WHAT WORKS IN EDUCATION The George Lucas Educational Foundation

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We share evidence-based K-12 learning strategies that empower you to improve education.

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Social and Emotional Techniques That Help Students Focus on Academic Progress at Mount Desert Elementary

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John Seely Brown on Motivating Learners (Big Thinkers Series)

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A Parent's Guide to 21st-Century Learning

Blogs on Online Learning

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The Educator's Village: Creative Commons for Classroom Lessons

Andrew MarcinekMay 22, 2012

Tags Lesson Plans, Online Learning, Open Education Resources, , Teacher Development, Technology Integration, All Grades

In March, Burlington High School hosted the New England 1:1 summit. This event brought together over 350 teachers, superintendents, IT administrators and some parents. One of the highlights of the day was our student panel. The panel was comprised of eight Burlington High School students, ranging from freshmen to seniors, who led an interactive session with the audience. Our students did a great job answering questions, but I was particularly moved by response from one student. The questioner asked, "How do you refrain from the obvious distractions that the iPad presents while in class?" The student took the mic and answered, "Distractions are nothing new in the classroom, however, why don't teachers take the tools that distract us and turn them into learning tools?"

Searching for Voice: The Colossal Failure of Free Writing Analyzers

Todd FinleyApril 23, 2012

Tags Integrated Studies, Lesson Plans, Literacy, Online Learning, Project-Based Learning, , Middle (6-8), High (9-12), English Language Arts

"We want to find a person behind the pen." -- Professional Writing Retreat Handbook

Last weekend I attempted to draft an inspirational message for my English education majors. Maybe because I haven't yet mastered a grownup man voice -- I'm 48 -- or because of the paragraph's naked sentimentality, the passage sounded fake and bloated, like words pushed through a megaphone: too much volume, not enough texture, and a void where there should have been confidence. To find out more about what was missing, I turned to science.

Five Best Practices for the Flipped Classroom

Andrew MillerFebruary 24, 2012

Tags Blended Learning, Flipped Classroom, Online Learning, Technology Integration, Middle (6-8), High (9-12)

Ok, I'll be honest. I get very nervous when I hear education reformists and politicians tout how "incredible" the flipped classroom model, or how it will "solve" many of the problems of education. It doesn't solve anything. It is a great first step in reframing the role of the teacher in the classroom.

Teaching with Google+

Terry HeickFebruary 9, 2012

Tags Classroom Technology, Integrated Studies, Online Learning, Project-Based Learning, , Technology Integration, Upper Elementary (3-5), Middle (6-8), High (9-12)

Google+ Parts

Google+, as you likely know, is Google's own foray into social media.

As much the digital overlap of Google Search, Docs, Calendar, and Gmail software as it is a response to Facebook, Google+ has strong potential application in formal learning environments. First, a look at what makes Google+ tick.

Google+ Parts

Google+, as you likely know, is Google's own foray into social media.

As much the digital overlap of Google Search, Docs, Calendar, and Gmail software as it is a response to Facebook, Google+ has strong potential application in formal learning environments. First, a look at what makes Google+ tick. Read More

Flip Bits Not Burgers: Google's Summer of Code

Shahzad SaeedFebruary 9, 2012

Tags Business Partnerships, Career and Technical Education, Online Learning, Project-Based Learning, Student Internships, Technology Integration, High (9-12)

Larry Page, one of the co-founders of Google, was very thoughtful about the age-old problem of educational slip back. He noted that many brilliant computer students who worked hard during their senior academic year would fail to find further educational or meaningful employment opportunities once they graduated. This would then begin the deterioration of their technical skill set.

Ten Websites for Science Teachers

Eric BrunsellFebruary 7, 2012

Tags Biology, Curriculum, Online Learning, Open Education Resources, Project-Based Learning, Technology Integration, Chemistry, Science

We all know that the web is full of excellent web resources for science teachers and students. However, unless you live on the web, finding the best websites can become quite a challenge. This isn't a "Top Ten" list -- instead, it is a list of websites that I either use on a regular basis or just find interesting. From teaching resources for the nature of science and authentic field journals to wacky videos about numbers, I am sure that you will find something in the following list the works for you! Please share your favorite science web resources in the comment section!

"My Teacher Is an App"

Will RichardsonNovember 15, 2011

Tags Classroom Technology, Online Learning, Professional Learning Network (PLN), Teacher Development, Technology Integration, All Grades

(This is a long one.)

So I hope no one minds if I continue to try to document the ways in which "education" is being reframed in this country at the peril, I think, of losing everything that is best about schools and teachers and classrooms.

Games for Science Learning and Scientific Discovery

Audrey WattersNovember 3, 2011

Tags Game-Based Learning, Online Learning, Student Engagement, Technology Integration, All Grades, Math, Science

Even though more people are recognizing the potential for teaching and learning through video games, there are still plenty of skeptics -- those who see video games as a mindless distraction, as entertainment and not education. But the work of a research center at the University of Washington may be at the forefront of challenging that notion. And this isn't just about how students can benefit from educational gaming either; it's about how scientific discovery can benefit from gamers.

The 21st Century Socrates: How to Implement a Powerful Hybrid Classroom Model

Blake WiggsOctober 31, 2011

Tags Blended Learning, Classroom Technology, Curriculum, Online Learning, Student Engagement, Team Teaching, Technology Integration, High (9-12), English Language Arts, History, Science

Throughout our first few months of team-teaching using Skype and a thirty dollar webcam to connect our two schools, we were extremely frustrated with our inability to incorporate Socratic seminars in World Dynamics. World Dynamics is a blended-curriculum course between two classrooms, twenty-three miles apart, where Earth Environmental Science, World History, and English I are taught simultaneously in order to give students a contextual understanding of the world.

Should You Flip Your Classroom?

Ramsey MusallamOctober 26, 2011

Tags Flipped Classroom, Online Learning, Student Engagement, Technology Integration, Chemistry, High (9-12)

At its core, "flipped instruction" refers to moving aspects of teaching out of the classroom and into the homework space. With the advent of new technologies, specifically the ability to record digitally annotated and narrated screencasts, instructional videos have become a common medium in the flipped classroom. Although not limited to videos, a flipped classroom most often harnesses different forms of instructional video published online for students.