Becoming a 21st Century School
  • Blog
    • 21st Century Schools site
    • LinkedIn Group
    • Curriculum
  • Schools
    • Schools
    • Inner Harbour
    • The Zoo School
    • Anne Frank Inspire Academy
  • 21st Century Schools
  • 21st Century Schools International
  • Global Collaborative Classrooms
  • Subscribe eNews

Exploring the Possibilities!

The purpose of the blog is to provide additional support to educators as well as parents and community members who wish to create schools which will provide children with the experiences needed to flourish!

​Anne Shaw, Director, 21st Century Schools

Creating Authentic Change is like Launching a Rocket

10/7/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
"A little dab'll do ya!"  might have been a great slogan for Brylcreem, but it won't work for professional staff development.  

Creating desired change in a school or a district, or even in a single classroom, is very similar in many ways to launching a rocket to the moon.  

Just as launching a rocket requires enormous thrust to escape the gravitational pull of the Earth, your initiative will require the same thrust. 

Your goal is to escape the gravitational pull of traditional, factory model education - the thrust you need to escape that paradigm is intensive professional development and other supports, from policies to schedules to the learning environment.

Professional staff development is not an expense, it is an investment - in your teachers, in the students and in your community.  Ensure that your initiative is fully supported and funded.  Commit to your teachers the necessary resources to make the successful transition you have asked them to make.  

In the video below you will see examples of failed rocket launches.  These represent failed or poorly planned reforms for schools.  Failure is necessary for learning;  NASA finally got it right.  

Why don't we learn anything from the many failed reforms in education, mostly centered on the testing industry?  Isn't it time to do what's right and what works?
​
Learn here about Effective Professional Development, i.e., How to Have a Successful Launch !


0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Subscribe to eNews
    Tweet

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    21st Century Schools
    American History
    Art
    Building Community
    Building Design
    Children's Literature
    Classroom Management
    Creativity
    Curriculum
    Ecoliteracy
    Emotional/Social
    Facilities
    First Day Of School
    Global Competencies
    High Expectations
    Math
    Media Literacy
    MOVE IT
    New York City
    PBL
    Physical Environment
    Play
    Professional Development
    Project-based Learning
    Reform
    Regioal Institute
    Service Learning
    STEAM
    Sugata Mitra
    Workshop

    .

    Archives

    February 2018
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    December 2015
    October 2015
    July 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    October 2013
    August 2013
    April 2013
    January 2013
    September 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    January 2012
    January 2011

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Blog
    • 21st Century Schools site
    • LinkedIn Group
    • Curriculum
  • Schools
    • Schools
    • Inner Harbour
    • The Zoo School
    • Anne Frank Inspire Academy
  • 21st Century Schools
  • 21st Century Schools International
  • Global Collaborative Classrooms
  • Subscribe eNews