When my students were doing the 20% Project (Genius Hour) in my class we had an “Epic Failure Board” (inspired by a number of people) where they would pin up…
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“What do you want to do today?” “Where do you want to go for dinner?” “What song should I put on?” “Who said what???” It seems all day long we…
Last year I wrote a post titled, 100 Books Every Teacher Should Read. I’ve since updated that post once, but wanted to write a separate piece about 10 books I’ve…
In the widely known “invisible gorilla” experiment, volunteers watched a video of different groups tossing a ball and were asked to count the number of times the ball was tossed. In a surprising…
“Our job, sometimes, is simply to be the spark, help build confidence, and then get out of the way. If innovation in any school is solely dependent upon one person,…
This is the third post in the “Design Thinking in the Classroom” series. Read the first and second post here. In David and Tom Kelley’s book, Creative Confidence, the authors…
It would happen every year. It seemed, without fail, that every August I’d have the same restless night of sleep. Tossing and turning, I’d often have to move to the…
A little over a year ago, John Spencer and I tossed around an idea for a book called The Creative Classroom. Given our combined experience with design thinking (as educators, leaders,…
I’ve seen this short commercial on TV a few times, and when I’m watching it I can’t help but smile and think about all of the students and teachers out…
Ok, this is my third article in a series of posts on Snapchat. If you don’t know much about Snapchat, you can learn more by reading “The Complete Guide to…
This post originally appeared on Edsurge. My daughter is six years old. She loves Snapchat. She’s been using the app for the past two years, and it is her favorite…
Architects design, master their craft while planning, and collaborate at a high level. Masons work in the moment, communicate and problem solve on the fly, and master their craft as…
In a recent paper written by Jean Twenge, a professor of psychology at San Diego State University, she dives into the mental health of our current students: In her paper, Twenge…
In 1939 audiences around the United States were delighted when the black and white scenery of The Wizard of Oz completely transformed into full technicolor in the blink of an…
I recently wrote a post (ok, it was kind of a rant) about “innovation” in education and who get’s to decide what is innovative. The bottom line of my argument…
A few years ago I was lucky enough to teach the book, Things Fall Apart, to my 10th grade English class. It’s a great book…but that’s not why I was…
I was talking with a teacher in my school district yesterday who said, “I just don’t know if we should try this again in class. It seems like lots of…
One of the most often used models for technology integration in education is the SAMR Model. Here is a quick overview for those that may not be familiar: [footnote] Source: http://www.schrockguide.net/uploads/3/9/2/2/392267/5805548.jpg?579…
When I was in 3rd grade my best friend Mark and I built a treehouse out of wood scraps we found in the forest behind his house. We were makers….
Joanne’s mother had died a few years earlier, and now she was a single parent (recently divorced) with no job, living off welfare benefits so she could provide for her…
While John Spencer and I were developing the LAUNCH Cycle, we came up with a few areas that were likely stumbling blocks in the creative (design-thinking inspired) process. One of…
Mohini was a regal white tiger who lived for many years at the Washington DC National Zoo. For most of those years her home was in the old lion house—a…
In the past couple of weeks, I’ve been asked the same question multiple times after speaking, “Do you still believe Genius Hour and 20% Projects are the best way to engage…
Design thinking is a flexible framework for getting the most out of the creative process. It is used in the arts, in engineering, in the corporate world, and in social…
Snapchat is a video messaging application created by Evan Spiegel, Bobby Murphy, and Reggie Brown when they were students at Stanford University (and then when living at Venice Beach not…
Ahh Twitter. You have a place in my heart. But if you were on the platform this weekend and saw the #RIPTwitter hashtag trending, it has never been more apparent…
When I heard the news that Phil Schlechty had passed away it was sudden and I felt sadness. I’ve never met Phil but I’ve been deeply impacted by his work…
Equity. It means many different things to many different people in many different situations. To me, equity is everything in education. I believe education is the bridge to opportunity and…
I’ve been around a lot of 1:1 initiatives in schools. As a teacher, I was around when Classrooms for the Future started, and when my former district went 1:1 laptops…
I used to think all I needed to create something that mattered was passion…I was wrong. It turns out passion might start the engine and get the creative process moving,…
Usually, when I write a blog post it is because I want to dig deeper into a topic and explore its merit. The post then becomes my way of explaining…
After writing my post on “100 books every teacher should read” I received a number of emails about finding the time to read all of those books (without going broke…
Note: This is the final article in a four-part series answering the question, “Does education really need to change?“. You can read the first, second, and third posts here. It…
I leaned over the shoulder of a student in the library. She was quietly working with headphones in, and completely focused. What caught my attention is that she would continually…
Note: I’m halfway through a series of blog posts answering the question, “Does education really need to change?” This is like a half-time post. It is hopefully an unexpected surprise!…
My parents took our family on a trip to Maine to ski when I was in my early teens. The mountains there are really big, and I was not ready…
Note: This is the first post in a four-part series. You can read the second, third, and fourth articles in the series here. The year was 2007. I was a relatively…
In 1936 Dale Carnegie wrote a book called How to Win Friends and Influence People. It went on to sell over 30 million copies. It still sells today and is…
Two years ago I launched “The Innovative Teaching Toolbox” as a free download for all of my email subscribers. You see, as an email subscriber you get my best articles…
You ever have one of those moments where you wonder what you are doing with your life? I mean, at the very least, you are like me and have had…
Remember waiting? We used to wait for our favorite song on the radio. We used to wait for a TV show to come on and watch simultaneously with millions of…
I remember devouring “Choose Your Own Adventure” books as a kid. I’m sure many of you had the same experience as the “hero of your own story” making choices that…
“Mindset change is not about picking up a few pointers here and there. It’s about seeing things in a new way. When people…change to a growth mindset, they change from…
I recently had the opportunity to Keynote the University of Pennsylvania Literacy Network’s Winter Symposium. Penn Literacy Network founder Mort Botel (who was also a former President of the International Reading…
It’s fall. The mornings are cool, the nights are brisk, and the days pop with color. It reminds me, always, of football. I played for seven years and then coached…
Michael Port shares a story (in his book) about a donkey, an old man, and a boy: An old man, a boy and a donkey were going to town. The…
Want to start Genius Hour in your classroom but not sure where and how to begin? Already started Genius Hour and need a bit more guidance? I hosted this 25…
I’m asking because I recently asked myself this question. Do I really (truly) believe in the power of technology to transform education? It’s easy to come back with a quick…
Here in Philadelphia we spent the weekend watching and listening to the Pope during his visit. People were glued to their televisions and devices when the Pope gave a talk…
A 2001 study found that 92 percent of teachers believe classroom design has a strong impact on students’ learning and achievement. The study goes on to state the following: These statistics demonstrate…
When we look at what research says about becoming better at something, two pieces of evidence stand out. First, we must have clarity on what our goals are, and where…
My son Tucker seems to be growing up too fast. He’s almost four years old and getting ready to play in his first soccer league, going to pre-school, and we…
My daughter lowered her eyes, looked at me, and said, “I can’t do it.” I looked back and asked her again to put one foot on the board, push off with…
This is the third post in a three-part series on “Intentional Innovation.” Check out the other two posts here (#1 and #2). I know, I know. You’re saying, “AJ, why…
This is the first post in a three-part series on “Intentional Innovation”, specifically for education. Stay tuned for the second post, “The Intentional Innovation Manifesto” and the third post, “PLASMA:…
This quote, from John Quincy Adams, speaks to me on many different levels. The son of a great man, John Quincy realized that leadership is about actions. And how those…
This is an awesome guest post from Aaron Hogan. Aaron is a HS Assistant Principal who blogs regularly at Afhogan.com and you can also find him on Twitter. I love…
Teachers Leading Teachers Conference begins today, but the live sessions start on Friday! We’ve got an amazing lineup of teachers ready to share what works (and doesn’t work) in their classrooms…
And it turns out that tribes (not money, not factories) can change our world, can change politics, that can align large numbers of people. Not because you force them to…
Neil Gaiman, award winning author of Coraline (and many other books), recently gave a talk at the Long Now Foundation about “How Stories Last” which was an incredibly fascinating look…
It’s been five years since I joined Twitter. To be honest, I didn’t know what Twitter was all about when I joined. I knew that I wanted to share what…
In the 14th century, the term “genius” was regarded as a guardian spirit. Yet a person with “unworldly” talent was said to have a genius, because his/her gift (of genius) being a supernatural act. No one…
Last week I asked you to fill out a survey about professional development. Many of you (342 to be exact) took time to fill out this survey and share your…
A young man was restless in his studies. He couldn’t stay focused on school work, and found himself consistently skipping classes, missing due dates, and working on projects that meant…
Ahh, in service. Whether it is at the beginning of the school year, end of the school year, or smack dab in the middle of the school year…it seems like…
I cringe when people ask me, “Are you handy?” Partly because I don’t consider myself to be the best with tools, but also because it is asking me to judge whether…
It’s summer time! At least, it feels that way. In Philadelphia it is hot and muggy already, Seniors are getting ready to graduate, and school is almost out (and I…
I want to build an app. And I need your help in creating it. I know you may think, “He’s not talking about me”, but yes, I am talking about…
Professional development is needed now more than any other time. With the change of pace in learning, and the changing lives of our learners, we must teach different to meet…
Students continue to fall into the same trap year after year with traditional schooling. They rarely have a chance to choose their learning path in school, and routinely treat school…
When I first saw this infographic (created by Dr. Roland Rios) based on Schlechty’s Levels of Engagement, it actually took me a moment to collect my thoughts. I quickly asked myself,…
What is flow? It is a term and concept you’ve probably heard before. It’s also a feeling or state that you’ve had many times in your life. We often call…
Wow. It seems so many recent blog posts and tweets over the past month have been filled with frustration and negativity towards our educational system. Many of these posts and…
Learning By Choice: 10 Ways Choice and Differentiation Create an Engaged Learning Experience for Every Student (my new book) is now available as a Paperback! You can get it here on Amazon…
“This atmosphere of excitement, arising from imaginative consideration, transforms knowledge. A fact is no longer a bare fact: it is invested with all its possibilities. It is no longer a…
Updated: I’ve updated this post and page since publishing my most recent book about student choice. I’d love for you to add resources you’ve found in the comments section of…
First, I just want to say thank you to all of my blog readers for helping make my new book, Learning By Choice, hit #1 in Amazon in Education over the weekend….
“Is this real, Mr. J?” The question came from the back of the room. Todd rarely spoke up in class, but today he seemed visibly upset. “Yes, it is real….
This post is inspired by my new book, Learning by Choice: 10 Ways Choice and Differentiation Create An Engaged Learning Experience for Every Student. You can get the book on Amazon now! Are…
“Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” ― Steve Jobs There are moments of…
In 1915 Albert Einstein sent a letter to his son, Albert. Einstein was living with his second wife, and had not seen either of his two sons for quite some time….
I remember doing podcast projects with my students almost 10 years ago. They seemed to be all the rage at the time, and I jumped on board as a teacher…
Get good grades they say. Take Honors and AP classes they say. Go to college they say. Get a good internship they say. Get a good job and work hard…
After writing my post on “100 books every teacher should read” I received a number of emails about finding the time to read all of those books (without going broke…
I am by habit a bibliophile. I read at least 25 pages of a book per day which usually turns in to 40-60 books per year. I’ve written a few…
My first season as a head football coach, our team had gone undefeated leading up to the final game of the season. We had a heck of a team with…
And just like that…it was over. I’d pitched the 20% time project to my students with only a few days of planning, but it turned out to be the project…
I’ve had the pleasure of working with a lot of new teachers the past three years, and I’ve seen many of the same mistakes I made during my first year…
This is a guest post from Allison Stephens, our HS Assistant Principal at Upper Perkiomen SD. It’s so great to see all of our building level administrators on Twitter engaging,…
This is the introduction to my new book, Learning by Choice: 10 Ways to Transform Your Classroom Into a Student-Centered Experience. When I was 5 years old I didn’t know…
Imagine you’ve been teaching for 15 years. In those 15 years you have grown as a professional, learned new technologies, shifted with the standards, had new initiative after new initiative…
It’s no secret we live in a consumption driven culture. Millennials spend 18 hours a day consuming media (much of this is done while multi-tasking so the number of actual…
This is my 2014 New Year’s post. Making the switch from goals to habits really made a change in my life, and here is the reasoning behind it! It’s the…
I’ve heard this question in various forms many different times: How is technology going to save education? Radio and TV were going to save education, but of course they didn’t. They…
The new year always brings new hope. Whereas in the past I’ve been hopeful for change and progress throughout education…this year I’m feeling different. This year I’m pumped about where…
This is a live blogging event of the work PDE SAS Institute teachers and leaders will be doing during our four sessions today. Please join in on twitter with the…
“Students engaged in direct experience with materials, unforeseen obstacles, and serendipitous discoveries may result in understanding never anticipated by the teacher.” ― Sylvia Libow Martinez, Invent To Learn: Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in…
It’s been almost a full three years since I told my students they would have 20% of their class time to work on whatever project they were inspired to create….
