by John McCarthy | Jan 28, 2014 | Concepts, Driving_Question, PBL, strategies
There are coffee tables across the world that–if they could talk–could tell stories about conversations among professionals. One possible scenario are the tables that shared the conversations of such influential thinkers as Lynn Erickson, Grant Wiggins,...
by John McCarthy | Jan 15, 2014 | Assessments, Differentiated Instruction, Formative Assessments, Global Skills, PBL, strategies
Students need opportunities to practice Global Competencies like Collaboration, Communication, Creativity, Innovation, and Influencing across networks. This is why working in teams gives them the opportunities to practice these skills and to get coaching by the...
by John McCarthy | Nov 25, 2013 | Concepts, curiculum, Driving_Question, PBL, strategies
Driving Questions Basics Have you ever attended a meeting where the outcome was unclear? You knew or hoped that by the end of the meeting some result would be achieved that would validate the time spent being there. This reminds me of the movie, Karate Kid, the 1980s...
by John McCarthy | Oct 21, 2013 | Culture, strategies
In my first installment about Homework, I referenced Karl Taro Greenfeld in “My Daughter’s Homework is Killing Me” regarding his 7 day experience doing the same homework as his daughter received at school. His article strongly showed how homework can turn a student’s...
by John McCarthy | Oct 15, 2013 | Culture, strategies
The Homework Balance In the October issue of Atlantic Monthly, Karl Taro Greenfeld in “My Daughter’s Homework is Killing Me” wrote about an experiment he did. For one week he experienced the homework load that his daughter brought from her middle school. Each day, for...
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....