Musings on learning, teaching, and keeping school
Today, on the day of Gann Academy's Open House, I'm thinking back to my opening-of-school remarks at the start of September. I believe they speak authentically to our community culture and our aspirations. I'm proud to share them. "I’m flipping the sequence today – I’m going to do something that I am not supposed to... Continue Reading →
Gann students are at it again. THIS IS THE WORK. Throughout the year, we researched and analyzed historical artifacts and subjectareas related to disability history. We learned about institutionalization and the reasons behind person-first language. We investigated the origins of polio leg braces, learned about advances in hearing aids and the invention of blind baseball.... Continue Reading →
In a survey released last month of people ages 14 to 23—the so-called Generation Z group—YouTube ranked the highest as a preferred learning tool. Fifty-nine percent picked YouTube as a learning preference, 57 percent chose in-person group activities, 47 percent picked learning apps or games, and 47 percent chose printed books. The study—conducted by a... Continue Reading →
[Augmented Reality] mode is what makes Pokémon Go different from other PC games: Instead of taking us out of the real world and drawing us into the artificial virtual space, it combines the two; we look at reality and interact with it through the fantasy frame of the digital screen, and this intermediary frame supplements... Continue Reading →
As educators, do we demonstrate to our students that we value our local institutions? The chain of house explosions and fires that rocked Lawrence, North Andover, and Andover in Massachusetts late Thursday afternoon were tragic and frightening in part because they were so abrupt, so unexpected, so random, and so devastating for those affected. That... Continue Reading →
NPR Reporter: “This is like a legit museum, you guys!” Gann Student: “I know!” Here and Now Two years ago, on a beautiful early August day, my husband and I took a lovely walk in the woods. We came upon a neglected cemetery, with little more than a stone wall and a wooden sign to... Continue Reading →
Dear Colleagues, The field of social psychology is a fascinating one. Many thoughtful psychological studies over the past few decades have demonstrated how easily our thoughts and actions can defy our own self-conception as neutral, rational, bias-free individuals. Researchers have discovered these “mind-tricks” through innovative psychological experiments in human behavior. In my view, these studies... Continue Reading →
Hat tip: Parker Palmer
Dear Colleagues, It’s been a powerful stretch of storytelling. In the past three weeks, we remembered the Holocaust through the stories of survivors. Via “Natural Shocks” we heard the story of a woman threatened by physical violence. We listened as students shared their celebratory and challenging experiences with Jewish identity and practice. I am proud... Continue Reading →
Dear Colleagues, Briefly -- given what I wrote in January on the PBL opportunity on housing in the Greater Boston area, I think it’s appropriate to share a recent article as a follow-up. In his piece “Is Housing Inequality the Main Driver of Economic Inequality?”, Richard Florida points to recent research by Matthew Rognlie that... Continue Reading →
21st Century School Journey 