UnCommon Learning techniques set the stage for mastery and true student engagement Integrate digital media and new applications with purpose and build a culture of learning with pleasure! Let students use real-world tools to do real-world work and develop skills society demands. Be the leader who creates this environment. UnCommon Learning shows you how to transform a learning culture through sustainable and innovative initiatives. It moves straight to the heart of using innovations such as Makerspaces, Blended Learning and Microcredentials. Included in the book: Vignettes to illustrate key ideas Real life examples to show what works Graphs and data to prove initiatives’ impact

The Gatekeepers is a comprehensive review of many parts of a school system that resist change. For all stakeholders to embrace improvement, they need to know what habits, practices and indifference act as barriers to growth and change. This book reveals insiders insights into what gates exist, how to navigate around them, and why it is important to risk new ways of doing school.

Empower learners to think disruptively in your classroom or school... The world continues to change in ways that are difficult to predict. Regardless of the forces at hand, educators play a pivotal role in preparing students for success now and in the future. Eric Sheninger makes the compelling case that the best way to do this is to future-proof learning for ALL kids by creating a disruptive thinking culture in our classrooms and schools. Broken into four parts, this book combines stories, insight from thousands of school visits, practical strategies, research, and examples from classrooms to assist educators in transforming their practice. Each chapter ends with a "disruptive challenge" that encourages readers to actively apply concepts from the book into their professional practice. Readers will develop an understanding that: Disruptive change is the new normal. As such, our mindset must evolve in ways that help students develop meaningful competencies critical for their success in an unpredictable world. Comfort is the enemy of growth. We must critically evaluate if the way things have always been done in the classroom sets learners up for success now and in the future. Improvement in all we do is a never-ending journey. Learning is a process, not an event. It requires educators to develop and use instructional practices and pedagogical techniques that meet the unique needs of all students. Outlier practices promote disruptive thinking. Some innovative educational practices add value while others do not. When we discover new and better ways of empowering learners, we must act, making "outlier" practices the new norm. Packed with ready-to-use ideas and embedded resources, including the latest digital tools, templates, and artifacts from real classrooms, readers will learn: Why a mindset shift is essential in preparing learners for an unpredictable world.How to implement strategies that focus on developing critical competencies.How to ensure equity through personalization.What to reflect on to improve and build powerful relationships.

With all that we know about how students learn, the nature of the world they will face after graduation, and the educational inequities that have existed for centuries, maintaining a traditional, one-size-fits-all approach to teaching and learning is tantamount to instructional malpractice. International security, the success of global economies, and sustainability as a global society all depend on the success of our education system in the years to come. It’s our obligation to prepare our students for their future—not our past. Authors Eric C. Sheninger and Thomas C. Murray outline eight keys—each a piece of a puzzle for transforming the K–12 education system of teaching and learning—to intentionally design tomorrow’s schools so today’s learners are prepared for success . . . and stand ready to create new industries, find new cures, and solve world problems. The traditional model of schooling ultimately prepares students for the industrial model of the past. If we want our students to become successful citizens in a global society, we must dramatically shift to a more personal approach. Failure is not an option. We can no longer wait. Let Learning Transformed show you how you can be a part of the solution. The authors encourage you to use the hashtag #LT8Keys to continue the discussion online.

Lead for efficacy in these disruptive times! Cultivating a school culture focused on the achievement of students while anticipating change is imperative, but it’s tough to keep up with varying leadership demands when it seems like society and technology are constantly changing as well! Moving beyond the skills and tools introduced in the first edition, this revamped second edition features: New organization emphasizing the interconnectivity of the Pillars of Digital Leadership Innovative strategies and leadership practices that enhance school culture and drive learning improvement Updated vignettes from digital leaders who have successfully implemented the included strategies New online resources, informative graphics, and end of chapter guiding questions

Would you rather people saw you as open or closed minded? The answer should be obvious. Why is it then that we tend to allow our legacy systems in education to be closed, when they clearly don't enable the same level of performance as open ones. This phenomena is well-established in education, where many educators tend towards isolation, in-fighting, and hoarding resources from each other. Meanwhile, students often have lack a clarity of purpose in terms of how what they are working on relates to things they care about in the wider world. Stuck inside an unengaging status quo, many students see "doing school" as irrelevant to their interests and ambitions. This book is the antidote to this closure: from the classroom to system-wide policy. It is a call-to-action for educators who want to become relentless collaborators networked with professionals in and outside the school. They are then poised to quicken the pace of innovation through accessing the endless supply of free knowledge available to them. This is the definitive resource on how to create an “Open Way Learning” ecosystem in your school, district, or region.

Shift to blended learning to transform education Blended learning has the power to reinvent education, but the transition requires a new approach to learning and a new skillset for educators. Loaded with research and examples, Blended Learning in Action demonstrates the advantages a blended model has over traditional instruction when technology is used to engage students both inside the classroom and online. Readers will find: Breakdowns of the most effective classroom setups for blended learning Tips for leaders Ideas for personalizing and differentiating instruction using technology Strategies for managing devices in schools Questions to facilitate professional development and deeper learning