Picking up the strand of LED lights, I felt overwhelmed at the Chinese Hardware Market, I had this disorienting feeling that I’ve been here before, discussing the color of lights in broken Mandarin. As I walked out with 2 meters of lights, I felt like I was in a dream world, realizing that this whole …
In the Build Math Minds Summit, Dan Finkel elaborated on this notion that “what books are to reading, is what play is to math.” And as he said this, my ears perked up, I leaned in and listened intently because this is all I’ve been thinking about for the last week as I begin to …
I’ve been binge learning through the online conference on The Pedagogy of Play. It’s been really inspiring for me. Last year, I felt like I was moving away from play-based learning and into more formally academic structures when I began teaching first grade. This has been a challenge for me because I miss the discoveries …
“Why do we even bother educating children in the first place?” This question posed by Tom Hobson (aka, Teacher Tom) really made me pause and reflect on the value of an education during the recent Pedagogy of Play conference. He suggested that treating school as if it was preparing children for the unknown jobs of tomorrow …
I live in a bubble, I think. I have lived and worked internationally and taught in a PYP (Primary Years Program) school for a decade now and really have no idea what is happening in my home country of America. But this summer, I connected with educators at a training in the States and I …
The days of the silos in education are phasing out. Inclusivity and collaboration are in, and co-teaching is becoming more of a common feature in our 21st-century classrooms. So how can educational leaders encourage creativity and cooperation? — by making it easy for groups of teachers and teams to come together to plan, create and …
No one wants to be known as being at the worst school in the worst district in the country, but that was what Staton Elementary was known for a long period of a time. Back in 2005, the school district decided to “reconstitute” it because test scores were so pitiful, less than 20% proficiency in …
“Okay, Google-play some 70’s Music”, my brother-in-law says aloud. All of a sudden Google responds, explaining how they have located a Pandora station to suit his taste. Although Google Home is an obvious form of AI (Artificial Intelligence), it is pervasion in our modern lives, from Uber to SnapChat, to those recommendations on Amazon (and …
About a month ago, I sat having wonderful discussions with PYP coordinators from all over the world in the Hague about the Enhanced PYP. Aside from curriculum, it got me thinking about other aspects of the leadership role of the Curriculum Coordinator. It’s not an easy position to be in and no 3-Day Workshop or …
My husband’s family converted from Hinduism to Christianity years ago and are active in the Pentecostal church. Whenever we go to Guyana, a visit to church and/or a “revival” ends up being just as much of a cultural experience as it is a spiritual experience. We listened to a message focused on Father’s Day, and …
