WHAT WORKS IN EDUCATION The George Lucas Educational Foundation

Log In

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

Featured:

Comprehensive Assessment: A New York City Success Story at School of the Future

Featured:

Project-Based Learning from Start to Finish

Featured:

A Parent's Guide to 21st-Century Learning

Blogs on Professional Learning Network (PLN)

More Blogs on Professional Learning Network (PLN)RSS

Learn Virtually Alongside Global Gathering at PBL World

Suzie BossJune 18, 2012

Tags Professional Development, Professional Learning Network (PLN), Project-Based Learning, Teacher Development, All Grades

More than 450 educators from around the globe, including 27 U.S. states, are converging on Napa, California, this week for the first-ever PBL World conference. Focusing on best practices in project-based learning and featuring a stellar line-up of daily keynote speakers, PBL World is co-sponsored by the Buck Institute for Education and the Napa Valley Unified School District. Can't make it? No worries. Thanks to social media, there will be plenty of virtual opportunities to expand your PBL toolkit right alongside attendees. Today is the first in a weeklong series of Edutopia blogs coming to you from the conference site, New Technology High School in Napa.

Collaborative Mentoring for New Teachers

Lisa Michelle DabbsJune 6, 2012

Tags Mentoring, New Teachers, Professional Development, Professional Learning Network (PLN), Teacher Development, Technology Integration, All Grades

It started as a simple idea . . . What if it were possible to mentor a new teacher via a virtual mentor instead of the traditional 1-to-1 mentoring model? What if you used the power of digital resources to aid in this support, making sure that each had a particular strength in the key areas needed by a new teacher? What if you had key team members, virtual or on-site, that each took a role in that work?

A Tech Expert's Not-So-Secret Sources

Nicholas ProvenzanoMay 31, 2012

Tags Classroom Technology, Media Literacy, Primary (K-2), Professional Learning Network (PLN), Teacher Development, Technology Integration, Upper Elementary (3-5), Middle (6-8), High (9-12)

I often get emails from teachers looking for the perfect tool for their class. I love that teachers are excited to find new tools and integrate them into their lesson plans. As someone who has experience with different tools, I'm a logical person to ask for help when looking for something new. I have a dirty little secret, though.

3D for PD: Second Life Gets a Second Chance

Alina Padilla-MillerMay 24, 2012

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

Entering the digital world exposes us daily to new programs, software and systems. As both consumers and educators, we consistently sort through these technologies to find the ones that meet our immediate needs. With so many technologies available, there are times we overlook, misjudge or reject something that potentially has value for us.

5 Tips to Avoid Teacher Burnout

Andrew MillerMay 15, 2012

Tags Mental Health, New Teachers, Professional Learning Network (PLN), Teacher Burnout, Teacher Development, All Grades

Baptism By Fire! That's what I call the first year of teaching. No matter how much preparation and mentoring you have received, you are building the plane as you fly it. To make sure you don't crash and/or burn (yes, pun intended!), I put together some hard-learned lessons from my experience as a new teacher. In addition, these are good recommendations and reminders for veteran teachers. When you get hunkered down in the day-to-day while the year presses on, you tend to forget what really works well, because you are working so hard. I hope you find these five tips useful!

The Magnificent 7! A Tribute to Teachers Who Made a Difference

Lisa Michelle DabbsMay 7, 2012

Tags Mentoring, New Teachers, Professional Learning Network (PLN), Teacher Development, All Grades

Monday May 7 through Friday May 11, 2012 is National Teacher Appreciation Week; a time to pay tribute to teachers and, as shared by NEA, a time to "honor local educators and acknowledge the crucial role teachers play in making sure every student receives a quality education."

Six Affirmations for PBL Teachers

Andrew MillerMay 3, 2012

Tags Curriculum, Primary (K-2), Professional Development, Professional Learning Network (PLN), Project-Based Learning, Teacher Development, Upper Elementary (3-5), Middle (6-8), High (9-12), English Language Arts, Geography, History, Math, Science, World Language Learning

All great teachers do great work. And not only that, but they also do different work. Great teachers are always looking to improve practice, steal ideas and try new things -- all in order to meet the needs of their students. PBL teachers are no exception. Any teacher who is truly doing PBL would also agree that it's different. There is something about being a PBL teacher that requires different work, and work that is especially capitalized when implementing a PBL project. Because I work with so many PBL teachers, I feel there are some things that PBL teachers should specifically be proud of. I present them in these six affirmations.

Beyond the Teachers' Lounge: The Emerging Connection Gap

Mary Beth HertzApril 30, 2012

Tags Digital Divide, Professional Learning Network (PLN), , Teacher Development, Technology Integration

We often pontificate about the "haves" and the "have-nots" in our schools -- the unfair way that schools are funded, the ways in which some of our students are robbed of opportunity while others are awash in it.

What we don't reflect on enough is how some educators are connected to the global community, emerging trends and research, and larger conversations around reform and the direction of global education in general -- and how so many other educators are simply not tapped into that world.

Trends in Research-Based Practice: Report from the AERA Conference

Vanessa VegaApril 26, 2012

Tags Arts Education, Integrated Studies, Literacy, Professional Learning Network (PLN), Teacher Development, Technology Integration, All Grades, English Language Arts, Science, Visual Arts

"To know is not enough" was the theme of this year's American Educational Research Association conference. Over 13,000 researchers from over 60 countries met in Vancouver, Canada to present papers and posters in over 2,400 sessions.

Can Innovation Skills Be Learned?

Tony WagnerApril 20, 2012

Tags Comprehensive Assessment, Education Reform, Mentoring, Professional Learning Network (PLN), Teacher Development, All Grades

The "DNA" of innovators might be considered a set of skills that are essential elements in design thinking. One cannot have empathy without having practiced the skills of listening and observing. And integrative thinking begins with the ability to ask good questions and to make associations. There is also a kinship between collaboration and networking. [At the root of innovation is] the importance of experimenting -- an activity that, at its root, requires a kind of optimism, a belief that through trial and error a deeper understanding and better approaches can be discovered.