Blog

PBL, Project-Based Learning, has a big impact on learners.  Edutopia describes this way of learning as "a dynamic classroom approach in which students actively explore real-world problems and challenges and acquire a deeper knowledge."  Sounds like a good idea, yes?  Definitely sounds like something...

Passion projects are such a great way to engage today’s learners and empower them to make connections to content, practice life-ready skills, and understand the importance of social-emotional learning.  However, if we simply focus on passion and don’t prioritize purpose, the reality is that their pa...

When done well, Genius Hour is one of the most meaningful experiences that we can provide for our learners.  It’s personal, makes learning relevant, and makes purpose a priority. Just like any strategy or tool that is implemented into the classroom, passion-based learning should be manageable and me...

 So often, those of us that share Genius Hour, talk about how amazing it is and what we did well.  However, the reality is that most of us did a lot of things wrong, too.  It's important to not only talk about what went well, but also what went wrong.  I know that I made several mistakes along the w...

When I reflect on my time in the classroom, I remember how many different labels each new class of learners brought to the table...gifted, dyslexic, ADHD, twice-exceptional, English language learner, I could go on and on.  We all know that this will be case this year as well.  I wanted to take a lit...

I have to admit that I'm a big fan of the word purpose. Purpose should drive everything that we do in the classroom and give both ourselves and our learners a reason for the work.  The definition of purpose is "the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists."  

Our pu...

So I have to admit...I definitely have #flipgridfever right now.  I have been reading so much about how teachers are using it to creatively give opportunities for reflection, connection, and collaboration.  The more that I read, the more I realize how powerful this tool can be for learners.

Just yest...

So, I have spent most of my week chatting with my students and my Voxer buddies about how to best find outside experts for our Genius Hour projects.  As an elementary teacher, it is very time consuming to search for an outside expert for every single project.   Outside of school, it is next to impos...