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Importance of Play
“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” It is not clear if Plato was applying these words to education but they are, nevertheless, apropos to our contemporary work in schools. With the focus on grades, curriculum coverage, and standardized testing in schools, there is…
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Professional Learning Community
EAB’s mission statement ends with the phrase, “we cultivate … a strong foundation of academic excellence,“ which serves as a mantra to guide all programmatic decisions, pedagogical approaches, and professional development strategies. Arguably, the professional development component has the strongest correlation with academic excellence and student achievement. To that end, EAB has made a commitment…
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Kindness
During my morning arrival to campus earlier this week, I noticed the presence of a woman standing in front of the school carefully scrutinizing everyone entering EAB. Since I did not recognize the woman and with an obvious concern for security, I approached her and inquired about her presence at the school’s entrance. The woman’s…
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Opportunities and Challenges
It is not hyperbole to state that educational systems and pedagogical approaches are in the throes of a revolution. While most of us accept the premise that we are in the midst of a historical transformation in education, the challenge is to make sense of these changes while also seeking to find our own footing…
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Learning Mathematics
Erma Anderson’s professional development work with our faculty this week left me with three reflections about the learning of mathematics and the Common Core. Number Sense Let us start with a quick math quiz. Quickly answer the following question relying only on your sense of numbers (i.e. do not calculate the exact value): If you…
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The Learning Process
Last week, I was invited by a group of EAB students to participate in a formal debate over whether or not cell phones should be allowed in classrooms. While listening to the students’ arguments for and against the proposition, I reflected, as I often do, on the process of learning and what constitutes effective instruction.…