November 5 Educator Workshop

Changing the way we do schools requires a change from the ground up. All real reform in history begins that way. So, we need to listen to the people involved at the point of contact in education - students, parents, teachers, and school leaders.

What if schools were places where students could...

. . . Ask their own questions, Be their own boss, Be an individual while belonging, Engage in learning that they are passionate about instead of being limited by the curriculum, Have choices in what they are learning, Have student choice, Be empowered to create their own learning experiences, Pursue their passions, Get involved in learning that continues beyond the school day, Use technology as a tool for learning daily, Be comfortable approaching ideas in their own way, Utilize technology to explore new ideas, Do everything at their individual pace, Be so engaged in learning that they went home to continue exploring, Work at a level that is individualized to their own strengths & weaknesses, Art/PE/Music were not just considered “extras” done every once in a while, Be challenged on a daily basis in all subject areas, Have authentic conversation with their parents about their learning, Innovate - experiment - make mistakes - create, Form lasting relationships, Be creative, Teach themselves and one another more often than being taught by a teacher, Play, Get messy, Work together on projects that interest them, Feel successful based on effort and passion, Hands-on experience (internship), Have 10 minutes every day of uninterrupted time to shine-share-express, Access to teacher support to build relationships, Learn subjects based on topics of interest, Learn with their passions, Comfortable seating, Work collaboratively, Be empowered, Make choices, self-assess their learning, Be a part of a movement, Explore their creativity, Choose the way in which they will demonstrate proficiency, Be creative, Adjust learning environment, Not be held back - move through at their own pace, Solve real-world problems, Choices, Fix a community/country/social issue, Be a part of creating their learning plan, Connect globally, Build, Create, Connecting to the real world, Be exposed to new ideas/content/experiences, Access to learning materials, Teach, Expand their natural joy of learning, Pursue their passions, Collaborate with others who share their passions, Explore their interests and pick up the math/reading/writing they need along the way, Not feel that they need to go to bed after midnight, Design their own learning experience, Explore a wide variety of learning environments, Freely use technology to pursue knowledge, Be excited to come to school everyday, Be free of labels and labeling others, Be free of bullying, Escape peer pressure, Know themselves as perfect/whole/complete and not feel they needed to be fixed or changed, Blog instead of write another story, Problem solve where the end product could be a tangible product - prototype, Work with people from industry on projects, A day of field trips, Learn new concepts by doing activities that they felt could benefit others, There is only make… not failure, Advance past artificial grade boundaries, Decide the amount of “basic” vs. creative learning for them, See teachers as learners, Show up all the time, Teacher available 24/7, Design their own classes, Choose their teacher, Look to teacher as a partner, Valued learning and wanted to be here everyday, Be excited about the possibilities of revision, Students could be engaged in learning that they found interesting and meaningful, Learn about things that interest them, Explore interest beyond the grade level curriculum, Works toward goals that mattered to each individual learner, Learn 24/7, Take BIG risks, Have a growth mindset and not be afraid to fail, Solve problems (real-world), Bridge communities w/o borders, Learn without assessment just for the sake of learning, Determine own interests, Have fun, Smile, Laugh, Love learning, Laugh, Learn to code, Start a business, Learn a language of choice, Innovate, Feel valued, Imagine projects and pursue outcomes, Value all intelligences/modalities equally, really, Students could choose their focus of study, Visualize the possibilities of the present and their future, Have the freedom to explore their passions, Be part of the decision making process for their academic plan, Be passionate, Create, Be unconcerned with social status, Express themselves creatively in all areas of learning, Make meaningful connections to the world, Connect globally