In 2011, I started Kidzmet in the hopes that, as parents and educators, we start celebrating and embracing the strengths that our kids were born with rather than trying to school them into molds that society deems optimal at the
Five years later…
5-15 Reports :: Learning from our Students
One of my former colleagues recently posted this in our Facebook group. We used to use this technique to get our creative juices flowing vis-à-vis product development and corporate strategy in the educational software world. I’m still a believer that
Have U.S. Students Fallen Victim to Self-Fulfilling Prophecies?
This is a reprint of an article originally published on Cooperative Catalyst I was reminded of an interesting tidbit about the Finnish school system in one of the education news emails I receive the other day. This information has been
On intrinsically motivating students
In late February 2012, EdWeek’s Susan Sandler wrote about Personalization 3.0, or “a hybrid approach of humanity and technology…that uses technology to enhance teacher-student relationships, not replace them.” Sandler references Theodore R. Sizer’s work (late founder of the Coalition of Essential
Welcome to Kidzmet’s Recipes for Success!
At Kidzmet, we believe that just as a pre-packaged product is not the ONLY way to cook a dish, nor the ONLY dish we should consume, we cannot continue to think about a pre-packaged standard of intelligence to which we
#occupyedu: challenge schools to change
#occupyedu: challenge schools to change. One of my fellow bloggers on Cooperative Catalyst, Chad Sansing, has started a group with a mission of giving EACH child a personally meaningful education and a community of learning that includes, involves and inspires
YOUR favorite (or least favorite) teacher story
It seems like very few days go by when I don’t hear one story or another about the positive impact a teacher that “got” them made on someone’s life. I also hear lots of stories about unbearable school years where
Appreciating Teachers All Year ‘Round
original article by Jen Lilienstein appeared on LessonPlanet So often, we hear media reports about the negative aspects of teaching and forget that teachers are the people who have made our children’s collective future their life’s work. The next time
Parents, Students, Teachers & Administrators are ALL on the same learning team!
Why master teachers are also master marketers
As I speak with principals, assistant superintendents and curriculum directors each day, one of the first questions I always ask is “what is it that separates your superstar teachers from the rest of the pack?” The answer that comes back is