This document discusses thoughtful school reform for the 21st century that goes beyond just tools. It advocates for a student-centered, inquiry-driven approach with a focus on developing citizenry rather than just workforce. Technology should be used transparently to transform how creation, research, collaboration and presentation occur. The goal is for schools to be caring institutions that are community-based, collaborative, integrated and help students develop meta-cognitive skills through passion-driven learning. Traditional classrooms focus on recall-based tests and homework, while 21st century models emphasize understanding-driven projects, participation and assessments.

1. Beyond Tools:
Thoughtful 21st Century School Reform
Chris Lehmann
Science Leadership Academy
Philadelphia, PA

2. Why This Matters

3. My Bias:
School 2.0 is
Progressive
Education with 21st
Century Tools

4. More Bias:
Citizenry, Not Workforce

5. One Last Bias:
Public Education =

6. The World In Which We Live:
The Maddening Paradox of Education 2010.

7. Things Are Different
Know The Difference Between
Change and Innovation

8. Neil Postman:
Certain Technologies Are
Not Additive, They Are
Transformative

9. Technology Like Oxygen
Ubiquitous, Necessary and Invisible

10. Technology Transforms:
Creation
Research
Collaboration
Presentation
Networking

11. A Convenient And Reasonably False Taxonomy
Research Collaborate Create Network Present
RSS Wikis Blogging Twitter uStream
Google
Del.icio.us Docs Drupal Skype Flickr
Google Moodle Podcasting Facebook iTunes U
Wikipedia Digital Films IM Voicethread
Email

12. Tell A Better Story:
We Must Have Vision
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lnx/6257130/

13. Caring Institutions
We Teach Kids, Not

14. Inquiry Driven
What are the questions we
can ask together?

15. Student Centered
It’s Not About Us.

16. Teacher-
Kids Need Adults

17. Community-Based
We can learn from many

18. Collaborative
Synthesis Works

19. Passionate
And it has to matter.

20. Integrated
The day has to make sense

21. Meta-Cognitive
We need to think
about thinking.

22. The Goal
Thoughtful Passionate
Wise Kind

23. Discussion:
What Is Your Vision
For Your School?

24. How Do We
Innovate?

25. Be Humbled By
The Task

26. Ideas Must Live In Practice
Build Systems and Structures that Reflect Your

27. Common Language of
Teaching and Learning

28. Common Inputs

29. Common Process

30. Common Outputs

31. Traditional
Classrooms:
Recall-Based
Tests
Homework
Projects
Class Participation

32. SLA:
Understanding-
Driven
Projects
Homework
Class Participation
Tests & Quizzes

33. ILPs and Capstones

34. The Schedule

35. Hiring

36. Discussion:
Examine One System or Structure of a
Typical School.
How can you change it to better reflect
your values / mission?

37. Continue the
Conversation
Dream big in every community

38. Empower
the Kids
It is their education, and it will be their
world

39. Conversations:
• Who are the stakeholders?
• How can they be brought into this
vision?
• What fears do you need to address?
• How will the student voice be part of
the discussion?

40. Keep Asking
Questions
And Don’t Settle For Easy Answers

41. Hard Questions:
• What is the worst consequence of
your best idea?
• How can you mitigate them?
• What are the obstacles to this
change?
• How can you overcome them?

42. Don’t Forget to
Slow Down
Be intentional in the use of tools and time

43. Life Questions:
• How are the lives of teachers different
in this model?
• How are the students’ lives different?
• How will you deal with the change?

44. Be Willing to Be
Transformed
We Have So Much Left to Learn

45. Keep In Touch:
Chris Lehmann
Science Leadership Academy
chris@practicaltheory.org
http://www.practicaltheory.org
Twitter: chrislehmann
Skype: chrislehmann
EduCon 2.4 -- Jan. 27-29, 2012
http://educon23.org