Stevemiranda

LATEST ARTICLES ( 270 )

• Open Mic (from the Archives)

  PSCS recently held an open mic event for anyone who wanted to sing, play music, or otherwise perform.My favorite moment came when one of our four teachers picke... Read more

  Posted on 10 November 2011 DEBATE, SCHOOLING, SOCIETY

• Beautiful Things Grow . . . (from the Archives)

  [NOTE: This is a reposting of something I wrote back in June.]I just finished David Shenk’s awesome book, The Genius in All of Us. Read more

  Posted on 09 November 2011 DEBATE, SCHOOLING, SOCIETY

• A Great Learning Environment is Not Hard to Create

  Yesterday, I wrote about two assumptions we make when forcing students into required classes: 1) because they’re taking the class, students will therefore... Read more

  Posted on 08 November 2011 DEBATE, FAMILY, SCHOOLING, SOCIETY

• We Train Students to Tolerate Boredom for Long Stretches of Time, They Bring Tha...

  When we force students to take a required class, we assume two things: Because someone is teaching the material to them, the student will therefore learn it. Read more

  Posted on 07 November 2011 DEBATE, FAMILY, SCHOOLING, SOCIETY

• Khan Academy Does Not Constitute an Education Revolution, but I’ll Tell You...

  Chris Anderson, the visionary leader of the TED conference, recently wrote about “The Year’s 7 Most Powerful Ideas.” He highlights some important stuff, but... Read more

  Posted on 06 November 2011 DEBATE, FAMILY, SCHOOLING, SOCIETY

• Relevance (from the Archives)

  I love talking to first-year teachers. “You know, in graduate school they talk about making it ‘personally relevant to students.’ You have to make your lesson... Read more

  Posted on 04 November 2011 DEBATE, FAMILY, SCHOOLING, SOCIETY

• The Peter Principle in Reverse

  

  I had an awesome conversation today with Drs. Brock and Fernette Eide, a pair of brain researchers who have specific expertise in dyslexia. Read more

  Posted on 03 November 2011 DEBATE, SCHOOLING, SOCIETY

• The Workplace of the Future Belongs to . . .

  I came across two stories in the news today that illuminated important themes about the changing workplace. First, from The Economist:“It’s been one of the... Read more

  Posted on 02 November 2011 DEBATE, FAMILY, SCHOOLING, SOCIETY

• Middle School

  

  When I was in middle school growing up in New Jersey, I convinced my mother to take me to a trendy clothing store called Trenton Joe’s where I could buy the... Read more

  Posted on 31 October 2011 DEBATE, SCHOOLING, SOCIETY

• Rats (from the Archives)

  

  I just started reading a fascinating book by David Shenk called, The Genius in All of Us: Why Everything You’ve Been Taught About Genetics, Talent, and IQ is... Read more

  Posted on 30 October 2011 DEBATE, SCHOOLING, SOCIETY

• Finding Joe

  

  I saw a brilliant movie tonight, and I want to use tonight’s post to recommend that you go see it. And you should bring two friends, then go out for coffee... Read more

  Posted on 29 October 2011 DEBATE, FAMILY, SCHOOLING, SOCIETY

• How Important is the Level of Academic Rigor in Your Child’s Preschool?

  In the news today, a New York City mother is suing her child’s preschool for a refund of the $19,000 tuition check she wrote at the start of the school year. Read more

  Posted on 28 October 2011 DEBATE, FAMILY, SCHOOLING, SOCIETY

• How to Create Schools That Help Kids to Learn to Overcome Boredom, Instead of...

  PSCS just finished “Intensives Week.” That’s when we freeze the regularly scheduled classes and students sign up for one class that lasts all day, every day,... Read more

  Posted on 27 October 2011 DEBATE, FAMILY, SCHOOLING, SOCIETY

• Ray (from the Archives)

  I went to high school with a great guy named Ray, a person for whom I had great respect—maybe even a touch of envy. Ray wore a black leather jacket and a heavy... Read more

  Posted on 26 October 2011 DEBATE, FAMILY, SCHOOLING, SOCIETY

• We’ve Invited Students to the Track, Given Them Sprinter’s Shoes, and Now We...

  I was telling a friend today about an experience I had while teaching in a traditional school.The students in this particular class were all very high achievers... Read more

  Posted on 25 October 2011 DEBATE, FAMILY, SCHOOLING, SOCIETY

• The Digital Revolution is Not About the Digital

  My favorite sports writer is a guy named Bill Simmons, from ESPN.com. He also hosts a podcast in which he invites prominent guests on his show to talk sports.Hi... Read more

  Posted on 24 October 2011 DEBATE, FAMILY, SCHOOLING, SOCIETY

• Teaching is a Flat Career Path (from the Archives)

  Huffington Post education writer Jessica Prois recently pondered how we can close the “revolving door” of teachers who enter the profession but leave within fiv... Read more

  Posted on 23 October 2011 DEBATE, FAMILY, SCHOOLING, SOCIETY

• Why We Need to Stop Deluding Ourselves with “learning Objectives”

  The traditional way of looking at classroom education is through “learning objectives.” That is, the teacher has identified what students need to know and be... Read more

  Posted on 22 October 2011 DEBATE, FAMILY, SCHOOLING, SOCIETY

• Trapezing

  Last week, a PSCS student picked up some information that there was space available in a trapezing workshop later that day.The information lit a fire under her. Read more

  Posted on 21 October 2011 DEBATE, FAMILY, SCHOOLING, SOCIETY

• The Point of School in One Sentence

  Here it is, the point of school in one sentence. (It’s a really long sentence, so I’ve included ellipses to break up the text. Read more

  Posted on 20 October 2011 DEBATE, FAMILY, SCHOOLING, SOCIETY