Take Time to be Thankful (even in a crappy year)
Via Smithsonian There is so much going right in my world that I shouldn’t dwell on the downer stuff – but the holidays push me towards that abyss. And no one would fault me for whining and complaining. But I’m going to try and take a different tack. Tomorrow will be the first Thanksgiving that […]
There Was Gold In Them There Colorado Hills
http://goo.gl/oNBuIc A Gold standard for PBL – that’s what the folks at BIE.org are trying to define. And we are reaching out to all of you who are practicing this in your classrooms and schools. This past week the National Faculty (NF) met for our Fall summit and we had some rich, deep discussions on […]
20 Thoughts on Instructional Coaching
http://goo.gl/CxWFJb Thursday and Friday I attended an incredible training by Steve Barkley. If you haven’t heard of him, get to know him. If you have heard of him and haven’t attended one of his sessions then get going and attend one. As a coach, this is one of those must attend events. What I learned […]
Which Came First PBL or Small Group Instruction?
https://www.flickr.com/photos/smu_cul_digitalcollections/ Ye Olde Chicken-Egg story. Why am I wrestling with this? Because many consider me pretty smart about Project Based Learning(PBL). And, our school which calls itself a PBL school, is pushing small group instruction. So, is PBL just a version of small group instruction? Not sure. And when you infuse a very structured form […]
Sometimes Words Do Hurt (My Brain)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/shebalso/ When you are over 50 years old and have been in a profession for a couple of decades, you see periods where certain buzz words are all the rage. I googled “education buzzwords” and found a list of some words I have heard a ton within the last few years but the following is […]
Yes There IS a Right Way to “Do PBL”
http://goo.gl/C3gteK It started when I was contacted by some friends who were attending the Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA) conference this past February. “What is your principal saying about PBL here – do you REALLY do this at your campus?” What they were talking about was someone who was filling our spot because we had […]
This Summer Put Something Into Your Sea Bag
http://www.zazzle.com/american_sailor_ww2_poster-228992068234634646 Early on in my 20 year Navy career I got great advice from a veteran sailor. He said to remember to put something into your sea bag whenever you have a unique experience. If that experience was bad, remember how it happened so you won’t repeat it. If that experience was great, remember how […]
Why Safe + Collaboration = Success
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sharynmorrow/ There are a few new twists to the PBL training we do with BIE and the one that stands out to me is the purposeful way we have teachers share their work with the others in the room. Of course, as with everything we do, we are modeling for the teachers and showing them […]
A Thank You to Moms, Teachers, and Teacher-Moms
http://floridamemory.com/items/show/260975 This week we get to celebrate teachers (Teacher Appreciation Week) and Mothers (Mother’s Day). For many of us the female teachers in our lives were like mothers to us. And so I think it only fitting that we mention them both in the same celebratory way. According to an article in […]
It All Starts At The Top
http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/art/resources/graphic/xlarge/31_00012.jpg I spent 20 years in the Navy. 10 years of active duty followed by 10 years of reserve duty. My wife spent 23 years in the Navy, all active duty. I’ve also been able to work in 8 different schools in 7 different school districts. The one constant for all of these? Leadership is […]