Unpacking the concepts of “hero” and “villain”
Ms. Vered’s class uncovers the motivations of “heroes and villains” while examining Julius Caesar and the dawn of the Roman Empire. Kids need a safe context to discuss ideas around governance, power, hierarchy, conquest and colonialism, culture, and… Read More
Category: AceraBlogPost, from the classroom, Innovation in Education | February 4, 2021 | kerry
OBI and Acera: Promoting health while building 21st-century skills
While most people wouldn’t connect kids with cardiovascular research, a Boston-based partnership is working to change that. One Brave Idea™(OBI) is an $85M research and innovation initiative co-founded by the American Heart Association and Verily, with significant support… Read More
Category: Acera News, Innovation in Education | December 16, 2020 | kerry
A year not “lost” but one in which students find themselves
By Kim Machnik When there’s a lull (or what passes for a lull in the cacophony of 2020) in the news cycle, and attention turns to the long term effects of the pandemic, remote schooling’s impact on children… Read More
Category: AceraBlogPost, Innovation in Education | December 16, 2020 | kerry
Video: Acera’s Adventure Playground
There’s a lot to see and do on Acera’s adventure playground. Cables for balancing. Hammocks and swings erected anew by students. Trees for climbing, with treehouse platforms; pulley systems emerge, along with elaborate imaginative games. Wheelbarrows, shovels, rope… Read More
Category: @CourtneyofAcera, AceraBlogPost, Blog, Innovation in Education | November 16, 2020 | kerry
Managing election interest – and angst – at school
By Kim Machnik Any election year is a major event in the life of a school. At its best, an election is electrifying. It is an opportunity to witness the democratic process in real time, critically engage with… Read More
Category: Acera News, Blog, from the classroom, Innovation in Education | October 26, 2020 | kerry
Acera’s Michael Hirsch named educator fellow for National Public Radio’s Science Friday
Acera: The Massachusetts School of Science, Creativity and Leadership is proud to announce that Lab Sciences Specialist Michael Hirsch has been named an Educator Fellow for Science Friday, a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing the public’s access to… Read More
Category: Acera News, AceraBlogPost, from the classroom, Innovation in Education | October 19, 2020 | kerry
Acera’s Pop Up School returns for 2020-21 school year
For parents looking for a substantive and engaging virtual learning option during the continued need for social distancing, Acera’s Pop Up School is a fully remote program open to all students in grades 4-10. Families may register for one… Read More
Category: Acera News, Blog, Innovation in Education | July 27, 2020 | kerry
One response to the Covid crisis? A Pop Up School
By Courtney Dickinson “It is Lord of the Flies, over here. I have a job, and I am not an educator.” “The assignments being sent by school do not engage my child. They don’t fit him, and they… Read More
Category: @CourtneyofAcera, AceraBlogPost, Blog, Innovation in Education | July 27, 2020 | kerry
How to stay connected during extended social distancing
Kids (and adults!) need to feel connected during this time of extended social distancing. Many of us are mourning the loss of gatherings, concerts, on-site classes, and other events that we love. These feelings are real and valid…. Read More
Category: AceraBlogPost, Blog, Innovation in Education | March 27, 2020 | kerry
AceraEI offers free STEAM content during distance learning
For schools, teachers, and parents looking for free educational content during this period of distance learning, AceraEI is offering downloadable lessons for students in grades K-8. The content includes activities in life sciences, art, math, engineering, architecture, and… Read More
Category: @CourtneyofAcera, Acera News, AceraBlogPost, Innovation in Education | March 20, 2020 | kerry
At Acera, we believe a school’s success can be measured far beyond its standardized test scores. How happy are its students? Do they feel a sense of purpose at school? Are they developing a capacity for perspective taking and problem solving? Are teachers using evidence-based approaches to pedagogy? Acera’s Education Innovation team is working to change how we measure education to include students’ core capacities, faculty’s use of evidence-based practices, a positive school culture, and standards and achievement.
Tech Hub enables students to emerge as community-minded technologists able to solve problems to benefit the whole school. More a philosophy than a place, Tech Hub can start as simply a cart in a cafeteria with one student fired up to be a knowledgable, technically skillful community member. Concurrently developing emotional intelligence skills and a wide array of technological abilities, Tech Hub members model and spread an attitude of fearlessness at using STEM tools to solve real problems.
Small children can understand big ideas, and computer science is no exception. Acera’s hands-on “Computers and Me” curriculum introduces early elementary students to computer science concepts, and is one example of many creative ways computational thinking and technical fluency can be developed throughout K-12 education, starting at age 5. Pilot-tested and ready to translate for adoption by public schools, these computer science learning approaches help students become facile and fearless.
What if math classes are organized based on what each student is ready to learn, rather than by age? This f
How can educators unleash the initiative and creativity inherent in all children? 