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Innovative Education in VT

A blog exploring innovative, personalized, student-centered school change

  • ABOUT US
    • We stand against systemic racism.
    • Our Communications Diversity Policy
    • The Tarrant Institute
    • Our staff
      • John Downes
      • Emily Hoyler
      • Life LeGeros
      • Rachel Mark
    • Our schools
  • Our book
    • How to use this Educator’s Guide
    • Ch 1: Defining Personalized Learning
      • 1.1 The Three Pillars of Personalized Learning
      • 1.2 The Definition of a PLP
      • 1.3 New Student & Teacher Roles
    • Ch 2: PLPs Aren’t Just For The Teacher
      • 2.1 Knowing Students Well
      • 2.2 Avoid the Pitfalls!
    • Ch 3: Laying The Groundwork for PLPs
      • 3.1 What Are Your Pedagogical Priorities?
      • 3.2 Structures to Support Personalized Learning
    • Ch 4: Starting with the Learner Profile
    • Ch 5: Flexing Your Pathways
      • 5.1 Engaging Pedagogies for All
    • Ch. 6: Scaffolding for Equitable, Deeper Learning
    • Ch 7: PLPs & Proficiency-Based Assessment
    • Ch 8: Student-led PLP conferences
    • Ch 9: Sustaining Innovation
    • Chapter References
  • TOOLKITS
    • Action research
    • Adult Culture
    • Advisory
    • Digital citizenship
    • Community & Culture
    • Equity toolkit
    • Essential Skills & Dispositions Toolkit
    • Family & Community Involvement
    • Flexible classrooms
    • Genius Hour
    • Identity
    • Makerspaces
    • Negotiated curriculum
    • Personalized Learning Plans (PLPs)
    • Proficiency-Based Education
      • Learning Goals
      • Formative Assessment
      • Summative Assessment
    • Project-Based Learning
    • Reflection
    • Remote Learning
    • Scheduling
    • Service learning
    • Student-led conferences
  • VIDEOS
    • Middle Grades Conference (MGC)
    • PLP videos
    • Proficiency-Based Learning Videos
    • Student-Led Conference Videos
    • Tech Tips
  • PODCAST
    • #vted Reads Episode List
    • #vted Reads Videos
  • ARCHIVES
  • EVENTS & COURSES
  • CONTACT

Author: Emily Hoyler

News 

Introducing our new Project Based Learning toolkit

January 27, 2023January 26, 2023 Emily Hoyler 2 Comments

At the Tarrant Institute, we write a lot about Project Based Learning (PBL). We consider it one of the engaging

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News 

Winter Break Reading & Listening: 2022 Edition

December 9, 2022December 8, 2022 Emily Hoyler 1 Comment

It’s that time again! One of our favorite times of the year around here: our annual Winter Reading post. This

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News 

Introducing our new Advisory toolkit

December 2, 2022December 2, 2022 Emily Hoyler 3 Comments

It’s no secret we’re big fans of advisory around here. And we don’t just mean the time on the schedule

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News 

Introducing our NEW Community & Culture Toolkit!

November 11, 2022November 11, 2022 Emily Hoyler 3 Comments

You know the vibe when you walk into a classroom where everyone is engaged and buzzing with learning, and the

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News 

Introducing our NEW Adult Culture toolkit

October 14, 2022October 13, 2022 Emily Hoyler 1 Comment

A positive and collaborative adult culture is essential to a positive and collaborative student culture. As educators, we must attend

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News 

Change is hard, sometimes tweaking our habits can help

February 15, 2022February 15, 2022 Emily Hoyler 6 Comments

Why is change so hard?  Why, when our minds can be so clear on the direction we want to go

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News Reflection Self-directed learning 

Centering Relationships & Routines

January 20, 2022January 20, 2022 Emily Hoyler 1 Comment

Many of the routines of the school day have been frayed by the pandemic. From kids unable to engage in work

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You got this
News 

Happy new (school) year!

August 24, 2021August 24, 2021 Emily Hoyler 0 Comments

The most wonderful time of the year It’s that time of the year again – the beginning of a new

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Education for Sustainability
Education for Sustainability 

The successful, sustainable middle school

May 12, 2021May 12, 2021 Emily Hoyler 0 Comments

Middle school students are ever-changing, curious, socially and globally aware, and incredibly capable. Their energy and urge to explore can

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Innovative Ed Mailbag: Sustainably Yours
Education for Sustainability 

From the innovativeEd mailbag: Sustainably Yours

April 26, 2021April 22, 2021 Emily Hoyler 0 Comments

This week, something new for us: a letter from our mailbag. While we aim to help everyone on a regular

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personalized learning garden
Education for Sustainability 

Personalized learning in the spring garden

March 22, 2021March 22, 2021 Emily Hoyler 1 Comment gardening

Signs of spring surround us: snow is melting, the days are lengthening, and the mud has returned. So it must

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the power of one bird in a flock
News 

The Power of One Person

March 1, 2021 Emily Hoyler 0 Comments

  Right now the problems of the world can feel so very big. And we can feel small. We can

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return routines: "The Return of the Light", by Emily Hoyler. All photo rights reserved.
News 

The Return of the Light

January 7, 2021January 7, 2021 Emily Hoyler 0 Comments

Editorial Note: This post was scheduled for publication prior to the events in Washington, DC on January 6, 2021. As

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PLPs Remote Learning Self-directed learning 

PLPs, Parenting, and a Pandemic

November 6, 2020 Emily Hoyler 0 Comments

228 days home with my 3 children. 88 days of remote learning, spanning 2 school years and 5 different grade

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thanksgiving t-shirt
News 

One teacher, one t-shirt

October 12, 2020October 12, 2020 Emily Hoyler 0 Comments

Hello friends, The leaves have already peaked up here on the mountain where I live. And the thermometer reads a

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pandemic self-care
Reflection 

Pandemic Teaching: Self-Care Edition

September 21, 2020September 21, 2020 Emily Hoyler 0 Comments

For all of us teaching through a pandemic, even the self-care can feel wildly, insurmountably difficult. Let’s do something about

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GRCSU remote learning
Remote Learning 

How GRCSU is responding to remote learning

March 19, 2020March 20, 2020 Emily Hoyler 1 Comment GRCSU

Just like our colleagues across the state (and world, really), educators in the Greater Rutland County Supervisory Union (GRCSU) have

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preparing for remote learning
Remote Learning 

Preparing for remote learning

March 13, 2020March 15, 2020 Emily Hoyler 2 Comments #COVID19

As we consider widespread school closures and how we might adapt, it’s important that our aim isn’t to recreate a

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Teachers sit around a table covered with papers and computers talking.
Teaming 

Getting started with protocols

February 4, 2019February 19, 2019 Emily Hoyler 0 Comments

Be better at team conversations You know that spirited colleague of yours who dominates, practically filibusters, staff meetings with her

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The Art of Coaching Teams
Teaming 

How to make meetings more effective

January 4, 2019April 13, 2022 Emily Hoyler 0 Comments Elena Aguilar, Rutland Town School

Good meetings can be hard to find We’ve all been there: staff meetings that could have been an email or team

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Self-directed learning 

Run the world (Teachers) aka #TeacherDirectedPD

December 10, 2018December 11, 2018 Emily Hoyler 0 Comments

We just held the Best. In-service. Ever.  And all it took was a little love & empathy. Some in-service professional

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tools for exploring character
Identity Reflection Transferable Skills 

3 tools for exploring character with middle schoolers

September 19, 2018April 29, 2022 Emily Hoyler 0 Comments advisory, Cornwall School, goal-setting, identity

Who am I and who do I want to be in the world? What do I stand for? What is

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education for sustainability
Uncategorized 

Why and how to teach education for sustainability

June 18, 2018September 10, 2018 Emily Hoyler 0 Comments Cornwall School, Global Goals, NGSS, sustainability

Teaching to heal the world “How can we improve the systems we’re a part of?” That’s the question my team

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VT Jr Iron Chef
The 21st Century Classroom 

The Importance of Eating Earnest

June 4, 2018April 29, 2022 Emily Hoyler 1 Comment Cornwall School, VT FEED, VT JR Iron Chef
Play

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Email | RSS

What food education looks like in Cornwall VT Integrating food studies into schools leads to thinking about interconnectedness in other

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who are we as West Rutland
Community-based learning 

“Who are we as West Rutland?”

May 23, 2018February 13, 2019 Emily Hoyler 1 Comment negotiated curriculum, West Rutland School

Community exploration builds connection What happens when you ask your students what they want to learn about and how they

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Project-Based Learning 

4 times to connect students with an authentic audience

March 15, 2018July 10, 2018 Emily Hoyler 0 Comments

How soon is now? Looking for opportunities to make real-world connections or bring an authentic audience to your students? Typically,

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Flexible classrooms Proctor Elementary School
Flexible Classroom Spaces 

What flexible seating looks like in action

January 10, 2018September 10, 2018 Emily Hoyler 0 Comments Proctor Elementary School

Physical aspects of a student-centered classroom Sometimes what seems like a little change can make a big difference. That’s what

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News 

New year? Time for a reset

January 2, 2018January 3, 2018 Emily Hoyler 0 Comments developmental designs

The Developmental Designs remix Ever notice how for some kids Mondays are a lot tougher than Wednesdays? Any time there’s

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Project-Based Learning Real World PBL 

How to tell your PBL story

November 13, 2017January 27, 2021 Emily Hoyler 0 Comments Cornwall School, digital storytelling, Global Goals, social media, sustainability

Cornwall students think global, build local, share both Last year the most amazing thing happened: my students at the Cornwall

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Global Goals in Vermont
Education for Sustainability Flexible Pathways Project-Based Learning 

4 ways students are tackling the UN’s Global Goals in Vermont

November 8, 2017April 5, 2021 Emily Hoyler 1 Comment Allen Brook School, global citizenship, Global Goals, Peoples Academy High School, Peoples Academy Middle Level, Sustainability Academy

The United Nations has kicked off a movement for the future. They’ve identified 17 goals for sustainability world-wide, and they’ve

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Uncategorized 

How to cultivate mindfulness in classrooms

September 21, 2017April 19, 2018 Emily Hoyler 1 Comment #everydaycourage, Cornwall School

The #everydaycourage of doing nothing As we cultivate more self-direction in students, their lives get more complicated. They have a

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Uncategorized 

The #everydaycourage of staying curious in the face of negative feedback

September 15, 2017April 19, 2018 Emily Hoyler 0 Comments #everydaycourage

Feedback often feels like criticism. But what if we used it as an opportunity to grow? In third grade, I

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Uncategorized 

Curiosity Projects: A stepping-stone to Personalized Learning

April 29, 2016June 23, 2017 Emily Hoyler 13 Comments Bingham Memorial School, Curiosity Projects

What is curiosity? Is curiosity important? What does it mean to be a curious learner? What am I curious about?

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Recent posts

  • Introducing our Equity Toolkit
  • Prioritizing daily movement and experiential learning in Newark
  • Introducing our new Project Based Learning toolkit
  • Winter Break Reading & Listening: 2022 Edition
  • Introducing our new Advisory toolkit

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