Student Centered Learning

Our intrepid Lumen8ers, discussing 21st Century Learning!

We talk a lot about student centered learning. Not just the education community at large, we specifically mean at the Lumen Touch office. This summer, we have a cohort of some amazing Lumen8 Educators spending the summer with us to bridge the gap between the community and the classroom!

We spoke a lot about letting students own the classroom, counting on them to present to the outside community, and have other be the final arbiters of grades.

Read on for more techniques, on the classroom, building, and district level!

What We Don’t Know

Effectively integrating technology into a learning environment is never as easy as it seems. Last week ShiftED highlighted an article about why ed tech is not transforming the way teachers teach. This week, we take a look at the effects this “ed tech gap” will have on young people’s earning potential and on the workforce of the future. Head over to the study by Change the Equation for the hard hitting facts and some practical solutions to get things moving in the right direction.

Gates Ways

Some of America’s favorite innovators are college dropouts. And educators can feel more than a little daunted when defending their value in the face of multibillionaires’ successes sans formal education. In response to edu-skeptics (and in support of higher ed) Microsoft’s Bill Gates published a reflection on the importance of obtaining a college degree. A New York Times article bolsters Gates’ post with even more research.

Our favorite highlights:

‘“The problem isn’t that not enough people are going to college,” Mr. Gates writes. “The problem is that not enough people are finishing.”’

“Education, as David Autor, the M.I.T. economist, notes, is not a game of musical chairs. More educated societies generally become richer, healthier and better functioning over time.”

What will be the legacy of the class of 2015?

In a great Op-Ed for the Oakland Tribune, Scott Morgan, Founder and CEO of Education Pioneers, explains why education can be an exciting, challenging, and rewarding path for young graduates.

Teaching experience can be powerful and life-changing.
After teachers, skilled leaders and managers have the highest impact on a student’s learning.
Leaders in education take on complex and challenging problems, as they would in any other field. But in education, the stakes are higher and the rewards oftentimes more meaningful.

Impact, legacy and the greater good are all important aspects of a career, and energetic young grads will find all of those in education! Read on to find more benefits at the Education Pioneers blog.

Know a young person in education or want to meet some? Connect with us! At avoleti@lumentouch.com.