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History Teacher
& Technologist
Upcoming Events
Presenting at CAIS (Head Royce School) 3/09/15
Workshop on Project Based Learning with iPads
TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
DESIGN THINKING
PROJECT BASED LEARNING
I want my students to engage with rigor and complexity of the real world. My teaching has always been about getting closer to that goal.
WHY DESIGN THINKING?
For the last two years, I have been attending training at Stanford's dSchool K12 lab. It doesn't mean every history project is a design project. It does mean that I spend more time having students practice empathy and observation skills, focusing on the idea that work is done in iterations, and foremost celebrating failure as the best learning opportunities.
WHY PROJECT BASED LEARNING?
Working with others to present something real to an external audience is a powerful motivator,
it is the strongest tool in my classroom. It is why I return to High Tech High regularly to refine my project-based instruction.
Using the the Lean Startup Model in Edu
Startup Weekend Edu has been a formative event in my mastery of design instruction. It is why I teach my students to develop an Android app for Chinese teenagers when we study contemporary Chinese culture. They then pitch it in a public presentation to real venture capitalists (36Kr, Asia's Tech Crunch, Video of Student Pitch). April 11-13, 2014, I organized the first Startup Weekend Edu for middle schoolers.
Click to see what kids can do!
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