21st Century Learning and Teaching

When we first began our blogging journey with eight year olds, two years ago, a HUGE amount of groundwork was laid prior to our very first post. Looking back, those first building blocks seems SO insurmountable … but … we’ve done it, and I wouldn’t change a thing about it! Learning WITH the world has proven to be a POWERFUL way to personalize and DEEPEN our curiosities.

Prior to beginning this “new” way of learning, we spent a great deal of time exploring other class blogs to see all the “possibilities” and to get a sense of our hopes for our new blog. You see, this was a pilot project – the very first classroom blog in our system. We knew that, if it was going to be a success, we needed to be VERY clear about what success would LOOK like!

As I write this post, I see this process much like the steps needed to build a strong, durable, long-lasting structure. There is the “planning stage” … drafting the vision out; it is an extensive AND intensive process that is necessary to ensure a successful project. Next, there’s the building stage … from the ground up.

It is the goal of the Lexington Institute to inform, educate, and shape the public debate of national priorities in those areas that are of surpassing importance to the future success of democracy, such as national security, education reform, tax...

Manor overview article - STW 1203

The Match Teacher Residency is one of a small number of programs that train aspiring teachers for the classroom through practice.

Teacher Development Research Table of Contents:

- Introduction
- Keys to Educator Success
- Evidence-Based Practices and Programs
- Avoiding Pitfalls
- Annotated Bibliography


Every teacher can probably describe a boring or downright ineffective professional-development experience they’ve had. There are many challenges when trying to design a successful and engaging PD program for ongoing teacher education. Whether you’re an administrator looking for useful tips or an educator who wants to hone your own skills, the research-based hints below will help you avoid some of the most common problems and mistakes in PD programs.

Since I have very strong convictions about what constitutes a "good" education, I am often asked how I got to this place of thinking.  I begin my story by relating to my summer camp experiences as ...

List of some of the best practices by teachers for the Flipped Classroom.

When you hear professional development described as "one size fits all", what do you imagine? Heads resting on hands? Glazed eyes? Sidebar conversations running rampant? I can relate-- I have sat i...

===> Instead, when I consider one size fits all, I imagine a baseball cap with the elastic head band. <===

We have heard plenty from teachers. We have heard plenty from educational "gurus" and theorists what students should/shouldn't be learning and how we should/shouldn't be teaching. 

===> “This book offers a unique insight into what students and teachers need to know in the 21st century classroom,” says Michaelsen. “I’m extremely proud of what my English learners have accomplished and shared in this remarkable example of project learning.” <===

We have just wrapped up our Integrated Marketing Communications class yesterday, when the final report on the real world learning project was due. Overall, both the client and me were very impressed with the communications plans that were presented by students.

And what I hear from my feedback channels, students also very much enjoyed the learning experience.

Good teaching in the 21st century is not so different from good teaching in the late 18th century. Well, at least its not that different when you consider Wilhelm von Humboldt’s “Educational Ideal”.

Sharing our inquiries - March 23-30

Teacher Development Research Table of Contents:

- Introduction
- Keys to Educator Success
- Evidence-Based Practices and Programs
- Avoiding Pitfalls
- Annotated Bibliography


The following programs have received support by independent evaluators or peer-reviewed publications, using independent outcome measures, and have developed to scale nationally.

As professional-development research is in an early developmental stage (Borko, 2004), not many programs have strong empirical support. Please leave a comment to share professional-development programs that have strong evidence of success.

Learn more:

- http://www.scoop.it/t/21st-century-learning-and-teaching/?tag=Evidence-Based+Practices+and+Programs

Teacher Development Research Table of Contents:

- Introduction
- Keys to Educator Success
- Evidence-Based Practices and Programs
- Avoiding Pitfalls
- Annotated Bibliography


Research has shown that teaching quality is the strongest school-related factor that can improve student learning and achievement. In order to cultivate high-quality teaching, support for ongoing professional learning in schools is essential.

Edutopia's teacher development and leadership research review takes a look at the state of research on this topic and helps make sense of the findings. In this series of five articles, learn how effective leadership supports professional learning, discover key components for productive professional-development programs and professional learning communities, get our recommendations for evidence-based programs and practices, find tips for avoiding pitfalls, and dig in to a comprehensive annotated bibliography with links to all the studies and reports cited in these pages.