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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More School Time, Well Spent, Boosts Academic Achievement and Engagement at Edwards Middle School

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Five Keys to Successful Social and Emotional Learning

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How to Thank a Teacher

Blogs on Project-Based Learning

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Using "Music Writing" to Trigger Creativity, Awareness and Motivation

Jeffrey PflaumApril 2, 2012

Tags Arts Education, Curriculum, Project-Based Learning, , Student Engagement, Upper Elementary (3-5), Middle (6-8), High (9-12), English Language Arts, Music

In our test-obsessed and bullying culture, it is imperative that children learn to know themselves better.

A New Community and Resources for Games for Learning

Andrew MillerMarch 30, 2012

Tags Classroom Technology, Game-Based Learning, Primary (K-2), Project-Based Learning, Student Engagement, Technology Integration, Upper Elementary (3-5), Middle (6-8), High (9-12)

You knew it was coming, didn't you? Edutopia has officially launched its new Games for Learning Community, and I am honored to be its facilitator. I'm excited to have a space where teachers can share best practices, ask questions around implementation and nerd out on gaming in the classroom.

A Call to Action: Challenges Facing Global Youth

Suzie BossMarch 28, 2012

Tags Achievement Gap, Global Education, Project-Based Learning, Upper Elementary (3-5), Middle (6-8), High (9-12)

Today's students may not realize it, but they belong to the largest peer group in history. This global "youth bulge" of more than 1.2 billion faces economic and social challenges which many young people are ill-equipped to tackle, according to a new report from the International Youth Foundation. Helping prepare this unprecedented number of 15- to 24-year-olds for a more productive future will require better access to education and expanded opportunities to develop essential career skills.

A Tour of High-Quality Open Education Resources (OER) for Writing

Todd FinleyMarch 27, 2012

Tags Curriculum, Integrated Studies, Lesson Plans, Literacy, Open Education Resources, Project-Based Learning, Technology Integration, Middle (6-8), High (9-12), English Language Arts

Did you check out Open Education Week this month? The international event highlighted free lesson plans and materials, searchable by subject, grade and quality. I spent a couple days throwing keywords into OER (open education resources are digital materials freely available through open licenses) search engines to assess the quality of secondary and higher education writing curricula.

One-to-One Technology Integration in the Upper Elementary Classroom

Mark PullenMarch 26, 2012

Tags 1:1 Implementation, Classroom Technology, Media Literacy, Project-Based Learning, Student Engagement, Technology Integration, Upper Elementary (3-5)

As a third grade teacher who has been fortunate enough to work in a 1:1 classroom for the past three years, I believe that the upper elementary grades are the ideal time to integrate 1:1 technology into the classroom. Because students at that age level often spend extended parts of the school day with one homeroom teacher, integrating technology smoothly across multiple subjects is easier than it would be if students had different teachers for each individual class period.

Four Strategies to Spark Curiosity via Student Questioning

Kevin D. WashburnMarch 22, 2012

Tags Brain Research, Comprehensive Assessment, Performance Assessment, Primary (K-2), Project-Based Learning, Student Engagement, Upper Elementary (3-5), Middle (6-8), High (9-12)

British archaeologist Mary Leakey described her own learning as being "compelled by curiosity." Curiosity is the name we give to the state of having unanswered questions. And unanswered questions, by their nature, help us maintain a learning mindset. When we realize that we do not know all there is to know about something in which we are interested, we thirst. We pursue. We act as though what we do not know is more important than what we do, as though what we do not possess is worth the chase to own it. How do we help students discover this drive?

James Gee: What Do Video Games Have to Do with Project-Based Learning?

John LarmerMarch 21, 2012

Tags Comprehensive Assessment, Game-Based Learning, Project-Based Learning, Technology Integration, Upper Elementary (3-5), Middle (6-8), High (9-12)

It was September 13, 2011, and we were just about to hear a talk by James Paul Gee, author of What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy. The talk was part of our annual community meeting of the Buck Institute for Education. Here's a summary of our conversations -- before and after watching Gee speak. (Please scroll down for a video of highlights from Gee's presentation.)

For Engaging Projects, Connect Learning to Students’ Lives

Suzie BossMarch 15, 2012

Tags Diversity, Media Literacy, Project-Based Learning, Teacher Development, Middle (6-8), High (9-12)

Heather Hanson, a first-year teacher on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota, knew she was taking a risk when she showed a documentary called "Children of the Plains" to her speech class at Todd County High School. Narrated by Diane Sawyer, the 20/20 episode emphasizes poverty, alcoholism, and family dysfunction on the reservation. "I was offended," says Hanson, who is not Native American, "and it's not even about me. I wasn't sure how my students would react."

Executive Function, Arts Integration and Joyful Learning (Part 6 of 7)

Judy Willis MDMarch 14, 2012

Tags Arts Education, Brain Research, Comprehensive Assessment, Integrated Studies, Primary (K-2), Project-Based Learning, Student Engagement, Upper Elementary (3-5), Middle (6-8), Drama, High (9-12), Music, Visual Arts

This post is part of a series on executive function. Here I will cover the arts and the neuroscience of joyful learning.

Promising Starts

Children's brains need to acquire memory associations that link pleasure with learning. The creative arts can provide this link through associations with the pleasures of creative experiences enjoyed during early childhood.

Three Ideas for 21st Century Global Curriculum

Terry HeickMarch 12, 2012

Tags Classroom Technology, Curriculum, Global Education, Project-Based Learning, Technology Integration, All Grades, Geography, World Language Learning

Now over a decade into the 21st century, there is tremendous pressure for education to "globalize." What this means exactly isn't universally agreed upon.

In major world markets, the business world globalized decades ago, expanding beyond domestic markets in pursuit of more diverse audiences and stronger profits. And while major players in business continue to experiment and find their way in markets whose culture and buying practices diverge from those domestic, the "field" of education has been slow to follow suit.