LessonCast helps learning communities design professional development that targets specific needs and changes instructional practice. We support a continuum of professional learning that spans support for teachers new to the classroom, experienced teachers with expertise to share, and leaders guiding a community in improving instruction. Why I became a teacher
2013-05-22 13:48:02
Growing up, I never thought about becoming a teacher. I wanted to be an actress or dancer or singer....
Author Archives
Moving Toward Individualization in Education
I’ve been returning recently to a conversation I had in January when walking to dinner with Steve Hargadon during EduCon. We were discussing Finland’s high performance on the international benchmarking assessment, the PISA. There was initial puzzlement when Finland was announced one of the top 5 scoring countries because so much of their educational structure was quite different from the other high scoring countries. What became apparent though is that the one theme the Finnish could agree on collectively was a narrative of equity. We’d like to believe that Americans …
LessonCast at ISTE–Join us!
Saturday, June 23, 2012; 8:30 to 11:30 AM Pre-Conference Hands-On Workshop: Come Make Your Own LessonCast and Receive 3 Months Free Access to LessonArchitect. Register here: additional fee required. Tuesday, June 26, 2012; 5 to 6:15 PM Birds of a Feather Session: Mentor Teachers Multiplied: Building Teacher Capacity. Come share best coaching practices! Wednesday, June 27, 2012; 8:30 to 9:30 AM Bring Your Own Device Session: Mentor Teachers Multiplied. Come explore lessoncasts and the process for developing them. Register here: free.
6 Takeaways for Successful Professional Learning
Last week I had the opportunity to participate in multiple sessions at the annual Common Ground conference (formerly known as MSET) where professional learning was the featured topic. Though approached in different ways, several themes around successful implementation of professional learning consistently arose: 1. Communicate clear vision and expectations. When Joshua Starr, Superintendent of Montgomery Schools, and Rebecca Thessin, Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership at George Washington, shared insights they learned from implementing professional learning communities (PLCs), they focused on the importance of leadership communicating clear expectations and vision. Initial …
Baltimore’s Digital Harbor Foundation
I’ve been writing for some time about the need to have more crossover conversations among educators, startups, policy makers and investors. Thursday night I saw this happen at Digital Harbor Foundation’s Edtech Link Fundraiser in Baltimore. Audrey Watters wrote a great piece sharing the work of the Digital Harbor Foundation. When everyone thinks and works together, truly innovative ideas emerge and can be put into action. The two young and energetic co-executive directors, Andrew Coy (Baltimore City high school teacher) and Shelly Blake-Plock (of TeachPaperless), brought together students, teachers, principals, …
Coaches for All: Reflections on Gawande’s ASCD Keynote
I’m not easily impressed but I was impressed with Atul Gawande’s keynote at ASCD, perhaps because he touched on topics percolating in my brain the past few months. My love affair with Gawande began with his article in the New Yorker where he advocates for all professionals having the opportunity to be coached. The philosophy is so simple—we get better at what we do if we get specific feedback on our performance—yet it happens so little in most professions, except in sports and dance. The goal of this feedback is …
Take-Aways from a Grant Wiggins #ASCD12 Session
I was only able to participate in a short segment of Grant Wiggins’ session yesterday—wish I had been able to come in sooner. When I worked with Grant back in 1999 as part of a Klingenstein Summer Institute, his Understanding by Design framework came at exactly the right time for my practice—over a dozen years later, Grant is still ahead of the curve. Here are some of the big questions he raises: What would schooling look like if we designed it “backward” from the school Mission & using sound principles? …
