Wonder what it means for a group of people to huddle with some outstanding authors? Eduplanet21 hosted our first “Author Huddle” with four of our educational experts. Attendees had the opportunity to engage in a small group discussion with Mike Anderson, Art Costa, Bena Kallick, and JT Taylor.
Each of these authors spends time in schools working with educators. They discussed how they are working to address the fallout from last year’s loss of learning--and what some of their insights are on how schools might use the urgency of this time to energize their thinking.
Mike Anderson talked about the importance of creating an environment that is rich with opportunities to build a student’s intrinsic motivation. A colleague who participated in the huddle was intrigued by some of his suggestions such as reflecting on the choices that we give students.
Bena Kallick and Art Costa eagerly joined the conversation and supported the idea that we need to focus on the whole school as a place that focuses on thinking. They suggested that the Habits of Mind serve as a “meta” curriculum. For example, it is important to think flexibly whether in math, science, ELA, or social studies.
JT Taylor heartily agreed and added the important dimension of systems thinking. He suggested that this is a time when we can take on the questions of equity and inclusion by re-visioning--what do we really value in our school culture? What really matters? Once we establish that vision, we can build our curriculum, instruction, and assessment to target our statements of what we value.
It was clear to the participants that these authors offered wisdom as well as concrete ideas for practice.
Do you wish you had the opportunity to engage with our experts in a small group conversation? Be sure to look for future huddles with other groups of experts! In fact, we still have a few spots left in our November 17th Huddle, featuring Carol Tomlinson, Krista Leh, and Jay McTighe!
If you’d like to learn more about their professional learning institutes and how you can utilize these with your team, request a meeting with a member of the Eduplanet21 team!
