Thoughts and reflections on teaching and learning – Cohort 21 Member Blog
Written by Garth Nichols
I took up this book in an effort to contribute understanding to a shared language around school transformation. This book, written by James Rickabaugh and Tony Frontier, was published in 2014, but much of what they say still has important implications to educational transformation, and the forces acting on education’s systems and structures. This book […]
Written by Garth Nichols
U2 is one of my all time favourite bands. Beautiful Day is one of their biggest hits. We are hoping that our version of “Beautiful Day” in education is just as successful in our community! This year, my school is attempting some new – we are calling them “Day 9”s. These are 4 calendared days […]
Written by Garth Nichols
Project Based Learning is far more than simply setting students on a path to complete a project on a given date. Rather, Project Based Learning is a complex pedagogy that requires attention, a shift in one’s role as a teacher and one’s mindset. I believe that Project Based Learning is a combination between student skills and […]
Written by Garth Nichols
If we would have new knowledge, we must get a whole world of new questions. ~ Susanne K. Langer The world’s citizens need to think and act differently. In many ways, this begins with our education system. In a recent blog by Grant Lichtman, entitled “The Problem is Not Climate Change; the Problem is Irrational […]
Written by Garth Nichols
Clayton Christensen, in his latest book “Competing Against Luck”, puts innovation under the microscope. Like all things under a microscope, minutiae is revealed, studied and made clearer. He frames his book as an answer to below: Is innovation truly a crapshoot? Or is innovation difficult because we don’t know what causes it to succeed? You […]
Written by Garth Nichols
If we already know WHY we need to change education, and WHAT changes need to be made, then we have to really examine the WHY…Why hasn’t it changed? What are the obstacles to real change, and from where are these changes originating? Answers to these questions are becoming more and more clear for me, thanks […]
Written by Garth Nichols
George Couros is a Canadian educational leader, who is also prolific social media contributor. He espouses innovation in education, and through his posts has created a sea change in the way people are talking about education, and its future. This is a book that coalesces these thoughts, and adds in some excellent examples of innovation. […]
Written by Garth Nichols
Quiet is the Sound of Leadership… Quiet, by Susan Cain, is expertly researched, and written with a very digestible, intimate voice such that any educator would be hard pressed to not recognize themselves, a student, parent or administrator in her stories and recounting of people’s experiences. Full disclosure, on took the QUIET TEST and found […]
Written by Garth Nichols
Seth Godin’s post today: I was paging through a photo set that someone sent along and when I hit the left button one too many times, the screen popped up and said, “you’ve reached the beginning.” I guess that’s right here. And right now. Always. Sunk costs are real, but when making a new decision, […]
Written by Garth Nichols
What does “Student Voice” look like? What does it sound like? What does it feel like? The answers aren’t always comfortable – sometimes these answer can be downright problematic. And sometimes not. If I’ve learned one thing over the last two weeks, it’s that student voice is the thread that keeps the culture of the […]
