Think back to when you were a student in school. Like most of us, you regularly received a grade on a test, homework assignment, participation, report card, you name it! Can you recall how it made you feel and if it helped or hindered your learning? A major challenge for many schools and a well researched obstacle to learning is grading. A number of years ago we at the International School of Prague, took on the challenge of changing ourRead more
Posts filed in: School change
Stretch Day @ the International School of Prague
One way we encourage deeper, experiential and authentic learning at ISP is through Stretch Days, where students have the opportunity focus on a particular area of learning unencumbered by the traditional bell schedule. By eliminating the usual rotation of classes, where students move from one subject to the next, stretch days allow for longer periods of flexible time for teachers to organize learning experiences which support students to go deeper and learn by doing, without the usual interruptions. As IRead more
A Surprising Tranquility – My Day at PreKindergarten
One of the best ways for adults to really understand how a student experiences life and learning in school is by spending a full day shadowing a student. A few weeks ago, I posted a blog about my experience of shadowing grade 4 student, Maria: A day in the life – Shadow a Student Challenge. This year many of our leaders at ISP are shadowing students, including Tony McLaughlin, ISP Communications Manager. He tells his story called “A Surprising Tranquility” below: This week I took on the InternationalRead more
The most important message. Dr. Jane Goodall at the International School of Prague
The most important message, is every single one of us makes a difference every single day.Read more
You can’t teach people everything they need to know.
As the school year begins, it is fitting and timely to call attention to an educational visionary and provocative thinker who recently passed away. For over a half century Seymour Papert led the call for schools to empower students to have greater control over their learning. Seymour Aubrey Papert (February 29, 1928 – July 31, 2016) was a South African-born American mathematician, computer scientist, and educator, who spent most of his career teaching and researching at MIT.[1] He was one of the pioneers of artificialRead more
The Nature of Nurture
I was recently invited to write an article for the RSA Journal on the topic of school change, innovation and creativity. The resulting article, The Nature of Nurture (RSA Journal, Issue 1, 2016) talks about the importance of bringing all stakeholders; teachers, students, parents and the broader community, into the school change process as well as present some of the concrete steps ISP is taking to move the school closer to its mission of Inspiring, Engaging and Empowering Learners for Life. “A key step towards meaningful schoolRead more
Guiding Light Lost – Grant Wiggins
I was saddened to learn that a great leading light in the world of progressive education had passed away, Grant Wiggins. Although I had the opportunity to meet Grant on a few occasions, I did not know him well. Nonetheless, his work had a profound impact on me and my work and the work of thousands of educators from around the world. Grant was an educational leader who was willing to “tell it like it is.” Among many other important contributions,Read more
Future ready?
Welcome to the twenty first century, where we are inundated with phrases like, “the world is rapidly changing” or “the world is flat.” We’ve heard the clarion call about the world today and tomorrow and we know it’s true. In the blink of an eye, thousands of new strands of information and knowledge, compelling or useless, ground-breaking or trivial, endlessly stream across the globe and our devices. Great leaps in medicine, technology, robotics, new discoveries, new ways of communicating, as well as impending crisis from global warming to unbridled barbaricRead more
To boldly go…
The great Leonard Nimoy, known to most as the logical Vulcan, Mr. Spock, sadly passed away recently at the age of 83. The Star Trek franchise and in particular the Mr. Spock character sparked the imagination of millions of children (and adults) from around the world. Mixing fantasy, science and kitsch, Star Trek portrayed a world of the future with strange beings, talking computers, tricorders, transporters and phasers. These days, many of the futuristic ideas unveiled in Star Trek seem less and less likeRead more
I do and I understand
Lau Tzu, the ancient Chinese philosopher is to have said: “I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand.” The concept of experiential learning or learning by doing was the theme of ISP’s (International School of Prague) ongoing parent workshop, the Edge in Education. The Edge is a forum in which ISP educators and parents come together to discuss the latest trends in educational research and practice and how this positively impacts learning in ourRead more
