CultusMaybe you were not aware that the famous Director George Lucas has a well established Educational Foundation called Edutopia. With a dedication to improving the K-12 learning process, they support the documenting, disseminating and advocating innovative, replicable, and evidence-based educational strategies, which prepare students to thrive in their future education, careers, and adult lives.
Vision
The new world of learning is a place where students and parents, teachers and administrators, policymakers and the people they serve, are empowered to change education for the better.
Learning should be the place where schools provide rigorous project-based learning, social-emotional learning and access to new technology.
Education should be a place where innovation is the rule, not the exception, a place where students become lifelong learners and develop 21st-century skills, especially in the following three fundamental skills:
- finding information
- assessing the quality of information
- creatively and effectively use the information to accomplish a goal
Edutopia is a place of inspiration and aspiration based on the urgent belief that improving education is literally the key segment to the survival of the human race. It provides not just the vision for this new world of learning, but the real-world information and community connections to make it a reality.
Activities
They are aware that K-12 education can be better, but unfortunately, many people don’t know what better looks like. Edutopia people recognize that in order to have innovations spread wider, educators and parents, as well as business and community leaders, must first see and understand the changes and opportunities. They have three primary sets of activities:
- Actual producing of Edutopia.org and related social media. This has been created in a direction to inspire, inform and accelerate positive change in schools and districts by shining a spotlight on evidence-based strategies that improve learning and engagement for students.
- Growing a movement of change agents, who share best practices and professional development, in order to bring innovation to education and improve student achievement.
- Collaborating with researchers, teacher leaders and curriculum experts to provide more evidence to transform learning
Edutopia is a nonpartisan organization, and does not take positions on any legislation or ballot measures, nor does it endorse or oppose any candidates in elections to public office.
Core strategies for innovation and reform in learning
Edutopia is strongly dedicated to transforming the learning process by helping educators implement the strategies they have established in their programs. These strategies together with the educators, who implement them, are empowering students to think critically, access and analyze information, solve problems creatively, work collaboratively, and communicate with clarity and impact. With valuable resources, researchers, experts, and fellows, Edutopia members are changing the schools.
Main focus
Effective assessment should be used to measure the full range of students’ ability, including social, emotional, and academic achievement. Multiple learning styles are supported through various measures, including portfolios, presentations and tests.
Guide: Top Ten Tips for Assessing Project-Based Learning
In order to increase engagement and retention, academic subjects are presented in an interdisciplinary fashion that reflects modern knowledge and society. For example subjects like history, literature, and art can be interwoven and taught through text, images, and sound.
Long-term and student-centred, project learning is a rigorous hands-on approach all created in learning core subject matter and basic skills with meaningful activities that examine the complex, real-world issues. Project learning helps students develop and retain useful, working knowledge of subjects that are often taught in isolation and abstraction.
You can learn more about this at:
1. Schools That Work: Replicating Project-Based Learning Success
2. Research Review: Best Practices and Components of Success
Students working together on project teams, learn to collaborate, communicate, and resolve conflicts. This is the reason why Edutopia has emphasized the cooperative learning and character development, that supports the social and emotional development of students and prepares them for success in the modern workplace.
– Schools That Work: Social and Emotional Learning in Louisville
– Research Review: Learning Outcomes and Evidence-Based Programs
Teachers’ development
The human element is still the most valuable element in education. Teachers, administrators and parents play critical roles in coaching and guiding students through the learning process, nurturing students’ interests and confidence as learners.
Intelligent use of technology, combined with new approaches to education, in a more personalized style of learning can be realized and this is where Edutopia has contributed and is developing further.
1.Guide: Top Ten Tips for Teaching with New Media
2.30 Great Tech Makeovers for the Classroom
3.Research Review: Program Recommendations and Tips for Successful Integration
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