Student capstone projects

Our school is exploring the idea of launching a capstone project during a student’s senior year. We’re only in the beginning phases of research right now, but we’re committed to putting this idea into practice within the next year or two. This fall, two of our teachers, Barb Cleary and Lindsey Cummings, will travel to … Continue reading →

Shark Tank, MVS style

This week, two small teams of MVS students stood in front of a panel of experienced entrepreneurs to pitch the business startups models they have been developing over the last several weeks. The audience included parents and family friends who came to watch the students in this culminating project in the entrepreneurship class at MVS. … Continue reading →

Metrics that matter

Our lives and our world are flooded with data and metrics. Because of this, some people conclude we cannot make sense of all of this knowledge and should distrust data and metrics altogether. In our work in schools, however, we have an opportunity to help students make sense of the sometimes overwhelming volume of data, … Continue reading →

Fostering student interaction with experts

No matter what the subject matter, there is always a way to enrich student learning by making connections with individuals who have had authentic or real-life experience with the topic. This happens all the time in many schools.  Here at MVS, for instance, I’ve observed classrooms where students have had the opportunity to meet and … Continue reading →

Time for student self-reflection

Busy professionals are acutely aware of the importance of creating time for reflection. It’s so easy to get caught up in the intensity and focus of our work that we all too easily fail to see an important variable or tangential idea that’s not in our immediate line of vision. I’ve found that the best … Continue reading →

Students turn theory into practice

There’s a transformative shift occurring in U.S. education. It’s a movement away from merely knowing to applying knowledge, sometimes in real-life situations. Increasing evidence from research suggests this kind of learning more fully engages the interests and capacities of students, furthering the fundamental educational goal of creating lifelong learners. I was fascinated to see an … Continue reading →

Students solving problems when they’re “stuck, frustrated, and confused”

The students in my entrepreneurship class get the chance in every class period to work on urgent, real-life problems faced by company CEOs. It’s what makes this class both exciting and demanding. Recently, a problem the students had to solve wasn’t merely complex–it seemed inscrutable and unsolvable. I knew they were struggling with it. When … Continue reading →

Taking student presentations public

By the fourth week of our entrepreneurship class, students are required to make a formal presentation in front of a company’s CEO. The students have spent the past three weeks working to solve a real-life business problem, for which the CEO does not have a definitive answer. After doing research and talking with customers, the students … Continue reading →

Essential competencies in the 21st century

This week I attended the annual conference of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) along with thousands of teachers from across the U.S. Having spent more than twenty-five years in education, it’s clear to me we’re living in a time of unprecedented innovation when it comes to education in the U.S. I believe this … Continue reading →

Leveraging the power of teamwork

Teamwork is a critical factor in the success and health of any business or organization. It’s a real-world skill, and one that is increasingly in demand in colleges and the workplace. Earlier in my life, I think I took the idea of teamwork for granted. Over the course of my professional career, I’ve always worked … Continue reading →