The desire for fulfilment. The urge for a challenge. The yearning for more out of life. These are common emotions, familiar to most professionals who, at one stage or another, found themselves trapped in an unsatisfying job that failed to feed their appetite. Now imagine this feeling as a child: Day in, day out, at…
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During a recent discussion on The Dropout Epidemic: What We Can Do to Keep Students in School, Steven A. Levy raised the question of motivation. Pointing out Dan Pink’s research on the The Puzzle of Motivation, he unveiled an ideal framework on which to understand and apply these theories to education, driving students to continue…
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1. Innovative An innovative leader is not afraid to implement new ideas and take risks. Without the belief that failure is an essential component of real success, a school can never reach its full potential. 2. Confident Confidence is contagious. With the right amount of confidence leading a school, staff and students are guaranteed to…
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#1. Do Get to Know your Students First Knowing your students is the first step to differentiating your teaching. With a better understanding of your students’ strengths and weaknesses, you can ask the following questions: What do they need? How do they learn best? How can I challenge them in the right way? What would…
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“Every year, over 1.2 million students drop out of high school in the United States alone. That’s a student every 26 seconds – or 7,000 a day.” I often wonder why ‘dropping out’ of school was given it’s title. The term implies a wilful action on the part of the student, not too far removed…
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Myth #1: Technology is ‘Disruptive’ The ‘disruptive’ label is commonly associated with technology, one which has urged educators to look in the opposite direction. While the term may not hold a place in education, the tools certainly do. Technology within the classroom encourages a new approach to pedagogy, facilitating a more collaborative, engaging and creative…
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Can you remember the last grade you received? How much of an influence did it have on your life today? What does a grade tell us about ourselves? Experts on the subject claim little to nothing. Yet with an age-old system rooted in state exams and test scores, this is a hard pill to swallow….
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“Children learn at their own pace. It’s inconvenient. It’s terribly inconvenient.” Renowned educationist, Ted Sizer, made this comment, among other thought-provoking statements during his speech at the Australian National Schools Network entitled “I cannot teach a child I do not know.” Sizer goes on to express the need for teacher collaboration on a daily basis…
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The beginning of a new year is a time where most turn to resolutions as a way to change their lives for the better. For educators, it generally just means getting back into the swing of things as quickly as possible with the new school term fast approaching. What many of us overlook is the…
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A recent study on personalized learning carried out by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation identified 4 key elements that formed the most effective personalized learning practices. The study which involved 23 public charter schools, 5,000 students, and 2 years of implementation discovered extensive benefits of personalized learning including significant increases in student achievement, and…
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