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Personal & Authentic: Designing Learning Experiences that Impact a Lifetime – by Tom Murray #AuthenticEDU

By Ross Cooper Leave a Comment

A few weeks ago, my good friend and Director of Innovation for Future Ready Schools, Tom Murray, published his new book, Personal & Authentic: Designing Learning Experiences That Impact a Lifetime. After reading an advanced copy, I can recommend this book without hesitation. Here's some of what's included.

  1. Foreword by Inky Johnson – Highlighted by ESPN’s 30 for 30 films for his courage, Inky Johnson’s story is one of perseverance through severe adversity. Sleeping on the floor most nights while growing up in one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the United States, Inky credits a teacher with saving his life and recognizes his teacher’s impact on his life decades later. Here’s a snapshot of what you’ll read in the foreword:

    I’m a firm believer that things don’t happen to you. They happen for you. The funny thing about my injury was that my life found new meaning and new purpose. Instead of the injury serving as a curse, it has served as a blessing. It’s an opportunity. You see, my arm may be paralyzed, but my heart isn’t. My mind isn’t. My attitude isn’t. The same arm the doctor told me I would never use again because of paralysis, I now use every day of my life. I believe you are not defined by your circumstances or your situation. You are defined by your decisions and your choices. Every day I make a decision to make my life count. Every day I’m going to work to inspire someone. Every day I’m going to work to encourage someone. As an educator, you get to do the same.

  2. The Personal & Authentic Framework – Designed with implementation in mind, the Personal & Authentic Framework solidifies the “what” and the “how” in creating the types of learning experiences that impact a lifetime. With the learner at the center, and held together by relationships and a culture for learning, the various ways in which teachers can make learning personal and authentic can be amplified. These include: Social-Emotional Learning; Culturally Responsive; Moments of Awe; Relevant & Contextualized; Interests, Passions, & Strengths; Creation & Design; Flexible Pace & Path; and Authentic Feedback. Supports for the process include the spaces in which kids learn and the tools in which they use, both of which either amplify or hinder the learner in the experience.
  3. Co-Authored Sections On Some of Today’s Most Important Issues – In understanding the limits of his own lens, Tom included two co-authored sections to amplify the respected voices and insights of Ken Shelton and Dr. Rosa Perez-Isiah, on overcoming equity barriers and how culturally responsive teaching is the only option.
  4. “Stop & Reflect” Questions – Throughout each chapter, a variety of “Stop & Reflect” questions encourage users to do just that…pause for a few moments and self-reflect on their mindset and practices.
  5. “Make it Stick” / “Try This…” – In understanding the importance of being practical, while simultaneously amplifying great ideas from a diverse group of educators, Personal & Authentic includes the thoughts and innovative ideas of over 50 educators who will encourage you to step out of your comfort zone. Each “Make it Stick” gives you practical ideas to try in your classroom or school – starting tomorrow. At the end of most sections, each “Try this…” gives you additional ways to implement what’s been read into everyday practice. Personal & Authentic contains over 150 innovative and practical ideas for your school or classroom!
  6. “A Closer Look” & Free Book Study Resources – Designed to support the professional growth of your team, a comprehensive compilation of free additional videos, articles, and downloadables are available on the Personal & Authentic website. Whether you use the “Personal & Authentic Poster” to symbolically capture and frame your team’s fingerprints, or you utilize many of the videos or articles Tom uses in his training workshops, all that you need to run your next book study has been created for you to use – for free.

And, here are a few endorsements from education leaders:

“In Personal & Authentic, Tom Murray taps into some of the deepest emotions we all share and know are essential as educators and parents. He helps us to focus on the relationships that we develop with children and adults, the self-reflection that we learn quickly is so important, and the impact we make on our schools and communities. After you read this book, you will become a better teacher and leader. And if not, you might want to read it again!” – Salome Thomas-EL, award-winning principal, speaker, and author

“The story always wins. The most impactful learning has always been personal and authentic. Murray does a masterful job of weaving both the gripping story of educators and the opportunities for them to increase their impact on students. The text takes the reader on an emotional ride but also provides the challenge and resources to get better. The ideas jump off the page and will help anyone rediscover both the why and how to improve their space. This book is an essential piece of every educator’s toolbox and one I know I’ll go back to often.” – Joe Sanfelippo, PhD, superintendent, author, and speaker

“Personal & Authentic is a true reflection of the title. Tom not only shares stories that share his core values and beliefs through the personal stories that he tells, but the tips he includes from other educators show a glimpse of their core values and beliefs as well. If you are looking for a read that cuts straight to the middle and touches the heart, but then leads to actionable results that will transform you as an educator and the relationships and experiences you encounter each day, Personal & Authentic is your go-to resource. This book will help you reflect, recharge, and refocus on the most important aspects of education – relationships and relevant learning experiences.” – Sanée Bell, EdD, principal, speaker, author of Be Excellent on Purpose: Intentional Strategies for Impactful Leadership

Get your copy of Personal & Authentic: Designing Learning Experiences That Impact a Lifetime!

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Don’t Miss Out on the Innovative Teaching Academy

By Ross Cooper 1 Comment

Last summer, my good friend A.J. Juliani – who is at the forefront of innovation in education – launched his Genius Hour Master Course. Now, he's kicking it up a notch with his brand new Innovative Teaching Academy!

Here's the official overview…

The Innovative Teaching Academy is an online course/program created and run by A.J. Juliani. Throughout the six months, A.J. and a team of innovative leaders will lead discussions, activities, and projects that help teachers and leaders develop the knowledge and skills for innovative teaching and learning.

You’ll build knowledge of innovative practices, resources, and research each week in readings, videos and discussions. You’ll also receive a specific mini-course each month that will help build your skills in the areas of blogging, social media, design thinking, project based learning, learning space redesign, and habit stacking.

When does the course take place?

April 2nd to September 30th, and all materials will still be available after September. Each individual/team can go at their own pace, although there will be live video Q&A roundtable sessions on specific dates.

What's included?

[Read more…] about Don't Miss Out on the Innovative Teaching Academy

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5 Most Popular Posts of 2015

By Ross Cooper Leave a Comment

5 Most Popular Posts of 2015

Here are my top five posts of 2015. Yes, some pieces prompted more traffic, for one reason or another. But, I do believe these five represent some of “the best” work I have done this year…and they generated the most buzz/dialogue/controversy.

I dare you to read them and not become inspired!

  1. 5 Reasons to Throw Out Mandatory Lesson Plans
  2. The Problem with “Formative Assessment Tools” (part 1 of 2)
  3. Why I Refused to Flip My Classroom
  4. 5 Non-Negotiables of Professional Development
  5. Reimagining Classroom Walkthroughs (for Edutopia)

Here is to an even better year in 2016!

Connect with Ross on Twitter.

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Blog “Rebranding” with a Narrower Focus

By Ross Cooper 4 Comments

Blog %22Rebranding%22 with a Narrower Focus

From Broad to Narrow

This blog started as a digital portfolio that I created as one of the requirements for earning my K-12 Principal Certification. Up until now, pretty much all of the content has dealt with education, but the topics of the blog posts have been a bit scattered. For any given post, I have more or less “thrown a dart at a dartboard” and written about whatever has come to mind. To reflect this broad approach, the site title and tagline have read “Ross Cooper: thoughts from a k-12 curriculum supervisor.”

Now it is time to narrow my focus.

[Read more…] about Blog “Rebranding” with a Narrower Focus

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America’s Best Pizza?

By Ross Cooper Leave a Comment

cherry tomato, fresh cream, roasted corn, basil
cherry tomato, fresh cream, roasted corn, basil

I had first heard about Pizzeria Beddia when I was sitting at the bar at Pizzeria Stella, waiting for two friends to join me for dinner after I had made the four-hour trip to Philadelphia for an educational conference. At the time, I considered Stella to be the best pizza in Philadelphia, so I took advantage of the opportunity to talk to the bartender about just that, pizza. Despite that fact that they are in competition with one another (although that can be disputed based on entirely different locations and styles), the worker was quick to crown Beddia as the city’s top pizzeria.

Fast-forward a few months and a Bon Appétit article is written, which declares Beddia the best pizza in America.

[Read more…] about America's Best Pizza?

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Blogs I Follow

By Ross Cooper 7 Comments

Ducks

A few weeks ago, one of my friends asked me about the educational blogs and websites that I follow. So, here they are. These are the resources that I have plugged into my Feedly, a free news aggregator application for the web, iOS, and Android. Using Feedly Pro (paid version) in conjunction with the IF app for iOS, I have customized my feed so new posts from specific blogs are automatically tweeted out. If you’re not using Feedly, or something like it, you’re really missing out.

[Read more…] about Blogs I Follow

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My Top 10 Education Books

By Ross Cooper 3 Comments

Books

While on holiday vacation in Florida, a friend emailed me and asked for my top ten education books. Here is how I responded, verbatim. Please keep in mind that this list was created off the top of my head (so I may have missed a few), and the books are presented in no particular order.

[Read more…] about My Top 10 Education Books

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The Educational World in Grateful Dead Lyrics

By Ross Cooper 2 Comments

GD LogoThis blog post was a joint effort between Starr Sackstein (@mssackstein) and Ross Cooper (@RossCoops31). Click here to explore Starr’s work.

Music has a way of encouraging thought provoking discourse about life. When we listen to the words of our favorite bands, we can find the sage advice applicable to many aspects of learning.

Check out some life lessons brought to you by the Grateful Dead.

[Read more…] about The Educational World in Grateful Dead Lyrics

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Questions From a Reader: Part 2 of 2

By Ross Cooper Leave a Comment

Recently I received several questions from a reader. My last post answered the first half of these questions, while this post answers the second half.

[Read more…] about Questions From a Reader: Part 2 of 2

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Questions From a Reader: Part 1 of 2

By Ross Cooper 1 Comment

In case you are wondering why I have not blogged in awhile (and I know you are), I have been in a state of transition as I accepted a job as an Elementary Assistant Principal with the Williamsport Area School District. Right now I am working between two primary K-3 schools. I have reached the point where I am settled down enough to start blogging and reflecting upon my current job. But first, I thought I would answer some questions from a reader of my blog. (I promise that I did not make up these questions!) In order to keep my posts shorter in length, I will answer the first half of the questions now, with the second half of the questions and answers coming later this week.

[Read more…] about Questions From a Reader: Part 1 of 2

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I’m an administrator in the Chappaqua Central School District in Chappaqua, New York, and the coauthor of Hacking Project Based Learning.
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