Why I Believe We Need to Redesign Schools Around Decision-Making
School shouldn’t just be a place to learn academic skills, but a place for students to practice making meaningful decisions about their learning and lives. Go to article
Rich Trotta
The Power of Engagement in Learning
| by Richard Trotta | One of the most critical factors in the teaching and learning process is the degree of student engagement. Student engagement refers to the level of attention, curiosity, interest, optimism, and passion that students experience during…
How Education and After-School Programs Help Youth Heal from Adverse Childhood Experiences
| by Paul Jay and Richard Trotta | The critically acclaimed Netflix series Adolescents offers a microcosm, albeit exaggerated, of the troubled life of a 13-year-old boy in the UK. The main character is alienated from his family, school, and meaningful…
The Power of Hands-On Learning: Why Vocational Education Works
Vocational education taps into a fundamental human instinct — the drive to create something real and meaningful with your own hands. This form of learning offers powerful benefits that set it apart from traditional academic approaches: 1. Tangible Results Build…
Burnt Out and Racing to Summer Break? Let them Lead
Hello fellow learning experience designer, Are you running on coffee, countdowns, and sheer willpower? You’re not alone. It’s that time of year when every teacher lounge conversation starts with “How many days left?” and ends with “I’m so tired I…
Active Learning using Project Based Learning
Active learning engages students in the learning process through meaningful, hands-on activities like discussions, problem-solving, and collaboration. Unlike passive learning, which centers on listening and memorization, active learning empowers students to think critically, work together, and take initiative. One of…
Using After-School Project-Based Learning (PBL) to Address Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are potentially traumatic events that occur during childhood, typically before the age of 18. These experiences can profoundly affect a child’s physical, emotional, and psychological development and may have long-term consequences on health, behavior, and life…
Benefits of Using Podcasting as a PBL Project
Once known as audio blogs, podcasts were relegated to fringe communities during the early days of the internet. But now, thanks in large part to the advent of the smartphone, they are a near-universally known form of mass communication that has…
Measuring Success
We often think of success in terms of job titles and salaries, but true success goes much deeper. It’s about meaningful relationships, a clear sense of purpose, strong mental health, and personal growth.That’s why Project-Based Learning (PBL) is so powerful.…
How to Love a Country: Poems by Richard Blanco
In Richard Blanco’s poetry collection How to Love a Country, themes of youth empowerment emerge through explorations of identity, civic responsibility, and the promise of a more inclusive America. While the poems do not overtly target young audiences, they resonate…