innovation
Learning Forward – Part 8: Lesson Study
By Mary Mitchell on October 15th, 2013
Photo credit: http://www.learningforward.org/
The lesson study process is one of the most unique teaching techniques available to 21st century teachers. During a lesson study, instructors present a lesson and uncover what makes it effective or ineffective. Bringing several teachers together and using their combined knowledge to create, teach, and reflect on a lesson is one of the best teaching strategies for instructors. Teachers are life-long learners and are always looking for ways to improve their skills. Lesson study is an ideal format to observe what does and doesn’t work and make improvements. Continue reading
You Can Learn the Impossible
By admin on September 6th, 2013
They say the first step is admitting you have a problem, so here goes… I am a brain science junky. Ever since my team started doing research 18 months ago, I’ve been fascinated with the science behind how humans learn. But it’s not just me. I’m seeing the work of Carol Dweck, Paul Tough, Sian Beilock, and Heidi Grant Halvorson show up in all sorts of non-educational publications and places. Sure, I work at a school, so it’s natural for conversations to revolve around grit and growth mindset, but last week I overheard preschool moms discussing it at the supermarket. Continue reading
Academic Integrity: Systematic and Scalable Solutions
By Guest Blogger on August 29th, 2013
For five years, I have been a part of the Academic Integrity (AI) Department at Florida Virtual School. I began as an investigator, researching student violations, and eventually moved into the role of manager. While a primary goal of the AI team is to identify and intervene when incidents occur, we also strive to prevent violations from happening. To do this requires a joint effort between all departments, including Professional Learning, Curriculum, Community Relations, and Technology. Continue reading
Preparing for Rain
By Guest Blogger on August 22nd, 2013
When people hear Common Core State Standards (CCSS), they immediately fall onto one side or the other in the great debate that is Common Core. Many stakeholders, parents, teachers, and administrators are for it, while many are railing against this large-scale change.
What do I think about it? I think at the end of the day, it is change. When it comes to change, no one is truly comfortable. We can believe what we want to believe, but we can’t stop progress and we can’t halt change. Continue reading
Project TAM: Year Zero
By Guest Blogger on August 15th, 2013
I’ve always been fascinated by the concept of nothing (an idea that is immediately contradicted by having a word assigned to it, which implies something). And, as Project TAM enters what I’ve been lovingly calling “Year Zero,” I find that the centrality of bringing forth something from seemingly nothing preoccupies my thoughts and the thoughts of those around me.
FLVS was recently awarded the Next Generation Learning Challenge Grant to be used for planning and development of Project TAM, a breakthrough school model that will allow FLVS to provide new student-centered, self-paced, mastery-based, and blended learning opportunities. Continue reading
Project TAM
By Guest Blogger on July 15th, 2013
Photo credit: haroldito via Flickr.com
Friday found me crying at the copy machine. As I prepared prereading for my trip to San Francisco, the drear of monotonous copies and collating and stapling proved to be an overwhelming prospect for my mind, stuffed full of words like “untethered” and “ideate” and “platforms.” I wondered how this boded for my week — overcome by a copy machine. And, what does “collate” mean for copies anyway?
Sunday arrived not with a roar but a whisper, and by some miracle of heaven Pam and I both arrived at the airport early. I can giggle a little now at us — two travelers traveling together with a common goal, the mutuality of dreams. Dreams which almost prevented these two preoccupied travelers from boarding the plane, so dense were the clouds. Continue reading