Students explore passions in capstone projects
Students participating in a senior capstone program at a Maryland school lead in planning and executing passion projects, writes Lisa Vardi, director of cross-divisional curriculum. A shift to a more student-led process has helped boost the number of students in the program, she notes in this commentary.
Puerto Rico could close more than 300 schools
More than 300 schools in Puerto Rico could be closed under a proposal by Gov. Ricardo Rossello to save about $300 million by 2022. The plan takes into account an anticipated decline in student enrollment.
Strategies to activate students’ imaginations
Schools sometimes are designed in ways that de-emphasize imagination and creativity, researcher Wendy Ostroff suggests. She offers eight strategies, such as telling collaborative stories and giving students more control over learning, to help jump-start older students’ imaginations.
Pa. district uses VR for collaborative learning
Educators in some Pennsylvania school districts are using virtual reality in the classroom. In one small, high-poverty district, students are using VR to participate in collaborative lessons, such as scavenger hunts.
What does strength-based education look like?
Students in the Galt Joint Union Elementary School District in California begin learning about their natural talents and strengths as early as preschool. Educators across grades use such information to design a strength-based education, including a “personalized learning plan” in kindergarten.
Teresa Donnellan is an editorial assistant at SmartBrief.
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