A Better Path to Learning

Category: Learnings

  • Positive Deviance and Learning

    —

    by

    svb802
    in

    Learning is hard work. Most of the time it involves struggle. Too often it leads to failure. Back in 2000, when I was a young principal opening a brand new high school, I came across an article titled “Positive Deviant.” Fast Company printed it inside their monthly magazine (there wasn’t such a thing as online…

  • Higher Ed Learnings

    —

    by

    svb802
    in

    “’We all technically, legally own the place,’ Will Xu told me last year. We were sitting at a picnic table on the campus of Deep Springs College, a tiny, experimental school in the California desert where he is a student. The White and Inyo Mountains were ringed around us.” Deep Springs College offers a different…

  • My Wife Struck Again

    —

    by

    svb802
    in

    My wife left a New York Times article on my bedside table recently. The title, “You Can’t Game Your Way to a Real Education” caught my attention. Molly Worthen, a University of North Carolina history professor, is the author. If you’ve read ABPTL for a while, you’ll know that my wife and I have a…

  • AI, Part 2

    —

    by

    svb802
    in

    Part 2 this week on AI: America is embroiled in a love-hate relationship with artificial intelligence. As The Atlantic plainly stated in a May 13th article: “America is both the world’s foremost developer of AI and its chief hater.” The article continues: “….The AI industry has spent recent years warning of a jobless future. So…

  • AI, Part 1

    —

    by

    svb802
    in

    It’s mid-week before the Memorial Day holiday. Let’s use this time to discuss two very different tales involving artificial intelligence. Today we discuss AI and how it will continue to change how we view testing and cheating. Tomorrow we’ll talk about how AI is impacting our current and future job market. We’ve talked about how…

  • Learning in the Dirt and Other Spanish Impressions

    —

    by

    svb802
    in

    I’m back after three weeks in Spain. While on the islands of Tenerife and Gran Canarias, I captured two stories that demonstrate the essence of what it means to embrace an “anytime/anywhere” learning focus. I like to take urban hikes while on vacation, with rest stops at places where I can “people watch.” One of…

  • A Little About A Lot

    —

    by

    svb802
    in

    Here’s a little about a lot – According to a news post in last week’s EdWeek, celebrities like Hugh Grant, Oprah Winfrey, and Texas Senator Ted Cruz have all come out against educational technology in schools. In addition, “More than half of educators who work for public school district – 61% – say that most…

  • A Dismal Picture

    —

    by

    svb802
    in

    ABPTL is back for a few days after being off last week. Earlier this year EducationWeek released data from the 50 states, asking teachers, beyond salary, what would improve their working conditions inside the classroom. According to EdWeek, “Salary is one major factor long linked to teacher morale. In an effort to look more holistically…

  • The Can’t and Won’t Problem

    —

    by

    svb802
    in

    “School Districts Can’t Stand Still: 2 Strategies Can Help Them Survive and Thrive.” This is the title of an article Robin Lake, executive director of the Center on Reinventing Public Education, and Travia Pillow, spokesperson for the Texas Education Freedom Accounts program at the Texas Comptroller’s Office, wrote last week for The 74. Here are…

  • The Problem with Governors

    —

    by

    svb802
    in

    Rob Sand is running for Iowa governor, after being the only Democrat holding statewide office since 2022. Sand currently holds the position of state auditor. I’ll probably vote for Mr. Sand, but his ideas on how to improve learning for the children of Iowa could benefit from some informed advice. This past Saturday, Sand addressed…