Category: 21st Century Learning
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K is for Knowledge
What’s the point of teaching knowledge when we have Google? Well, it’s simple, because you don’t know what you don’t know. You need to know something to ask something of Google, right? Furthermore, how do you know you should even be asking something in the first place? William Poundstone considers this very conundrum in his…
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H is for Happy
Happy makes the learning happen As parents we all voice the same sentiment for our children: “I just want them to be happy.” But do we actively practice that sentiment? Do we teach the frames of mind that would ensure happiness in our children? Do we really know what being happy actually means? Much research…
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G is for Galileo
Galileo experimented, pondered, and tested theories thereby laying the foundations of what we now know as the scientific method. He was also a keen observer, inventer and thought deeply on almost everything – definitely a Renaissance man. It’s an understatement to say he was very clever, and he was very clever at many different things, so…
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F is for Frankenstein, Focus & Future Ready
In considering education and how it should evolve to best prepare the class of 2030, we should look at it like we look at Frankenstein. Remember? That cautionary tale warning of the evils of science? Well, not really, it is more the tale of a scientist who longed for things in the past and, using science,…
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The Class of 2030, What Skills Will They Need?
The biggest challenges students in kindergarten right now will face when they graduate is a rapidly changing work environment so being flexible is essential, and flexibility requires confidence. Confidence is the by-product of strong emotional intelligence and it will be necessary to successfully navigate the work-world of the future. Social-emotional intelligence ensures students are self…
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C is for Crayons
The third in a series discussing the Class of 2030. I remember one Christmas getting the SUPER large box of Crayola Crayons. One hundred undulating colours of possibility. I was absolutely giddy with excitement. Imagine all the beautiful things I could draw! Astronauts or ballet dancers, camels or dragons, elephants or fairies, anything I could…
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B is for Brainy, Bold & Beautiful
The second in a series discussing the Class of 2030. When I was young I loved watching the TV show The Bionic Woman. I particularly loved how Lindsay Wagner was portrayed. She was smart, she helped people, she was pretty, and she didn’t wear clothes my mother would ground me for life for wearing! This…
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A is for Access: The A, B, Cs (and X, Y, Zs) of the Class of 2030.
The first in a series discussing the Class of 2030 There are many considerations to think about when we contemplate the changes that will occur in the next decade and what our students will need to be successful in that time-frame and beyond. Many are advocating for transforming our educational system to accommodate the needs…
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Best of 2018
It’s December: a time to reflect upon the year that is swiftly coming to a close, and a time to look forward to what the new year will bring. This past year has held a lot of new experiences for me. I presented at a conference for the first time, I hosted a #MSFTEduChat Tweetmeet,…
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Tweak It!
Katie Martin’s thoughts on tweaking learning experiences and the way we do things resonated with me this week, particularly as I am in the midst of doing just that. A couple years ago I asked my grade 11 English students what could be improved or changed in the course. What did they love? What impacted…
