Voices Heard: learning from our students
In the past few months, we’ve been meeting with groups of students from six Vermont schools, asking them about their
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Author: Susan Hennessey
SEL and mindfulness with the Learning Lab
Drew Kutcher, an art teacher in her first year teaching at Proctor High School has built Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) and
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Hyperdocs 101
What in the world are hyperdocs? A hyperdoc is a mini lesson. Almost like a small, self-directed learning module. It
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Building a blended & hybrid teaching toolkit
Hybrid and remote teaching environments require us to tap into everything we know about designing engaging and targeted learning opportunities.
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6 ways to help students create the best Breakout Rooms
Those of us holding virtual synchronous meetings with our learners recognize the need to build in opportunities to collaborate. Just
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The power of thematic and integrated learning at Randolph Middle School
Middle level educators at Randolph Union Middle School believe integrated and thematic learning help students see their place and role
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How to use Google Keep for video note-taking
A recent study from Common Sense Media confirms what those of us who spend time with young adults already believe
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How to change assessment & grading practices
…in a middle level math classroom Deirdre Beaupre, a 7th grade math teacher at Lamoille Union Middle School took a
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Top 10 ways to spend a snow day
#1. Making lists As a fan of lists, I went to bed Monday night mulling over my top 10 list
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Meet Learning Lab VT 2019!
Now that you understand the why of proficiency-based and personalized learning, are you ready to see the how? Learning Lab
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The powerful practice of documenting learning
How do we know what our students know and can do? What, when, and how are we asking them to
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How to craft questions for deeper learning
Question generation is key to inquiry, goal-setting, and negotiated curriculum. And asking the right kinds of questions pushes students further.
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What’s your inquiry question?
The why and how of personalization An inquiry question forms the backbone of action research in the classroom. It guides
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The role of students in the Learning Lab
Students are an integral part of Learning Lab VT. They have to be. When educators sign up to host Learning
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Welcome to Learning Lab VT
Welcome to Learning Lab VT Ever wonder whether you’re really up to the task of meeting your learners’ needs? We
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What can we learn about proficiency from special education?
Equitable access for each & every student Many of us doing proficiency work in the state see it as a
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Stowe students lead school change
How student-adult partnerships can scaffold student leadership “Did you know that the same areas in the brain light up when
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Paths to proficiency
Choose Your Own Adventure with 3 easy tech tools Students in blended learning classrooms benefit from taking control over the
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The shifting role of the teacher in a blended learning classroom
Adding playlists into the mix We often hear about the need to move from the sage on the stage to
Read moreThe power of documentation in meaningful learning
Exercises for an LMS This past spring, a small group of Stowe Middle School students gathered to help their teachers
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Students design digital badges
Badging growth toward goals’ attainment A small group of these 6th grades at Peoples Academy wondered how they could help
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A tale of two tech tools
Students test drive tools to enhance & amplify project work When Stowe Middle Level educators met to plan for the
Read moreTelling a complex story through imagery
The power of metaphorical thinking A picture can speak a thousand words and convey a complex concept that text on
Read moreHow to run a unit across multiple schools
Get organized, then get tech Many of your current — or future — collaborators teach at other schools around the
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Using PearDeck in a proficiency-based environment
Looking at tech tools for formative assessment In a proficiency-based learning environment, frequent, flexible, and transparent assessments become cornerstones of
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3 easy tech tools for PLP reflections
Answer Garden, Flipgrid and Adobe Spark “What are you grateful for?” We posed this question to 7th grade Stowe Middle
Read moreChoose Your Own Adventure with Google Earth
The virtual reality cure for wanderlust Despite this gorgeous fall weather here in central Vermont, I’m suffering from a bad
Read moreMaintaining a teaching team
5 exercises your team can try today School is off to a rollicking start thanks to you and your team’s
Read more4 ways Vermont educators are sharing their practice
The #everydaycourage of being seen Take the iconic back-to-school prompt for students — what I did on my summer vacation — and
Read moreJ-Term at Hazen Union
Personalized, proficiency-based PBL or bust During a faculty meeting in late December of 2016, educators and staff talked about the
Read moreThree Pillars in Practice: Team Extreme IDU
Every May for the past 10 years, Lamoille Union Middle School’s Team Extreme launches an integrated unit. This year found
Read moreHow to win the VT Tech Bridge Building competition
Standard 3-part story-driven post: 1) what it is, 2) what it looks like in a school, 3) how to do it in your school
Read moreBuild personal connections in teacher advisory
“Every student gets greeted at the start of every day.” At Peoples Academy Middle Level, educators have taken the role
Read more4 ways students can control the pace of content delivery
Deliver the goods! Rather than creating a unit on the Civil War, imagine working with an individual student or small
Read moreThe tech-rich social studies classroom
Standard 3-part story-driven post: 1) what it is, 2) what it looks like in a school, 3) how to do it in your school
Read morePeer collaboration on PLPs
Standard 3-part story-driven post: 1) what it is, 2) what it looks like in a school, 3) how to do it in your school
Read moreAssessment in Proficiency-Based Classrooms
3 examples using blended learning Let’s explore how some Vermont teachers are shifting their instruction and assessment practices to move
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3 visualization exercises for proficiency-based learning
Outcomes, process and automaticity I worked with a group of teachers this summer to re-think goal-setting with their students. We
Read moreProficiency-based teaching and learning in Vermont: who, why and how
Two examples of implementing proficiency-based scales of learning Vermont educators and their students are on a journey. Let’s look at
Read more(Re) Designing PLPs with students
What Vermont students really think about personal learning plans Put 47 middle-level students together, challenge them to think differently about
Read moreAssessing tech-rich instruction
The Six Question Framework for reflection As the end of June nears and students take their final exams, clear out
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How mobile devices can enhance field trips
Deepen place-based learning and boost emotional engagement Having signed the permission slips, helped raise money, converted US dollars to Canadian,
Read moreGoing on Google Expeditions
Too many ‘awesomes’ to count. That was a note I took while experiencing students’ reactions to Google Expeditions at Lamoille
Read moreCross-school goal-setting for PLPs
Motivating students around goals by connecting schools Many Vermont students have worked hard this year establishing personal and academic goals
Read moreA community-based interdisciplinary unit
A tech-rich case study from rural Vermont The team from Hazen Union Middle School, in Hardwick, Vermont, conducted an action research project
Read moreHow ubiquitous learning spaces can spur reflection
Ubiquitous learning at the Sycamore School (Ed Note: Susan Hennessey recently traveled to Malibu, California to check out some innovative
Read moreManaging time in blended classrooms
Shifting the way we manage time to personalize learning in a blended space In my former professional life, I had
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Self-directed learning and playlists
Curating lists of online resources for deep dives into content research We have been spending much of our time here
Read moreFinding joy in the classroom
Is joy in learning an innovation? Recently, I was charmed and inspired upon seeing a first grade student’s take on
Read moreUsing Google tools to connect with other schools
Reaching beyond the walls I’m always looking for ways for educators and students at different schools to use technology to
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Exploring identity and current events with Chatterpix
Students tackle politicians’ identities Students at Peoples Academy Middle Level in Morrisville, Vermont, are exploring the theme of identity in their humanities
Read moreAct 77, Flexible Pathways and best middle level practices
Grappling with implementation In my current work with a number of Vermont middle schools, we have been trying to grapple
Read morePersonalize learning with Open Educational Resources
What they are and how to use them In a recent blog post, I suggested access to technology can empower teachers
Read moreBlended learning in the math classroom
Where is the tech in math classrooms? According to recent studies, math teachers, tend to integrate technology into their teaching less
Read moreAugmented reality and student identity
Students explore the geography of self(ies) An innovative way for students to explore who they are happens in Lori Lisai’s
Read moreLearning as a social activity
Using Vialogues for social learning Vialogues: visual dialogues. Video dialogues. (Visible violet dogs? Risible eyelet hogs? Dirigible side-slit frogs?) Vialogues
Read moreW is for Weekly Geek Podcast
Creative ways to share learning opportunities Teachers at Lamoille Union Middle/High School learn about the latest tools and resources available
Read moreP is for Performance Tasks
Using performance tasks as a way to measure student knowledge When working with a group of middle school science teachers recently
Read moreSerious PD fun with Chatterpix
“Candy apps”, or how to have fun and still learn anyway During a five minute reflection, if a student is given
Read moreN is for Nearpod
How these educators used Nearpod for professional development Educators instinctively understand the engagement power of a tool that allows learners to
Read moreK is for Kahoot
Extend learning communities beyond the classroom For a review game “killer app” recommendation, Kahoot is by far at the top
Read moreMultiple platforms, multiple voices: scenes from a 1:1 rollout
Collaborative blogging puts students’ voices out front Hazen Union School 8th grade student Elijah Lew-Smith shared the first student post of the
Read moreB is for Booktracks
Augmented reality enhances reading — with sound After being introduced to Booktrack Classroom at an ISTE 2015 session, it struck
Read moreCollaborative digital tools for faculty meetings
Go beyond back-channeling and unlock creative communication This summer, look for ways to liven up your faculty meetings and delve a little
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