Nocking the Arrow

"There is an opportunity to use design to craft a new invitation and journey for education and for learning." - David Jakes It seems like yesterday, but it was actually two years ago when educator-now-consultant, David Jakes , led our district level workshop about designing meaningful spaces for the modern learner . After considering school climate and culture, Mr. Jakes's driving questions were, "What types of learning experiences do you want for your students? Can you design spaces that serve as invitations to inquiry and learning?"  Those early conversations sparked discussions with faculty and staff, with students and their parents, and with members of our communities. In our high schools, the fruits of those conversations are becoming realities. "Make it new - look at your space with 21st-century eyes: Does it work for what we know about learning today, or just for what we knew about learning in the past?" - The Third Teacher: 79 Ways...

"The classroom remains a location of possibility." The HipHopEd Manifesto Does this learning space facilitate meaningful learning experiences?   How many of our learning spaces resemble this Philadelphia classroom from 1897?  Yesterday, David Jakes , a highly respected educational thought change leader, led a three-hour session to help us stretch and validate our thinking in creating " next-generation " learning spaces.  " Why do you want to change your learning spaces? ", asked Mr. Jakes. Our district has made a strong commitment to 1:1 enhanced learning. Teachers and students are realizing that many aspects of the traditional classroom " container " no longer provide the " flexibility, agility, and adaptability" offered in digital learning spaces. During his introduction, Mr. Jakes referred to the book, The Third Teacher . The authors state children learn and develop through their interactions with adults, p...