Authentic learning

To Quit or Not To Quit: That is the Question

Posted by robinclane ⋅ February 24, 2014 ⋅ 3 Comments

In recent news, there has been a barrage of videos, letters, and articles from educators around the country – explaining in no uncertain terms why they are walking away from the teaching profession. Excessive testing, an administration that isn’t supportive, difficulties with classroom management, a lack of autonomy – the reasons continue and continue. These teachers have gotten much attention for their … Continue reading →

Teach for America: A Terrific Model for Expansion!

Posted by robinclane ⋅ April 14, 2013 ⋅ 4 Comments

Since Teach for America has been so successful at solving the problems of education in our country, I’m proposing we take their model and apply it to other failing systems and issues at hand. If the biggest problem in education is a lack of quality teachers, and we can provide those teachers and thus solve … Continue reading →

I’m Angry

Posted by robinclane ⋅ April 8, 2013 ⋅ 10 Comments

It’s Monday, and I’m angry. I’m angry because, after a weekend of careful planning, after differentiating an assignment for students who have mastered skills at different levels, after catching up on all of my grading, after getting my lesson plans in on time with the TEKS and the Reading Comprehension standards and the ELPS, I … Continue reading →

Teachers as Activists Part One: Little “p” politics

Posted by robinclane ⋅ January 29, 2013 ⋅ 3 Comments

Recently, I attend a meeting of the Austin Social Justice Teachers Inquiry Group, during which we talked about… politics. A scary word in a school. Big “P” Politics referred to ways teachers can be involved politically beyond the walls of their classroom; little “p” politics meant bringing current events and social justice into lessons and … Continue reading →

Playing with Math

Posted by Paula White ⋅ March 12, 2012 ⋅ 3 Comments

This post was first posted on my personal blog as Visualizing Math. Thanks to David Wees (who has retweeted it) and David Loitz for the push to put it here as well. I love math. Am I an expert at it? No. Do I make mistakes as I teach it? Probably–but I work hard not … Continue reading →

Self-Organized Learning in the Standardized Classroom: Possible?!

Posted by Jason Lacoste ⋅ February 28, 2012 ⋅ 7 Comments

Work within the system for slow systemic change, or from without for idealistic radical change? This is one of the most exhausting choices facing modern alternative educators. I want to take a crack at how we might approach educational transformation from within a typical public charter school with all its focus on core curriculum and … Continue reading →

Is society incompatible with imagination?

Posted by kima ⋅ December 29, 2011 ⋅ 6 Comments

It’s been a while since I last blogged here — part of the reason is that I didn’t feel I can contribute as much in the efforts to change education as the rest of my Coop friends, but part was my feeling I need to focus on my family and my own health after the … Continue reading →

What if…

Posted by Paula White ⋅ December 21, 2011 ⋅ Leave a comment

every classroom you knew gave these Gifts of Opportunity? Do YOU give them regularly? While this blog post was written for business, it is SO True for education! What opportunities would you add? *thanks to @kariweston for the link on Twitter.

Let’s play: “Stand on the Line”

Posted by Brent Snavely ⋅ November 23, 2011 ⋅ 8 Comments

While progressing through my MA studies, I met with a young woman (I do not denigrate her youth, for she is only one decade younger than I am, but her outlook and attitude certainly were “youthful”) whose open expression of her life experiences affected me quite deeply. She was born and raised in Utah; her … Continue reading →

Cooperative Catalyst Presents: Kirsten Olson

Posted by daretheschool ⋅ November 8, 2011 ⋅ 2 Comments

Kirsten Olson is a leading writer in the U.S. describing education from a student’s point of view. Her recent book Wounded By School: Recapturing the Joy in Learning and Standing Up To Old School Culture(2009) was one of the ten bestselling books at Teachers College Press this past year, and was nominated for Book of the Year … Continue reading →

Cooperative Catalyst Presents: Dream School Commons

Posted by daretheschool ⋅ November 7, 2011 ⋅ 3 Comments

Jaime R. Wood is founder of Dream School Commons, a nonprofit organization with the mission of starting innovative low-cost or no-cost schools that serve populations in need. She is also the author of Living Voices: Multicultural Poetry in the Middle School Classroom (NCTE 2006). She started her teaching career working with middle school students in an alternative charter school … Continue reading →

What Season Is It?

Posted by Adam Burk ⋅ September 14, 2011 ⋅ 6 Comments

It’s almost fall and we all know this. But how? Particularly how will our students know? Will it be the paper leaves that comes out of boxes and get taped to our cinder block walls? Or will it be because they are having the bounty of fresh foods available from a school garden or local … Continue reading →

Open Education: learning is at our fingertips

Posted by daretheschool ⋅ August 23, 2011 ⋅ 15 Comments

Over the past decade, there has been a steady rise in Open Courseware programs. Open Courseware is the concept of college courses being offered to the general public free of charge via the internet. The pioneer of the Open Courseware movement was MIT, who began this initiative in 2002. Soon, reputable universities such as Yale, … Continue reading →

Free Schools Revisited: Revolution vs. Transformation

Posted by daretheschool ⋅ August 18, 2011 ⋅ 6 Comments

“The public school exists to turn out manageable workers, obedient consumers, manipulable voters, and if need be willing killers” -Jonathan Kozol author of Free Schools The most notable and recent movement for alternative education occurred in 1960’s to the early 1970’s, and was known as the “free school” movement. The free school movement was an … Continue reading →

Bullshit freedom or freedom bullshit?

Posted by kima ⋅ June 25, 2011 ⋅ 8 Comments

Imagine this scene: — You walk into a bank with your 7 year old daughter (or son) and ask to see an account manager as you would like to open an account in her name, so she can start saving money and use her own debit card when she chooses to buy something with her … Continue reading →

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