“According to UNESCO, the number of people gaining formal educational qualifications in the next 30 years will exceed the gross total since the beginning of history. As a result the market value of degrees is tumbling. Something more is needed to edge ahead of the crowd” (Robinson, 2001-2011). For years now, the U.S. education system… Read More

  I had the opportunity to travel to Japan last year to speak to groups of Japanese educators about changes in education targeted at better meeting the needs of students in the 21st century.  The perspective I was asked to share, specifically, was how my school was implementing a multi-disciplinary, project-based learning model, and why… Read More

I have very vivid memories of the year I made the move from teacher to school administrator. It was a big, life-changing step.  Every BIG change we make in life has its adjustment period, but when you are in a profession that is rooted in something greater than chasing a dollar, I think this is especially… Read More

The USS Midway slowly came into view around the bend in the creek behind my best friend’s orchard.  After weeks of construction amidst the methyl-acetone dizziness, we had carefully assembled the “Revell” plastic model of one of the last WWII class aircraft carriers, and we were now watching it undertake its maiden voyage.  Secreted within… Read More

  I thought I would begin this post by sharing a few of my favorite riddles.  I hope you enjoy: Only me Today and Tomorrow Your Name A coffin The question in number 1, is, “On my way to St. Ives I saw a man with 7 wives. Each wife had 7 sacks. Each sack… Read More

Blockbuster, MySpace, Borders Books, Blackberry, Kodak.  These are just a few, high profile names of companies whose failure to innovate and adapt to changing times or anticipate the future resulted in their demise.  In the case of each of these companies, there was a critical time when they could have embraced the innovations disrupting the… Read More

Great little article with specific ideas for assessing student learning through student-directed projects   

A week ago, my wife did something I don’t think either of us thought she would ever do; she went scuba diving.  As the designated risk taker in the family, I tend to give just about anything a go – skydiving, rock climbing, dodgy food stalls in the alleys of Bangkok, but my wife has,… Read More

In 1983 the U.S. National Commission on Excellence in Education published a report titled A Nation at Risk sounding an alarm that U.S. education was falling behind compared to international systems and our children were at risk of losing out to competitors throughout the world.  Thirty-five years and numerous education reform movements later, many still… Read More

We live in a world of techno-media inundation.  There is no turning back the clock on this one, and to be honest, there are significant advantages and improvements to life that have been made possible by the break-neck pace of technological advances we are currently experiencing.  As an educator, there are so many tools available to help… Read More