by John McCarthy | Jul 5, 2013 | curiculum, Differentiated Instruction, PBL, strategies, Writing
The Window activity was taught to me by Sally Jessup, my close friend and colleague. She had a gift for recognizing in others a capacity that they did not always see in themselves. The Window activity, as she designed it, is a powerful tool for inspiring writing in...
by John McCarthy | Jun 21, 2013 | Differentiated Instruction, PBL, Voice, Writing
Student voice in learning is a reoccurring topic for me. At every workshop I do, voice becomes an integrated action item that teachers grapple with. This was the case during my sessions at the PBL World Conference in Napa, CA. Fostering student voice is a critical key...
by John McCarthy | Jun 19, 2013 | Pedagogy, Voice
PBL World 2013 is meeting the highest expectations as conference that redefines thinking about learning. Today’s keynote, Sam Seidel, talked about how the business of education can be re-invented, and he showed how it’s being done. Sam Seidel, author of...
by John McCarthy | Jun 11, 2013 | Concepts, Differentiated Instruction, PBL
On June 20th, I’ll be presenting at PBL World on Differentiated Instruction (DI). As I immerse myself into that process, I thought this would be a good time to make several posts in the theme of DI. What follows is a way to kick things off… Project Based...
by John McCarthy | Jun 3, 2013 | curiculum, Differentiated Instruction, PBL
I love watching the show, “So you think you can dance.” A show about “amateur” (emphasis on the air quotes) dancers who perform on a televised stage in the hopes of either winning or staying in the competition long enough to get noticed. When...
by John McCarthy | May 27, 2013 | curiculum, PBL
Bivouac Of The Dead by Theodore O’Hara THE MUFFLED drum’s sad roll has beat The soldier’s last tattoo; No more on Life’s parade shall meet That brave and fallen few. On Fame’s eternal camping-ground Their silent tents are spread, And...
by John McCarthy | May 19, 2013 | PBL, Voice
A big open secret about Project Based Learning (PBL) is that it’s a great structure for designing units of study. But many educators struggle with this understanding. It’s no wonder when you think about the concept of project carries so much historical...
by John McCarthy | May 13, 2013 | Differentiated Instruction
“Defense wins games; rebounds wins championships.” As a sports fan and a former basketball coach I’ve seen this to be a truism. Take the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s. Michael Jordan was the leader who could will a victory from games that should have been lost. While an...
by John McCarthy | May 7, 2013 | PBL
In the adult world projects are a way of living life. It’s amazing to me how much I do that is project-based both professionally and personally. Opening and maintaining a consulting business is a major project. There is much to do and things that I learn along...
by John McCarthy | Apr 23, 2013 | Concepts, Culture
Hello and welcome. This is a space for dialog about exploring ways to help learners be successful. Whenever there’s a social gathering of educators the conversation finds it way to how education would be so much more effective if we, insert sub group of...