The “Muddy” Side of Learning

Do-it-yourself does not just refer to hours at Home Depot, then trucking all that stuff home to saw, sweat, swear and drive back to Home Depot for stuff you forgot, while your family watches from a distance–afraid of the snarls.  As an educational tool, DIY refers to the blow-stuff-up, come-home-dirty-enough-so-your-mom-makes-you-change-in-the-garage, direct-your-own-project learning.   You know,…

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Standardized Testing: The Good, The Bad and A Hmmmm…Moment

Bob Schaeffer of FairTest, an organization committed to a fair use of standardized testing in K-12 schools and college admissions, recently spoke with Creative Marbles about assessments.  Our conversation reminded me of questions I’ve been asking since I was a beginning teacher, “How do we know (i.e. grasp clearly in the mind) what another has…

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On Commencing

Commencement…always seemed funny to call graduation commencement.  I focused on the ending aspect, the-that-was-a-long-4-years-and-too-many-homework-assignments-thank-goodness-its-over aspect of graduation.  In reality, graduation is both–a recognition of what’s been accomplished and a beginning of what’s next.