Key Resource:
Teaching for Lifelong Learning: How to Prepare Students for a Changing World
Read this book to discover why we need a lifelong learning approach to education, and examine four key goals for educational success today and tomorrow. Explore many practical ways to put these lifelong learning educational goals into practice in order to improve instruction, assessment, and curriculum. Learn how students can not only thrive in the classroom today but also learn how they can deftly navigate an uncertain and changing world.
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A free book study guide for independent reading support and for school or district book study is available HERE
Watch 45 minute webinar and download handout, Becoming a Lifelong Learning Educator: Teaching for Student Success Today, Tomorrow, and Beyond HERE
Additional Lifelong Learning Education Web Resources
Scroll down for some general lifelong learning education web resources, as well as web resources for instruction, assessment, curriculum, project based learning, and civics education.
General Resources
Some general resources helpful for many parts of the lifelong learning education approach.
Edutopia - https://www.edutopia.org/
Edutopia is a website filled with interesting blogs, videos, and more, “dedicated to transforming K-12 education so that all students can acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to thrive in their studies, careers, and adult lives.” Some blogs that I particularly like:
If you're not failing, you're not learning
· Expeditionary Learning - https://eleducation.org/
“When students and teachers are engaged in work that is challenging, adventurous and meaningful, learning and achievement flourish. Our mission is to create classrooms where teachers can fulfill their highest aspirations, and students achieve more than they think possible, becoming active contributors to building a better world”. In this approach, among other things, students demonstrate proficiency and deeper understanding, apply their learning, thinking critically, and communicate clearly, and work to become effective learners. Many resources are provided on this website to help attain this vision, including real world curricular units and invigorating instructional approaches.
· Jay mctighe www.jaymctighe.com
Jay McTighe is the co-founder of the Understand by Design (UbD) model of curriculum development, which is explored in chapter 4 as a key curriculum design framework for lifelong learning. Especially useful are the many resources found on this website, including readings and articles, curriculum design websites, websites that provide examples of performance tasks and assessments, and so on. Worth browsing for its rich array of resources related to lifelong learning.
· Bob Pearlman www.bobpearlman.org
Bob Pearlman has put together information about the variety of ways teachers, schools and districts are attempting to strengthen teaching and learning in order to adapt education to this changing world. Bob’s website and information is very eclectic – he does not focus directly on lifelong learning. But there is a great deal of information that will be useful to someone looking to better understand new approaches to lifelong learning, project based learning and so on.
· Coalition for Effective Schools (CES) –
For many years, CES was one of the key organizations supporting a more rigorous education. It’s common principles include “less is more: depth over coverage”, “learning to use one’s mind well”, and many other similar principles. Many schools and districts across the United States participated in the Coalition and its annual conference. While this organization no longer exists, the website still is available and maintained, and has a number of resources that relate to rigorous learning.
Instruction Resources
Resources that provide practical help and support for teaching for lifelong learning.
· Ron Ritchhart: - https://www.ronritchhart.com/
Ron Ritchhart has written extensively on how to incorporate thinking skills into daily educational implementation. His website, contains multiple helpful tools and resources (some for purchase) designed to create a culture of thinking, develop what he calls “thinking routines”, and to “make thinking visible” in the classroom.
· Fourteen Activators that will make your lessons pop https://www.comprehensionconnection.net/2019/01/fourteen-activators-that-will-give-your.html
Although seems to be geared to elementary grades, activities found here can easily be adapted to secondary. education
· 168 Writing Prompts (and more) to Spark Discussion and Reflection
· Interactive Notebooks: Meeting the Needs of English language Learners, http://www.esc4.net/users/0205/inb_ell.pdf
This PDF document “explains how to organize Interactive Notebooks. Although designed for English language learners, the notebook ideas can be used in any subject and at any level.
· Interactive Science Notebooks https://www.liberty.k12.ga.us/pdf/TandL/InteractiveNotebooks.pdf
Examines how to use Interactive notebooks in science, but the ideas examined here can be applied to other subjects and levels as well.
· World History Interactive Notebook Examples
Examines ways to use an Interactive Notebook in a World History class, but ideas also transfer to other social studies classes and other subjects.
https://rhs.rocklinusd.org/subsites/World-History/Interactive-Notebook/
· Graphic organizer makers
Provides a variety of free graphic organizers for download, but also enables the user to create customized graphic organizers.
· Learning Technology Hub, University of British Columbia - https://lthub.ubc.ca/
The learning Technology Hub “is a central resource where faculty and staff can explore the learning technology tools available...for use in traditional classrooms, blended courses, and fully online learning. This site recommends effective tools for different learning technology uses, provides guidance on using…educational tools, and shares project updates… related to teaching with technology.”
Assessment Resources
Resources that provide help and support for assessing for lifelong learning.
· 7 Smart, Fast Ways to Do Formative Assessment
https://www.edutopia.org/article/7-smart-fast-ways-do-formative-assessment
•. The New York Performance Standards Consortium - http://www.performanceassessment.org/ -
This consortium focuses on using performances as an alternative to “reflect a fuller picture of what students know and can do”. It is designed to measure such things as in-depth literacy, problem solving, the ability to understand and use the scientific method. It provides students with many and varied mediums for exhibiting learning and student work. Multiple schools in New York are part of the consortium, sharing insights and ideas about performance assessments. The website includes many examples of school policies, tasks, student work, rubrics and other resources that are helpful to anyone interested in moving in this direction.
· Performance Assessment Resource Bank - www.performanceassessmentresourcebank.org -
This website contained high quality, expert reviewed performance tasks necessary to support the use of performance assessment for rigorous learning.
· The California Performance Assessment Collaborative - https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/project/california-performance-assessment-collaborative -
“The California Performance Assessment Collaborative (CPAC) represents educators, policymakers, and researchers who are working to study and advance the use of authentic approaches to assessment, such as presentations, projects, and portfolios, which require students to demonstrate applied knowledge of content and use of 21st century skills.”
· Rubistar http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php
Rubistar is a free tool to help teachers download and develop rubrics. Provides the developer with categories of items to help organize rubrics for different purposes. Very useful website
· High School Portfolios http://www.electronicportfolios.com/hs/index.html
This site includes comprehensive information on how to develop high school portfolios, the requirements examples, and much more. Highly useful.
· Digital Portfolios, Livebinder. http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=647327
“While there are several great web resources out there for creating Digital Portfolios, I wanted to bring together some of those resources, with examples, in one place. The impetus for this was a need for sharing with educators the option of different forms of assessment and how we can leverage digital tools to curate a portrait of student learning”.
Curriculum Resources
Understanding by Design
Jay McTighe is the co-founder of the Understand by Design (UbD) model of curriculum development, which is explored in chapter 4 of Teaching for Lifelong Learning as a key curriculum design framework for lifelong learning. Especially useful are the many resources found on this website, including readings and articles about UbD, additional UbD curriculum design websites, websites that provide examples of performance tasks and assessments, and so on. Worth browsing for its rich array of resources related to designing a curriculum for greater student success and for a lifelong learning education..
· Curriculum Mapping https://www.aeseducation.com/blog/what-is-a-curriculum-map-and-how-do-you-make-one
This blogpost identifies ways to use technology to help develop curriculum maps. Three well-known curriculum mapping software programs are identified, each of which provides on-line templates for curriculum mapping and directions for how to develop curriculum maps. The blogpost also provides some direction for how to get started with curriculum maps and some important things to consider as they are developed.
· Active Learning curricula http://activatelearning.com/
This website suggests and describes curriculum materials that support lifelong learning criteria at all levels and in many subjects. Its curriculum products include Active Physics, Interactive Mathematics Program (learning focused around interdisciplinary math problems), and Conceptual Math.
· Science Curricula - https://scienceeducation.stanford.edu/
SCALE science education provides curriculum frameworks that support meaningful student goals with project-based learning. The group has developed middle school science and interdisciplinary curricula that are available to download without cost, on science units such as energy, cells and body systems, variation and heredity, and climate change.
· Teacher’s Curriculum Institute - https://www.teachtci.com/
Teacher’s Curriculum Institute (TCI) “…creates science and social studies curriculum to enable educators to improve their ability to engage students in a diverse classroom. Our K-12 curriculum and services for educators are based on [developing understanding and key skills through] proven teaching strategies and practices that bring education to life. … “.
· History-Civics Curriculum Ideas
This site - the Stanford History Education Group - offers many “lifelong learning education” curriculum ideas and plans for teaching history and civics..
· SERP Institute curricula https://www.serpinstitute.org/
This research-based organization has created practical curriculum materials, easily accessible, that promotes literacy through vocabulary building and interesting issues (Word Gen), mathematics curriculum aids such as “Tools for Sense-Making in Mathematics”, middle school science materials, and supportive materials.
Civic Education Resources
ABOTA Foundation
https://www.abota.org/index.cfm?pg=YouthEducation
The ABOTA Foundation provides free civics and law-related education resources and programs to teachers and students. Lesson plan topics include media literacy; civic participation in the justice system; the Constitution; federal and state courts; judicial independence; Magna Carta; trial by jury; and separation of powers. ABOTA also offers the James Otis Lecture Series on the Constitution and Teachers Law School, a crash course in the law and legal system for middle and high school educators.
https://www.abota.org/index.cfm?pg=YouthEducation
The American Bar Association: Division for Public Education
AmericanBar.org
The educational outreach pages of the ABA offer information and resources for educators, as well as information on the ABA civic education programs for young people.
Annenberg Classroom
AnnenbergClassroom.org
The Leonore Annenberg Institute for Civics sponsors the Annenberg Classroom website, which offers extensive resources focused on civics education, including lesson plans, videos, and discussion boards.
The Center for Civic Education. CivicEd.org
A nonprofit, nonpartisan educational corporation dedicated to promoting an enlightened and responsible citizenry committed to democratic principles and actively engaged in the practice of democracy in the United States and other countries.
Choices Program at Brown University
Choices.edu
The Choices Program gives high school educators information on how to explore history and current events with their students to help them become active citizens and future decision makers.
iCivics
iCivics.org
The brainchild of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, this interactive website aims to teach students civics and to inspire them to be active participants in our democracy. The site provides information, resources, and games for students.
ProCon.org
ProCon.org
This website promotes critical thinking and informed citizenship by presenting the pro and con arguments to controversial issues in a straightforward, nonpartisan, freely accessible way. Examples of issues addressed on this site include the presidential election, policing issues, medical marijuana, gun control, homework, the electoral college, and illegal immigration. ProCon.org is a part of the The Britannica® Group of companies.
Teaching Civics
Teaching civics.org
Teachingcivics.org supports educators with an ever-growing repository of current, professionally vetted, and unbiased civics, law-related education, and government lesson plans and materials. These lessons include materials developed by Learning Law and Democracy Foundation and lessons written by others, vetted with links to their sources.
Project Based Learning Resources
· Buck Institute for Education
https://www.pblworks.org/?ACT=37&id=Fq07H35NRd
This website is “all about Project Based Learning”, and offers, among other things, multiple resources, professional development services, definitions and descriptions, and examples of projects.
· High Tech High Sample Projects
https://www.hightechhigh.org/student-work/student-projects/
The projects displayed here are sample projects that include student work. Many good examples are represented here to give indicators and ideas of how student projects can be organized.
· Capstone Design Process - https://sites.google.com/a/mc2stemhs.net/capstone-design-process/capstone-planning
This website describes a capstone design process - graduation projects - using four phases – determining big ideas, operationalizing big ideas, assessment development, and choreography of learning. Based on Understanding by Design, it supports the development of capstone projects, and also provides examples of capstone projects. It also has links to additional resources, such as project based learning, that supports rigorous learning goals.
· How to exhibit student work https://www.shareyourlearning.org/exhibition/
The Hewlett Foundation has created an excellent “Exhibition Toolkit” designed to lay out the process for developing student exhibitions in order to celebrate student work. In addition to some specific suggestions on how to set up exhibitions, the resource includes a number of additional resources.