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Teaching a PBL Unit on Water Transformed Our Students’ Learning

This post is transcribed from an interview with educators Debbie Holman and Nicole Orswell. Next year we’ll be teaching in a new middle-high school designed to encourage project-based learning (PBL). So, when given the opportunity to run a small PBL cohort this year, we thought: Why not give it a try? Let’s dip our toes in and share what we learn with the rest of … Continue reading Teaching a PBL Unit on Water Transformed Our Students’ Learning

Why We All Need To Focus on Geo-Inquiry More Than Ever!

Schools, districts, and government agencies have all done their best to step up and try to create plans that don’t focus on deficits, but instead find opportunities to help students that create conditions for success. More and more, we are seeing these plans include opportunities for exploration, student-led learning, and reconnecting to the world they were shut out from. What’s more, recent guidelines released by the Department of Education supported these same ideas, creating a “trail” of sorts that schools and teachers can employ to help return students to a sense of normalcy that has escaped them during this past school year. Continue reading Why We All Need To Focus on Geo-Inquiry More Than Ever!

Educator Spotlight: Finding Solutions for Invasive Species

High school biology teacher Beth Quinones worked with a team of educators to engage students in researching invasive species, developing a management plan, and communicating the plan to their target audience. Beth and her collaborators brought in invasive species professionals to deepen students’ understanding of the issue and organized a community event where students shared their management plans and calls to action. Continue reading Educator Spotlight: Finding Solutions for Invasive Species

When Innovation Meets Education: Free Quality Education to One Million Children

This post was written by Koen Timmers. Learn more about Koen and his work here. Technology and innovation in our schools come with benefits and drawbacks. Augmented reality, 3D printers, blockchain, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and a plethora of other unforeseen technological advances will be everyday realities in our students’ lives as they enter the workforce. New jobs will require skills like complex problem solving, … Continue reading When Innovation Meets Education: Free Quality Education to One Million Children

At the Explorers Festival: Kavita Gupta

Kavita Gupta was one of the educators who joined us at the 2018 Explorers Festival. Kavita is a high school chemistry teacher in Cupertino, the heart of California’s Silicon Valley. She is a 2018 National Geographic Education Fellow, a 2017 Grosvenor Teacher Fellow and also completed the National Geographic Educator Certification Program. Kavita’s expedition to the Galápagos inspired her to begin a climate change unit that explored … Continue reading At the Explorers Festival: Kavita Gupta