Nocking the Arrow

"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...

How was I to know what a significant impact an old sofa would have on learning? A few weeks ago I saw a tweet proposing that a few comfy pieces of furniture in a classroom had cured habitual tardiness. I then found several blog posts that explained how student behavior had dramatically improved with the introduction and strategic placement of comfortable furniture and soft lighting. Well, if a comfy couch modifies behavior, and helps improve learning in the classroom, could it do the same in an office? The answer, based upon just a few days of empirical evidence, is yes. As school technology coordinator, I have committed myself to support professional development this year using two avenues, individual or small group training sessions, and crowd-sourced, social media interactions. The problem with option one was, even though the office door is always open, very few individuals would step in, sit down, and discuss instructional technologies with me. I could take my show on the road,...