Monday Must-Reads - April 10, 2017

As a means to try to get myself writing in this space a bit more, I am starting each week by sharing three posts that I came across during the previous week that struck a chord with me. While my intentions are mainly self-serving, I am also hoping that a few folks might catch a post that they missed. 

Let's see how many weeks I can keep this up...Two weeks and counting...


1. Getting Past the Attention-Span Myth (Thoughts on Creative Focus) - John Spencer

In this post, John Spencer touches upon the misconception that it is impossible to get the attention of students today due to the negative impacts of screen-time:

"The issue isn’t attention span. It’s engagement. No, it’s not just engagement. It’s empowerment — the kind of empowerment that happens when you are fully immersed in creative play."

Spencer shares six strategies to help get students in a focused state. 

2. Neurodiversity: The Future of Special Education? - Thomas Armstrong


In this article from ASCD's Educational Leadership, Armstrong shares a new model for Special Education that gets away from looking at student deficits and instead focuses on strengths:

"At some point, the field of special education needs to rid itself of its negative baggage and embrace a more progressive way of educating students who learn differently. The concept of neurodiversity provides thecatalyst for such a change."

3. THE FUTURE IS NOW: METRICS OF INNOVATION IN SCHOOLS - Grant Lichtman

This post by Grant Lichtman focuses on the need for schools to look at how they measure their level of innovation as an organization. While this can be a difficult task for many schools, Lichtman notes that it is a necessity to ensure relevance:

"Real change over a five-year window represents light speed for many schools. Schools that have started to adopt some of this language and thinking, if not formal metrics like these, are pulling away from schools for which this thinking continues to be alien or absent. Standing pat, or even slow movement, is the same as moving backward."