In a world with advancing AI, personalized chatbots, and ready made content at student's fingerprints, how do we engage them in work that they find personally meaningful? This short episode helps unpack the conditions necessary to engage students in this kind of work, irregardless of age or school subject. From podcasts, to state of the art green spaces, discover how to have students create professional, beautiful work. Shift #5/6: From worksheets - - - - > High-Quality, Real World Work Take the 12 Shifts for Student-Centered Environments Scorecard: www.transformschool.com/12shiftsscorecard ..read more

What happens when we allow learning to move outside the siloes of our classrooms?  In this episode, through a real case study, we learn how to design empowering, trans-disciplinary experiences with teachers across mutiple subjects. And all it takes is a few shifts in how we approach learning design.  Take the 12 Shifts Scorecard: https://transformschool.com/12shiftsscorecard/  Pre-Order the 12 Shifts Book: https://transformschool.com/whereistheteacher/  Attend the Launch Party to Connect to Global Practitioners: https://transformschool.com/booklaunch/  ..read more

What happens when we lead learning with big questions, rather than mandated curriculum content?  Four year 7 teachers across 3 different subjects wanted to find out.  Over a seven week unit, they devised activities, lessons, and hands-on learning that helped students dive deeper into big questions around developing future societies.  As a result...agency, empowerment and engagement went through the roof! Learn more about the story of how they organized the learning and how you too can shift from content-led experiences, to inquiry-based experiences in the 2024-2025 school year ..read more

Fifth grade teacher Linda Amici's most 'dreaded standards' became her favorite after making one simple shift.... She turned them over to her students.  With this new agency, students worked harder than they ever had before.   Learn about Linda's story of co-design, and simple strategies for co-designing learning experiences with your own learners in the 2024-2025 school year.   Take the 12 Shifts Scorecard: https://transformschool.com/12shiftsscorecard/  Pre-Order the 12 Shifts Book: https://transformschool.com/whereistheteacher/  Attend the Launch Party to C ..read more

How do you design learning in your classroom/school?  Imagine inviting student input on everything from the way the timetable is organized, to the design of learning experiences, even to how they are assessed and evaluated.  That's the kind of voice and choice The Green School Bali provides its learners. And their learners are empowered as a result.  In this illuminating podcast episode, Head of the Upper School/Learning Dialogist/Writer/Podcaster Dr. Benjamin Freud and I unpack: Practical methods for inviting student voice/choice into the design of learning How to include ..read more

What is deep learning?  Is it students engrossed in semester long units or learning experiences? Inquiring, probing, investigating, and making meaning of their learning.  Perhaps. But most of us don't have that kind of time, or freedom with our curriculum. What if deeper learning didn’t mean re-organizing everything we had, but simply making a few tweaks to what's already there.. Gathering students around a kitchen table we brought in for more balanced discussion Extending time of activities by a few minutes to allow for reflection Letting students rearrange the classroom to align t ..read more

Imagine a school where you take your shoes off every time you enter the classroom. You shared the space with local bugs, insects, bees, and biodiversity surrounding you. You rode a bus to school powered by used vegetable oil. The curriculum was built around the natural world surrounding you. You got to take up action projects to save the planet, whether protecting local reefs, or buidling roads out of hardened volcanic ash.  These are daily experiences for students at the Green School Bali. And Science, Math and Regeneration Middle School Learning Experience Designer (Teacher) Kenny Peavy ..read more

How do we EMPOWER our SEN learners?  What if by accomodating for their unique needs, we were able to create a more student-centered environment for ALL learners?  Provided alternative methods of assessment. Allowed for hands-on projects. Built learning around common themes. Emphasized life skills as much as academic ones.  That's exactly what Co-Founders Ali Durban and Tamaryn Yatu have assembled at Gesher School; a through way school for children from ages 4-16 with mild to moderate needs. In this episode, we learn as student-centered practitioners: How to design and build mor ..read more

How do we cultivate and unleash student creativity in our classrooms? Right now it's happening on the peripheries. In makerspaces, STEM projects, electives, and arts/music/drama classes. But how do we make creativity a core part of day to day learning? Building opportunities for students to tinker, build, create, and problem solve on a daily basis in ALL classrooms? In this short episode, Adam Hill, STEM consultant and creativity guru teaches us how to achieve this through a few simple shifts in mindset and learning design.  We learn: How to transform existing units to be more hands-on H ..read more

How do we EMPOWER adolescent learners?  Anyone who works with this age group, knows that they have a unique set of needs. Adolescent learners have unique needs for increased social connections, purpose, autonomy, ownership, and real-world purpose and pursuits beyond the walls of the classroom.  As student-centered adolescent educators, how do we design experiences and environments that allow for these? In this short podcast interview, expert adolescent educator and Montessori guide Julien Lamorte teaches us how to:  Build adolescent learning experiences around 4 key 'bricks' or ..read more