity, education, education reform, innovation and education, new schools, Project Based Learning, school reform
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April 12th, 2012
A decade ago, project based learning was popular in a few schools and with a few teachers, but hardly widespread. And the movement was growing very slowly. At that time, education was caught up by standards and high stakes testing, a focus that discouraged teachers and schools from implementing inquiry-based learning.
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Tags: 21st century skills, education, innovation and education, Project Based Learning, school reform
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April 5th, 2012
I emphasize the term ‘high quality’ PBL for two reasons. First, many educators still equate PBL with ‘doing projects,’ ‘hands on’ learning, or ‘activities.’ This is an industrial holdover from the time when projects were designed as an antidote to lecture or a respite from seat time, as a culminating opportunity for students to finally demonstrate what they had learned during the year, or even as a simple reward for having endured tedious instruction.
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February 18th, 2012
Over the past decade and a half, I’ve seen how well executed project based learning (PBL) can provide a joyful learning experience for students. Joy is not our number one standard, I realize, but when projects offer the right mix of challenge, engagement, and personalized support, blended with a motivating, meaningful learning experience that reaches deep into the soul, joy is the outcome. You can see it bubble up in the animated faces, big smiles, body language, and open-hearted response of students at the end of a good project. In other words, we’ve reached the whole child.
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Tags: creativity, innovation and education, Project Based Learning, whole child
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February 3rd, 2012
The first question about Common Core Standards has been answered: What will they look like? The answer is: Very different. The internationally benchmarked standards will emphasize creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, presentation and demonstration, problem solving, research and inquiry, and career readiness.
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Tags: 21st century skills, curriculum, education reform, PBL, Project Based Learning, school reform, teamwork
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January 2nd, 2012
One way to describe the tumult of the past few years, as well as the year we’re about to enter—the momentous 2012—is imbalance. The world is out of whack, whether the topic is climate patterns, wealth distribution, political power, job opportunity, food availability, or life-work balance. Most of us experience a rushing sense of unease and a desire to get things back in order.
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December 3rd, 2011
One overriding challenge is now coming to the fore in public consciousness: We need to reinvent just about everything. Whether scientific advances, technology breakthroughs, new political and economic structures, environmental solutions, or an updated code of ethics for 21st century life, everything is in flux—and everything demands innovative, out of the box thinking.
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November 22nd, 2011
Our goal as PBL advocates is to design powerful projects. By powerful, I mean projects that fully engage students, offer a potent blend of skills and intellectual challenge, and prompt or awaken a deeper curiosity about life. Nothing less, I believe, is going to serve us in the decades ahead.
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Tags: 21st century skills, deep learning, innovation and education, PBL, Project Based Learning, smarter students, teamwork
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October 31st, 2011
It’s surprising to me, but I see little discussion within education of why PBL succeeds. To experts in the field of human performance, however, there is no mystery. Three decades of research—including findings from youth development, organizational psychology, positive psychology, and emotional intelligence—has identified three core factors that maximize individual effort and the desire to achieve:
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Tags: 21st century skills, collaboration, education, PBL, peak performance, Project Based Learning, school reform
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