The JourneyThe path to a self-organizing classroom (where students are empowered, collaborative, and aligned to meet their goals) is often not a leap, but, a series of steps. It is a journey.Four Learning ZonesLike in any journey, a map helps us to get there. The 4 Learning Zones maps out the terrain. As a map has…
Read MoreEmpowering students and staff sounds great. But, what do we do when we feel disempowered? There are so many constraints in some schools that seem to close all options but the ones prescribed from up high. So, empowerment sounds great, but, how? Most of us have at least 15% autonomy in what and how we…
Read MoreHow do we differentiate and scaffold self-directed learning? How do we meet students where they are, yet, continuously stretch them to become more self-directed? Empowering Boundaries You know how you grow a plant. Growing self-direction is like that. At first, you need to plant the seeds in a container. The container provides structure to support…
Read MoreThis week, ISHMC American Academy, located in Ho Chi Minh City, is launching into extreme 21st Century Skills, starting with professional development and coaching from Agile Classrooms for the entire staff. I am very excited about our virtual guest who will be visiting us from around the world during the workshop, sharing their experiences and…
Read MoreToday, students are born Digital Natives. This is given. They are comfortable with technology, it permeates their lives. Yet, at the heart, these natives are mostly consuming technology. Through these devices, they augment their presence, their network, and their knowledge. They can find an answer to “What is?” or a “How do I?” in seconds…
Read MoreDaniel Pink, in his book Drive, says that Mastery, Autonomy and Purpose (MAP) are what really motivates us to our highest levels. Autonomy, or self-directedness, is a critical 21st Century Skill. Yet, we give so little of it to our students, and sadly, not enough to teachers. It can be scary for some of us…
Read MoreWe know that collaboration and communication skills are essential for students to master for today and tomorrow. One of the goals of an Agile Classroom is to grow the collaborative skills of students and leverage their collaboration for deeper learning, richer relationships, and a broader future. Agile Classrooms has outlined 4 Levels of Collaboration a…
Read MoreThis is what self-organized learning looks like… an extreme 21st Century classroom.
Read MoreEmpowerment is… not a transfer of power, you do not give up anything. It is the granting of power to the learning relationship, which grows the power of the whole classroom.
Read MoreLearning Alliance Designing The Learning AlliancePreviously, we introduced you to Designing the Learning Alliance to set the stage for a culture of empowerment, collaboration, and achievement. Designing Classroom Values Let’s start Designing the Alliance with creating a classroom culture based on shared values. Designing a values based classroom culture has 2 parts, Values DIscovery and…
Read MoreJoin the mailing list
Stay up to date with Agile in the classroom so that you can help your students flourish as 21st Century Learners!