I am a huge fan of reading Daniel Pink‘s work as well as thinkers like Seth Godin, Malcolm Gladwell, Thomas Friedman, and all of the others. I don’t dismiss their ideas, points, and theories, but I don’t use them for anything more than starting points for deeper thinking. What concerns me is that every time [...]

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In a comment on my last post on “Social Networking”, Jerrid Kruse asked a question that deserves some serious discussion. Here is his full comment and question (at bottom): I felt compelled to mention that social networking is not new. Scientists have communicated their findings for centuries via professional journals and conferences. Yes, these professional [...]

I am not anti-Charter Schools in the least, and I do not want anyone who reads this article to think such. My point here is to explain how the system is going to be altered over the next several years as states are cutting school funding throughout the country. We are about to enter the [...]

As some point in the year you have parent conferences or a discussion with a parent about a student in class whose progress is exceptional. My hope is that regardless of what the student’s grade is in your class, you provide the parent/guardian with some kind of constructive criticism that provides for added growth and [...]

I want to start the conversation off with a question: if we are working diligently to create lifelong learners, does an emphasis on exclusive teacher accountability denigrate the efforts of the system to cultivate this trait in kids? By the way, I am NOT talking exclusively about standardized testing. In my mind, I am ALWAYS [...]

In his book Linchpin, Seth Godin outlines the difference between an artist and a cog quite extensively. Bottom line, cogs can be easily replaced because they offer nothing special (think worksheets and questions from 2.4). Artists bring something different and unique to the table that is valued by the organization (think engaging, innovative activities) Studies [...]

I love technology, and I love the fact that I am connected 99% of the time, but I have been patiently waiting for some voice of reason to come in and discuss this story, “Wi-Fi Turns Rowdy bus Into Rolling Study Hall”. Please, please, please tell me you have some concerns with this! Has anyone [...]

Let’s assume, for a second, that performance pay becomes a reality in schools. Teachers are paid based upon some quantitative data that suggests student learning. Whether this is an accurate metric or not is irrelevant for the question I want us to consider. With the institution of a merit/performance pay system, do districts forego the [...]

The University of Michigan is making waves with the revamping of their teacher preparation program! Why the exclamation point at the end of that sentence? Because it is about time that schools of education begin to realize that they are behind medical schools, law schools, and business schools in the quality of preparation that graduating [...]