Engaged Learning Resources and Links Annotated List

Compass School: Model school for engaged learning. Highest ranked school on national survey of school climate. Go to teacher web pages in particular to see what they are doing in class. Also look at resource page for ideas about portfolios, report cards, school handbook, and school journals sharing some of their work. You can contact teachers from this school for subject specific support. http://www.compass-school.org/ Coalition of Essential Schools: CES strives to create and sustain a network of personalized, equitable, and intellectually challenging schools. Consortium of schools committed to engaged learning and high expectations for all students. Almost all schools in this network will have excellent examples about engaged learning. CES also has resources and DVDs about creating quality schools. Their Fall Forum is the most professionally rewarding and stimulating conference we know of. www.essentialschools.org/ Critical Skills Program: Super Teacher Development Program that combines Standards Driven Learning, Collaborative Learning, Experiential Learning, and Problem Based Learning to assure all kids are engaged and developing the lifelong “Critical Skills” for success in the world outside school (such as Decision Making, Collaboration, Problem Solving, Critical and Creative Thinking). Does great workshops and has materials full of examples and specific teaching strategies. http://www.antiochne.edu/acsr/criticalskills/ Problem Based Service Learning Fieldguide: Accessible book designed and written by college faculty but lays out clearly the steps to implementing problem based service learning in a course that focuses on ways to meet course learning goals while students apply their learning in the real world. Each chapter has a section on theory/rationale, clear steps for implementation, and a case study story. Available from http://www.antiochne.edu/acsr/  Understanding by Design: Highly respected model for “Designing Backwards” from your learning goals to assure meaningful learning. Several books offer many examples and all sorts of design templates for developing units that focus on standards and engaging work to achieve these. http://www.ubdexchange.org/index.cfm , http://www.ascd.org/research_a_topic/Understanding_by_Design.aspx Kids Consortium: Offers models of service learning and student leadership. http://www.kidsconsortium.org/ Service Learning Clearinghouse: National level resource for all things Service Learning. Very comprehensive website with resources, ideas about getting started, annotated bibliography, workshops, etc. http://www.servicelearning.org/ Expeditionary Learning: Model created by Outward Bound to focus on engaging students through comprehensive, cross disciplinary, standards driven “expeditions.” They have created many examples of engaging units focused on a wide range of themes. http://www.elschools.org/ Project Adventure: Offers some of the best resources on new games and initiatives that can help students (and teachers) develop the skills to work effectively together and overcome challenges. They have a book on “Adventure in the Classroom” that explores how to connect these active experiences to classroom learning goals.  http://www.pa.org/

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