Project Learning

Andrew Miller (@betamiller on Twitter) is a National Faculty member for the Buck Institute for Education, an organization specializing in 21st century project-based learning, as well as for ASCD, an organization providing expertise in a variety of professional development needs. He is also a regular blogger for Edutopia.

Project-Based Learning (PBL) naturally lends itself to differentiated instruction. By design, it is student-centered, student-driven and gives space for teachers to meet the needs of students in a variety of ways.

Heidi Grant Halvorson, PhD (@hghalvorson on Twitter) is a motivational psychologist and author of Nine Things Successful People Do Differently and Succeed: How We Can Reach Our Goals. Her personal blog is called The Science of Success.

One of the trickiest challenges any child faces (or any adult, for that matter) is figuring out how to get from wanting to do something -- like getting a better grade on his or her next quiz, or studying over the summer for college admissions tests -- to actually doing it.

Jim Berman (@ChefTalkJim on Twitter) is a Chef Instructor working with 10th, 11th and 12th graders at Delcastle Technical High School in Wilmington, Delaware. A member of FENI and the National Restaurant Association, he's a contributor to the Cooking Without Borders blog.

This blog is the first of three in a series on Career and Technical Education.

A Viable Alternative to "Success"

What shop class is not:

• A predetermined destination for students with discipline issues
• The alternative venue for teenage offenders opting to avoid prison
• A bandage for an oft-bleeding system

Dr. Judy Willis (@judywillis on Twitter) is an authority on brain research as it relates to learning and a regular blogger for Edutopia. This is part of a series she's writing on building executive function in students. You can also find her online at RADteach.

Before information can be processed through executive functions, it must reach the prefrontal cortex (PFC), where higher order thinking occurs. The pathway to the PFC has potential roadblocks in the form of an information intake filter and an emotional switching station that determines if input reaches the PFC or is diverted to the lower, reactive brain. Embedding the arts into instruction and assessment promotes flow through these filters, builds growth mindset, and strengthens the actively developing executive functions.

Betty Ray is Edutopia's senior blog editor and community manager. She was one of the organizers for TEDxSFED in San Francisco and is a regular blogger for Edutopia. Follow her on Twitter @EdutopiaBetty.

Much has been written about changing role of the teacher from "sage on the stage" to "guide on the side." Design thinking, which is a dynamic, creative and collaborative approach to problem solving, presents a unique model for educators who wish to facilitate from within the class, rather than impart knowledge to it.

Happy holidays from all of us at Edutopia. This video is about a wonderful teacher who is helping fourth graders understand world peace. Enjoy!