Wednesday, January 30, 2013

7 Things Next Gen Schools Will Do Well


A fantastic article about where the future of education is headed. Please share with others!

"Seventeen years ago as a new superintendent I was invited to Microsoft to learn about 1:1 programs in Australia. The architect of those programs, Bruce Dixon, told a compelling story of student engagement in transformed learning environments.  The ten superintendents at the meeting committed to Anywhere Anytime Learning and we began an exciting but challenging journey together.
Bruce and I got together again at Microsoft Monday, this time in London. We spent the day with leaders attending the Innovative Schools Forum.  Bruce outlined the three fundamental shift of modern learning environments:
    1. The social learner: moving from me to we;
    2. The self directed learner: moving from dependency to autonomy; and
    3. The inquiry-based learner: moving from the know to the unknown.
Given these shifts, what practices will be common among next generation schools that prepare students for college, careers, and citizenship? With input from innovative school leaders from around the world, following are seven habits of next gen schools (with some similarities to next gen systems discussed last month).
1. Set Important Goals: Good schools have a common intellectual mission. They lead community conversations that result in important goals.  As previously discussed, the Danville Kentucky board adopted a good example of important goals:
      • Powerful learning experiences;
      • Global preparedness;
      • Growth for all;
      • Excellence in communications; and
      • Informed/involved community.
2. Create Powerful Learning Experiences. Innovative schools focus on how students learn.  Next gen schools will feature a 3 screen day (for consumption, production, and sharing) with broadband at school and home and will provision 24/7/365 learning opportunities of vetted resources (see Funding the Shift). Next gen schools will have multiple language learning options and tailored pathways to postsecondary options (e.g., fast, selective, career-specific).
Next gen schools leverage technology supported roles for deeper learning including student as producer, journalist, scientist, historian, maker, inventor, coder, apprentice, and coach. Next gen schools create relevance, value application, encourage integration, and pursh critical thinking. They prepare global citizens.
3. Manage Productive Learning Environments. Next gen schedules will include a shift to an online delivery for a portion of the day to make students, teachers, and schools more productive using rotation and flex models (see examples in 3 blogs on Next Generation Learning Challenge). One school head called it leadership on frugality; we call it smart resource allocation. (Watch for the DLN Smart Series Blended Learning Implementation Guide out 2/6/13)
4. Know Students.  Next gen schools will know students well by managing a comprehensive learner profile that drives student-centered learning. At Cornwallis AcademyLookRed powers personalisation and pastoral care (it’s near London).
As discussed in Data Backpacks, next gen schools will fill super gradebook with experience-embedded assessment and teacher observations. The data will help build a motivational profile of the kind of experiences that produce persistence and performance.  Student records will include a portfolio of personal bests.
Next gen schools will use next gen platforms to create customized playlists and early warning systems. Students will have a voice in next gen schools.
5. Promote Growth. Students in next gen schools will show what they know and will progress when they’ve demonstrated mastery.  Knowledge maps will guide the way.  Badges and other recognition systems will chart their accomplishment. See From Cohorts to Competency for more.
6. Leverage Teacher Talent. Next gen schools will recruit, develop, and leverage the talent of great teachers. They will use differentiated roles from assistant to master teacher and will make use of some part time specialists at a distance.  See OpportunityCulture.org for 10 specific models of extended reach.
7. Build Community. Next gen schools will build community, involve parents, and make connections with youth and family services.  They will value work and community based learning, outreach and service. They will find a balance innovation and execution.
The network of Microsoft Innovative Schools includes many schools exhibiting many of these attributes. They serve as mentors for other schools.  We need more models schools like this to visit and help us imagine a generation of schools that work better for teachers and students. ThePartners in Learning network is resource for innovative schools on topics such as personalized learning (6 Vectors Advancing Personalized Learning)" (www.gettingsmart.com). 

Thursday, January 24, 2013

The Flipped Classroom - Vanerum Stelter

Check out this great video by Vanerum Stelter, featuring a chemistry class that was flipped and how it has impacted students and the instructor. Inspiring conversation starter for your customers!

 
 

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

5 Desks You'll Never Find in a Classroom

School desks, like school itself, are ripe for innovation. Serviced.co.uk recently showcased 10 desks that are ‘probably more interesting than yours’. Check out their page for the full list of desks.

1. Ball Pit Desks - While it might be fun to have a ball pit desk, you probably won’t find one in your classroom anytime soon.


2. Treadmill Desks - Perfect for work environments but probably not for classrooms. Imagine the noise with students constantly walking / running. Now imagine the insurance coverage you’ll need in case students fall off! Although you could likely skip recess with this option…


3. Bike Rack Desk - A great idea for officeworkers who need a place to stash their bike. But imagine how squirmy students would be after sitting on a bike seat for several hours each day!

 
 
4. Underwater Desk - The above photo was taken during a 2009 cabinet meeting held by the Maldives government to raise awareness of global warming.
 

5. Hooded Privacy Desk - This may actually be the most useful and innovative desk with a shot at making it into the classroom. It provides a ‘privacy hood’ that lets you pull it down for something like exams or to focus a bit better. However, there’s no telling how students could use something like this ‘privacy hood’ to not pay attention or cheat thanks to making it harder for teachers to see them.




Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Study proves classroom design really does matter

In a pilot study by the University of Salford and architects, Nightingale Associates, it was found that the classroom environment can affect a child’s academic progress over a year by as much as 25%.

The year-long pilot study was carried out in seven Blackpool LEA primary schools. 34 classrooms with differing learning environments and age groups took part.

The study took two lines of enquiry. The first was to collect data from 751 pupils, such as their age, gender and performance level in maths, reading and writing at the start and end of an academic year.
The second evaluated the holistic classroom environment, taking into account different design parameters such as classroom orientation, natural light and noise, temperature and air quality. Other issues such as flexibility of space, storage facilities and organisation, as well as use of colour were evaluated.

This holistic assessment includes both classroom design and use factors to identify what constitutes an effective learning environment.

Notably, 73% of the variation in pupil performance driven at the class level can be explained by the building environment factors measured in this study.

Current findings suggest that placing an average pupil in the least effective, rather than the most effective classroom environment could affect their learning progress by as much as the average improvement across one year.

Professor Peter Barrett, School of the Built Environment, University of Salford said: “It has long been known that various aspects of the built environment impact on people in buildings, but this is the first time a holistic assessment has been made that successfully links the overall impact directly to learning rates in schools. The impact identified is in fact greater than we imagined and the Salford team is looking forward to building on these clear results.”

The pilot study was commissioned by THiNK, the research and development team at Nightingale Associates. The practice will use these initial findings to inform their designs and work with schools undertaking refurbishment or build new projects to maximise their investment in the learning environment.

Design Research Lead, Caroline Paradise from Nightingale Associates, said: “We are excited by these early findings which suggest that the classroom plays an important role in pupil performance. This will support designers and educators in targeting investment in school buildings to where it will have the most impact, whether new build or refurbishment.”

Through these promising findings, the study will continue for another 18 months and cover another 20 schools in different areas of the UK. This study is being funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
The findings are in reference to a study sample of 751 pupils in Blackpool LEA. Pupil performance was measured against statistics for all the participants and all data captured maintained pupil anonymity.

The study took place over one academic year, between September 2011 and June 2012 (www.salford.ac.uk).

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Finland's Formula for School Success


Education Everywhere Video Series

This new video series takes a look at high-achieving education systems and model schools around the world to see what makes them successful. This series is a co-production with the Pearson Foundation; visit their "Strong Performers and Successful Reformers in Education" (3) page for more information about Finland.

Finland Fast Facts

  • Only 3.8% of Finland's population of 5.3 million is foreign-born, which makes for a relatively homogenous society in a small country.
  • Teachers in Finland are well-trained and highly respected, and recruited from the top 10% of graduates.
  • Because of the flexible national core curriculum that functions as a framework, Finnish teachers are able to design their own curriculum and choose their own textbooks.
  • Finnish schools are typically small in size, and the administrators share teaching responsibilities.
  • Finnish schools provide a broad array of services, including a hot meal for every student daily, health and dental care, and psychological guidance.
  • About 40% of students in Finnish secondary schools receive some kind of special intervention. School faculties include a "special teacher" who is assigned to identify student who need extra help and then provide it.
  • Upper secondary schools in Finland employ a modular structure that enables students to design their own learning programs based on their individual needs and interests.
  • Finland's graduation rate for upper secondary students was 93% in 2008.
  • On the last three Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) tests (given in 2003, 2006, and 2009), Finland has scored either first or second out of all OECD countries for all three measures: scientific literacy, math literacy, and reading literacy. (Source: Finland's Ministry of Education and Culture (4))