by John McCarthy | Sep 18, 2013 | Culture, strategies, Voice
Voice is a powerful tool that cannot be silenced. During the Arab Spring of 20012 this was demonstrated in the way that Twitter was used to communicate among the protesters and with the world media. And as with other social media, it continues to have an impact....
by John McCarthy | Sep 15, 2013 | Culture, PBL, Voice
“It’s important to remember that when things go wrong, keep it positive. The students are watching how you respond to the situation.” I’m paraphrasing my colleague’s comment, which was one of those statements that made me pause. It’s such an obvious concept, yet how...
by John McCarthy | Sep 3, 2013 | Global Skills, PBL
Navigating airports requires a strong skill set of Global Competencies–Communication, Collaboration, and Critical Thinking. Some airports can be intimidating. The expansiveness of an airport is less of an issue than the methods for getting to gates in different...
by John McCarthy | Aug 10, 2013 | Concepts, PBL
I noticed a tutor working with a student at a Starbucks. I’ve brought my own kids to such places for tutoring help. Nothing like a beverage to ignite academic thinking. Long division was the focus of the student. She looked to be a tween or young teen, and she...
by John McCarthy | Jul 18, 2013 | Culture, PBL
I’m at the Genius Bar of the Apple Store to get help with my laptop. As usual the customer service is top notch. I’ve had two service staff assist me, and done so in a collaborative way. Both are supporting other customers at the same time that they are...
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...
