Education philosophy
Sarah Dillard
What High School Science Could Be: Getting ...

Of the four core academic subjects, science education suffers most from a lack of ambition about its own relevance. We explore how science education could become more relevant—and why it matters for all of us.

What High School Science Could Be: Getting Ambitious About Relevance
Education philosophy
Sarah Dillard
Thinking Critically about Critical Thinking

In education, critical thinking is a popular idea but an elusive reality. We discuss the steps we take to achieve critical thinking in our classrooms, including selecting powerful concepts and sources, making connections between the classroom and the world, using discussion to deepen thinking, and finally, moving from isolated concepts to the bigger picture.

Thinking Critically about Critical Thinking
Education philosophy
Sarah Dillard
POV: An Autocrat's Dream Education System

If you were an autocrat, what would your dream education system look like?

Here’s what I imagine, as I look out over my queendom.

Education philosophy
Guest User
"Why are we learning this?

Why are we learning this? It’s the most commonly asked question in classrooms.

When asked, teachers generally reach for an instrumental answer. There isn’t always one in easy grasp, but it’s the reflex.

Today we consider a different, deeper ‘why’ thanks to help from Margaret Atwood. In the 2004 Kesterton Lecture at the Carleton School of Journalism, Atwood does what great writers do best: reveals a deep truth that both makes me feel something and makes me want to be a better person.

"Why are we learning this?

What High School History Could Be: Delivering on Ambition

What High School History Could Be: Delivering on Ambition

High school history has a yawning gap between its ambition and its execution.

Ask people what the point of history education is, and they will give you big idea answers like understanding the American story, motivating civic participation, and safeguarding our democracy.

But then show up to a typical high school history class, and it's just textbooks, lectures, and temporary memorization. There’s a fundamental mismatch between aims and means.

In this piece we explore what history education is today, what it could be, and how it can change.

What High School English Could Be: Summoning Ambition

What High School English Could Be: Summoning Ambition

High school English class suffers from a lack of ambition.

The typical English class today assigns a few unrelated novels–most of which students don’t read–and confines writing to the formulaic five paragraph essay.

It doesn't have to be this way. English class could be a place of marvels and ambition. It could be:

* A salon where students make meaning of authors, ideas, & forms.

* A workshop where students learn to write clean copy.

* A studio where students learn to tell compelling stories across a range of formats--audio, video, photographic.

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Powerful Concepts: The Missing Middle Layer in High School Classes

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Powerful Concepts: The Missing Middle Layer in High School Classes

We discuss the missing middle layer in many high school classes: powerful concepts. When it comes to learning, concepts do the hard work of “middle management”; they give structure to facts that might otherwise seem discrete and unrelated and bring abstract enduring understandings into concrete focus. Learn how we build them into our classes to enable deeper, lasting learning.

How we 10x the learning in our workshops

How we 10x the learning in our workshops

A typical two-hour online workshop is just that: a single two-hour session. There may be breakout rooms or a bit of reading for pre-work, but not a lot of actual work gets done. We discuss what we do instead to create half a dozen learning opportunities from a single workshop, including pre-work, multiple rounds of iteration on work products, feedback from peers and instructors, and “extension sessions.”

Community, Conversation, and Collaborative Critique: the Cornerstones of Our Curriculum & Classes

Community, Conversation, and Collaborative Critique: the Cornerstones of Our Curriculum & Classes

We’ve found that although it takes work to create rigorous, engaging, community-building classes online, it’s entirely possible if you intentionally design for it. We discuss the three holy grail components we include in our classes to make the most of class time: community, conversation, and collaborative critique.

Thinking Critically about Critical Thinking

Thinking Critically about Critical Thinking

In education, critical thinking is a popular idea but an elusive reality. We discuss the steps we take to achieve critical thinking in our classrooms, including selecting powerful concepts and sources, making connections between the classroom and the world, using discussion to deepen thinking, and finally, moving from isolated concepts to the bigger picture.