IALA » EdVisions Cooperative

How To Videos: Extraordinary Resource

Wayne Jennings — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 02:18:28 +0000

EdVisions Schools have made their Design Essentials videos available to all. These are profoundly helpful in seeing how a variety of educational practices are conducted in project-based learning and non-course based schools or others moving toward student-centered learning. Here are examples from the category Self-Directed, Project-Based Learning:

Self-directed, project-based learning primary focus; driven by constructivist pedagogy (Adults explain; Students explain)
Personalized Learning Plan (PLP) for all students emphasizing student needs and interests (view video)
Personalized work space for each student; Internet access (view video)
Technology infused environment; technology as a tool
Individual/group projects complemented by multiple teaching approaches based on student needs and interests (view video)
Achievement demonstrated publicly; highest work place standards are quality goal (view video)
All students prepared for post-secondary education, workplace and active citizenship (view video)
All students and staff engage in quiet reading every day (view video)

Other major categories with numerous videos include:

Authentic Assessment
Teacher Ownership/Democratic Governance
Small Learning Communities

The Design Elements professional contributions shows student-centered learning in action, the best I have seen! Thanks to the award winning New Country High School and Avalon School students and staff for their exemplary videos.

Alternatives, the National Scene

Wayne Jennings — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 16:10:45 +0000

Dan Daly, executive director of IALA wrote recently of the organization’s efforts to impact state and national policy:

This past June, IALA hosted the Tri-State Alternatives Leadership Summit in Bloomington and formed The IALA Coalition for Innovative Education. Leaders from the following ten organizations participated; IALA, MN Association of Alternative Programs, IA Association of Alternative Education, WI Charter School Association, MN Association of Charter Schools, Association of Recovery Schools, Coalition for Charter School Management, Education Evolving, EdVisions Schools and MN Online Learning Alliance. David Bly, former MAAP President and current member of the MN House of Representatives also attended.

The purpose was to find common issues, explore ways to collaborate and impact state and federal legislation/policy. Organizations in the Coalition are currently ratifying the IALA Position Paper and the following Components of Innovative Education:

A learning program that is “different” from traditional schools and/or “focused” on a specific theme
A student-centered learning program using a variety of measures to assess student performance
Staff at the site able to make decisions about all aspects of the school and control finances
Staff at the site accountable for student performance results and fiscal responsibility
Small size

The Coalition will add organizations from throughout the country to give learning alternatives a fuller voice. Contact Dan Daly at dddaly@comcast.net or 612-716-5620.

Measuring Student Autonomy and Motivation

Wayne Jennings — Tue, 03 May 2005 16:54:00 +0000

Many educators support educational alternatives as a way of increasing such vital outcomes as self-efficacy, autonomy, responsibility, motivation, engagement and initiative. Sophisticated measures of these dispositions have been developed. One is at EdVisions, a teacher
cooperative, with the Synder’s Dispositional Hope Scale or Hope Scale for short. The instrument is used in a number of schools to show growth in these “soft” outcomes. Ron Newell (ron@edvisions.coop) at EdVisions and other researchers will help schools use and interpret the Hope instrument which is amazingly brief and quick to administer (less than 5 minutes). Ron has a wealth of experience and information for helping schools achieve higher engagement and achievement. Contact him!

Another source of 100s of instruments to measure a huge variety of outcomes is the Compendium of Assessment and Research Tools (CART), a valuable compository.
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