What most schools don't teach

Must learn to code...

Free Resources Book

Wesley A. Fryer

Moving at the Speed of Creativity

creativity resources

Authentic Learning for the 21st Century: An Overview by M. Lombardi

Abstract: Learning-by-doing is generally considered the most effective way to learn. The 

Internet and a variety of emerging communication, visualization, and simulation 

technologies now make it possible to offer students authentic learning experiences 

ranging from experimentation to real-world problem solving. This white paper 

explores what constitutes authentic learning, how technology supports it, what makes 

it effective, and why it is important. 

TEDxCreativeCoast - McGrath Davies - The Future Will Not Be Multiple Choice

Project Based Learning: Explained

A bit cheesy, but it does a nice job of laying the foundations for PBL.




Project Based Learning in Hand from Tony Vincent on Vimeo.

Work that matters: the teacher's guide to project-based learning

Project-Based Learning

I need to learn more about this: project-based learning.  Had a thought this evening.  Outside of school where do we really do tests.

• http://www.edutopia.org/files/existing/pdfs/guides/edutopia-10tips-assessing-project-based-learning.pdf

Rethinking Assessment

Rethinking Classroom Assessment with Purpose in Mind
This can be a helpful resource in discerning the three types of assessment (of, as, for).  Further information comes from the BC Performance Standards guide (see chart below).

And some future thoughts.

Fixes for Practices that Distort Achievment

Fixes for Practices that Distort Achievement

Fix 1: Don’t include student behaviors (effort, participation, adherence to class rules, etc) in grades; include only achievement

Fix 2: Don’t reduce marks on “work” submitted late; provide support for the learner

Fix 3: Don’t give points for extra credit or use bonus points; seek only evidence that more work has resulted in a higher level of achievement

Fix 4: Don’t punish academic dishonesty with reduced grades; apply other consequences and reassess to determine actual level of achievement

Fix 5: Don’t consider attendance in grade determination; report absences separately

Fix 6: Don’t include group scores in grades; use only individual achievement evidence

Fixes for Low-Quality or Poorly Organized Evidence

Fix 7: Don’t organize information in grading records by assessment methods or simply summarize into a single grade; organize and report evidence by standards/learning goals

Fix 8: Don’t assign grades using inappropriate or unclear performance standards; provide clear descriptions of achievement expectations

Fix 9: Don’t assign grades based on student’s achievement compared to other students; compare each student’s performance to preset standards

Fix 10: Don’t rely on evidence gathered using assessments that fail to meet standards of quality; rely only on quality assessments

Fixes for Inappropriate Grade Calculation

Fix 11: Don’t rely only on the mean; consider other measures of central tendency and use professional judgment

Fix 12: Don’t include zeros in grade determination when evidence is missing or as punishment; use alternatives, such as reassessing to determine real achievement or use “I” for Incomplete or Insufficient Evidence

Fixes to Support Learning

Fix 13:  Don’t use information from formative assessments and practice to determine grades; use only summative evidence

Fix 14: Don’t summarize evidence accumulated over time when learning is developmental and will grow with time and repeated opportunities; in those instances, emphasize more recent achievement

Fix 15: Don’t leave students out of the grading process. Involve students; they can and should play key roles in assessment and grading and promote achievement

A Repair Kit for Grading: 15 Fixes for Broken Grades by Ken O’Connor

Fairy Dust & Grit

A colleague recently shared this article (Fairy Dust and Grit) with me.  These are the key points:

• know that everyone has the capacity to be creative
• ask explicitly to be creative
• value differences
• help students find their passions
• talk about what creativity means, why it matters, and how it develops
• craft an environment that evokes creativity
• don't consign creativity to the realm of fairy dust (often creativity is followed by hard work)
• observe a creative life everyday

Great Web Tools

There are a few great things I like about this site:

• There are a bunch of great tools
• The tools are organized based on the product you want to create and they start with "I want my students to be able to..."
• There is a short description of the tool
• And I love that there are real examples