Edutopia | WHAT WORKS IN EDUCATION The George Lucas Educational Foundation

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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A Parent's Guide to 21st-Century Learning

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You'll find practical classroom strategies and tips from real educators, as well as lesson ideas, personal stories, and innovative approaches to improving your teaching practice. If you have any thoughts or comments about these blogs, please don't hesitate to let us know.

A Year at Mission Hill: Like a Family and Behind the Scenes

Amy Erin Borovoy (aka VideoAmy)May 1, 2013

Tags Community Partnerships, Parental Involvement, Primary (K-2), Professional Learning Network (PLN), , Upper Elementary (3-5), Middle (6-8), Massachusetts

The video series A Year at Mission Hill has continued to encourage discussion, gather support, and inspire offshoots of wonderful new content, like "Line One, Page One," a compelling and poetic video produced by UK Filmmakers Veez Nixon and Christian Britten for Ashoka's Start Empathy Initiative, as part of a video series to complement Mission Hill. And if you haven't seen it yet, it's also worth a visit to the excellent Prezi on Mission Hill, which continues to expand as more chapters are released.

Game-Based Learning

Game Jam Your Classroom

Andrew MillerMay 1, 2013

Tags Game-Based Learning, Integrated Studies, Lesson Plans, Student Engagement, High (9-12)

Just what is a game jam? It is a short event, usually only a day or two, where game developers plan, design and create a short game. Similar to a music jam session, game jams don't involve much pre-planning and rely on immediate idea generation and improvisation. Game design companies have these jam sessions regularly, and while many of the games that happen here are digital, some are paper-based. They usually occur in one physical location to allow for immediate, organic collaboration. While there is an element of competition, most of the work is focused on collaboration towards a common goal.

Education Trends

Celebrate Educators on National Teacher Day 2013

Matt DavisApril 30, 2013

Tags Current Events

National Teacher Day is May 7th! There are so many different ways to show teacher appreciation, from poems, to thank-you notes and gifts. But I thought I'd put together a little bit of everything. Here, there are inspirational teaching quotes, fun video clips, and a database of educator discounts, to name a few.

But these are just a couple of ideas; let us know how you're celebrating this year. Here’s one from the Edutopia vault: last year’s Five-Minute Film Festival for Teacher Appreciation Week.

Social, Emotional Learning: Instructional Support Goes Online

Maurice EliasApril 30, 2013

Tags Primary (K-2), Professional Development, Teacher Development, Upper Elementary (3-5), Middle (6-8)

The community of implementers of SEL and related programs is growing. And the capacity of individuals to leave their workplaces to congregate for extensive training and sharing opportunities seems to be diminishing. These and other realities are creating an imperative to use the Internet as a vehicle for providing support for instruction and other aspects of implementation necessary to sustain and reinforce instruction.

Education Trends

English Learners and 21st-Century Literacy

Anne OBrienApril 30, 2013

Tags Literacy, Teacher Development

We all know that the demographics of America's public school population are shifting. In 2011, nearly a quarter -- 23.9 percent -- of pre-K-12 students was Hispanic, many either immigrants or the children of immigrants who speak another language at home. And that proportion is projected to grow in the coming years, bringing new challenges and opportunities to schools across the country.

Project-Based Learning

Stove Project Sparks Global Youth Action

Suzie BossApril 29, 2013

Tags Global Education, Teacher Development, Technology Integration, Middle (6-8), High (9-12)

Separated by thousands of miles, middle-school students in suburban Massachusetts are teaming up with peers in Brazil, Africa, and India on a project with lifesaving potential. By designing and building efficient cook stoves, students are learning about energy and humanitarian engineering.

Student Engagement

The Impact of Shakespeare on Teachers and Students

Heather Wolpert-GawronApril 29, 2013

Tags Literacy, Middle (6-8), Drama, High (9-12), English Language Arts

William Shakespeare was the R-rated writer of his time. His plays were potentially more sexy than any E.L. James novel and oft-times more violent than any Quentin Tarantino film. The words of the Bard make up a universal language, one that can unite cultures with their themes and conflicts. And, more importantly to this blogger, William Shakespeare changed my life.

New-Teacher Support

More Positive, Not Punitive, Classroom Management Tips

Larry FerlazzoApril 29, 2013

Tags Best Practices, Classroom Management, Discipline, Teacher Development, All Grades

This article is adapted from Larry's new book, Self-Driven Learning: Teaching Strategies for Student Motivation.

In the previous excerpt from this book, I shared some specific strategies for positive classroom management. Here are a few more.

Building Social and Emotional Skills in Elementary Students: Empathy

Randy TaranApril 26, 2013

Tags Classroom Management, Mental Health, Primary (K-2), , Upper Elementary (3-5)

This is part seven of the nine-part series from the Project Happiness curriculum. We are looking at important factors that influence the happiness and social and emotional learning of elementary school age children, helping students learn life skills, manage emotions, and increase empathy. Each blog post features one letter of the acronym HAPPINESS: