Defined - Blog (Page 19)

Education’s Dysfunctional Relationship with Happiness

If you asked parents “What is it that you want for your kids?” You’d have an overwhelmingly common response of: “I just want them to be happy?

Preparing for the Future with Emerging Technologies

The world is constantly changing which means that in our work as educators, we need to continue to push ourselves to learn about the innovations happening in the

Using Pre-Built Performance Tasks to Implement High-Quality PBL with Ease

Many of you know and love meal kits – the kind you can order from Home Chef, Hello Fresh, Blue Apron or many other companies. I think they’re

Raising the Bar for Student Work in PBL: 3 Tips and Tools to Get Started

Many of my early projects followed a repetitive and unfulfilling path. The project would begin with a bang and generally included lots of excitement and commitment. But, by

How to Foster Student-Directed Learning in Your Classroom

For the past 21 years, I have been teaching high school science, from environmental and earth science to college prep, honors, and Advanced Placement biology. During my first

4 Tips to Help Teachers Finish the School Year Strong

As we wind down the school year, educators may be looking for some new ideas to boost student engagement, spark some curiosity for learning, or perhaps just take

3 Steps to Launching PBL at Your School

Starting anything new can be a daunting task, particularly for a school site administrator. But when starting a new instructional focus that requires training, buy-in, follow-through, and follow-up,

6 Reasons to be Optimistic About Learning in 2022

As we enter 2022 humanity is exhausted. Few of us can remember being so downtrodden in our lifetimes. Physical (climate) and social (low trust and mutual dislike) negativity

Creating a Student-Centered Culture

Creating a culture that is student-centered, equity-focused, and future-driven does not happen without systemic and strategic work. A district needs to engage in cycles of improvement…building the