Simple and Direct Instruction Causes Learning

Do, listen, read, watch. Let’s think and talk about this together. Explain it to me. Show me. Once again. That’s good! When teaching and learning are kept simple, children learn. Call this kind of teaching old fashioned. Label it as … Continue reading

What Price PISA Glory?

The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) released its 2012 study of 65 participating nations/education systems this month. The news that 15-year olds in the U.S. once again were in the middle of the pack was printed as “PISA Test … Continue reading

The PISA Data Is Leaning Again

Duck, if you are a person responsible for the achievement of children in our nation’s public school systems. The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) released its 2012 assessment results on December 3 and in the international box score the … Continue reading

If the Fault Is Professional Development, Let’s Fix It

How did that happen? Now, there’s a common question asked by many who try to understand how an event or a situation or a set of events and situations came to be. In the weeks following Thanksgiving, one may ask … Continue reading

Discover the Twenty-First Century Learning Environment Within Your Existing Building

Melanie Parma and Larry LePage, architects with Somerville, Inc, and I spoke at the 6th Annual Midwest Facility Masters Conference on November 14. Our presentation, “Discover the Twenty-First Century Learning Environment Within Your Existing Building,” illustrated how an existing school … Continue reading