In drawing parallels between the history of life and the history of societies (including our 21st century society), biologist Geerat Vermeij observed, “the most effective adaptation for dealing with unforeseen circumstances is adaptability” (2010, 81). This theme has appeared in the literature regarding teacher preparation as well. Ben Williamson (2013) used the term flexible specialist Read More
Deep learning is an alternative to the version of curriculum that supports instructionism. Among the assumptions in which deep learning are grounded are: appropriate curriculum depends on individual’s existing knowledge as well as social context schools give students experiences within which they develop and refine skills for on-going learning through reflection, learners understand themselves as Read More
As a student, I attended a high school that had four computers available for students (my classmates’ recollections confirm my memories). I was thoroughly unimpressed with the devices. I had fun playing the game in which I tried to hit my opponent’s castle with projectiles. Ostensibly, the game was played to reinforce the lessons taught Read More
ePortfolios: What? & Why? © 2014 Dr. Gary L. Ackerman Portfolios are a tool whereby learners can demonstrate their abilities. They document complex skills, knowledge, and habits for learners and other audiences. In the 21st century, there appears to me a growing schism in education based on the nature of educative experiences. The extreme focus Read More
Lev Vygotsky was a Russian psychologist who lived from 1896-1934. He was relatively unknown to educators until the 1960’s and 1970’s when his work was rediscovered and interpreted. (Many believe the difficulty with reading Vygotsky’s work arose from the little editing he did during his end-of-life brain dump during which he recorded as many of Read More
The world really has changed. The young people coming into your classroom are connected, they expect information and interaction quickly. They like video, it engages them (you may not like it, but it is true). They bully each other over digital networks (at least about 35% of the kids in middle school do). They support Read More
For 20th century purposes, de-contextualized curriculum created independent from students’ interests and experiences that has been stripped of complicating factors and designed to create products and performances for teachers alone may have been sufficient. Advocates of flat classrooms are among those who argued that more complex and sophisticated problems were appropriate for student tasks, especially Read More
The central feature of every portfolio are the artifacts which are those examples and fragments of work that illustrate the learners’ skills, knowledge, and habits. It is important to note that with some exceptions, artifacts are fragments of work. Rather than including the entire paper, one will include only the abstract or the conclusion, or Read More
Literacy is a term with strong resonance for many educators. Those who enter education with an interest in literacy recognize the importance of reading for all learners and all citizens in society. The work is perhaps the most important in the school. Educators do recognize, however, that digital literacy is a skill that is increasingly Read More
In my work with teachers as they begin teaching in virtual spaces, a common reaction from those whose first experiences were disappointing is “they just post silly stuff,” and they contend that students do not engage in academic discussions when online. When pressed to define silly stuff, they suggest using text abbreviations, deviating from the Read More