Twelve years ago Will Richardson published Why School?, a short but incredibly impactful ebook that has strongly influenced my own thinking about learning, teaching, and schooling. Published by the folks who run the TED conferences, it contained gems like: What doesn’t work any longer is our education system’s stubborn focus on delivering a curriculum that’s growing increasingly irrelevant to today’s kids, the outmoded standardized assessments we use in an attempt to measure our success, and the command-and-control thinking that is wielded over the entire process. All of that must be rethoug ..read more

The fourth grade teacher who had students make these turkeys for art class said: We know which ones didn’t follow the directions because of how their turkeys turned out. 4th grade art. ART. Control and compliance instead of celebration and creativity. [sigh ..read more

Books I finished reading (or rereading) in October 2024… Human 2.0, Patrick Kane & Samuel Rodriguez (biomedical engineering) The Ghosts of Trappist, K. B. Wagers (science fiction) Impossible Creatures, Katherine Rundell (fantasy) The McMurdo Rift, Bradley Lejeune (science fiction) Into the Stars, James Rosone (science fiction) Into the Battle, James Rosone (science fiction) Hope you’re ..read more

As we work to transform schools, I’m surprised at how often I hear some variation of the following from parents, school board or community members, and maybe even educators: I have to do whatever my boss says. I don’t have much voice and choice in what I do. Kids need to learn how to follow directions ..read more

Books I finished reading (or rereading) in September 2024… A Plague of Giants, Kevin Hearne (fantasy) Inheritance, Lou Iovino (science fiction) Fourth Wing, Rebecca Yarros (fantasy) Babel-17, Samuel Delany (science fiction) The Case of the Screaming Beauty, Alison Golden and Grace Dagnall (mystery) Ironborn, Andrew Cavanagh (fantasy) Winter’s Fury, A. E. Rayne (fantasy) Hope you’re ..read more

Books I finished reading (or rereading) in August 2024… Learning to Leave, Elliot Washor & Scott Boldt (education) Descent, Marko Kloos (science fiction) The Brass Verdict, Michael Connelly (thriller) The Pillars of the Earth, Ken Follett (historical fiction) The Magicians, Lev Grossman (fantasy) Bridge to Terabithia, Katherine Paterson (young adult) The Bones at Point No ..read more

Books I finished reading (or rereading) in July 2024… The Shift to Student-Led, Catlin Tucker & Katie Novak (education) Dare to Lead, Brené Brown (leadership) The Ghost Orchid, Jonathan Kellerman (thriller) Red Country, Joe Abercrombie (fantasy) A Pale Light in the Black, K. B. Wagers (science fiction) Hold Fast Through the Fire, K. B. Wagers ..read more

The folks who put on the annual Deeper Learning conference in San Diego, California have started sponsoring regional and global events under the umbrella label of DL Global. The main event each year is amazing, and the DL Global events also are incredible and well worth attending. For instance, the RemixED Conference in St. Paul, Minnesota was such a hit that it will be returning this October 16 through 18, with Dr. Gholdy Muhammad as the primary keynote. Deeper Learning LATAM (Latin America) happened last month in Medellín, Colombia. Deeper Learning China will be occurring on November 29 thro ..read more

Books I finished reading (or rereading) in June 2024… The Wisdom of Crowds, Joe Abercrombie (fantasy) Best Served Cold, Joe Abercrombie (fantasy) The Heroes, Joe Abercrombie (fantasy) The Hidden Queen, Alma Alexander (fantasy) Changer of Days, Alma Alexander (fantasy) Silver Enigma, Rock Whitehouse (science fiction)  Hope you’re reading something fun too! Related Posts July 1 fantasy baseball update Featured interview in K-12 EdTech Magazine Real problems versus test problems BREAKING NEWS: Students are still bored Extinguishing students’ curiosity in learning ..read more

For those of you who love baseball like I do, happy Bobby Bonilla Day! We have eight weeks left in my two fantasy baseball leagues. Amazingly, the records for both of my teams are exactly the same. Unfortunately, both teams – and the job I’m doing as a manager this year, apparently – are decidedly mediocre. Ugh. BlogBall Rounding for Home I am the defending champion in Rounding for Home. This is ugly… We occasionally need new managers. If that’s ever of interest to you and you’re an educator, drop me a note! Related Posts Hot for Teacher (LIVE and podcast!) Toyota v. Ford (and education re ..read more