Dear GlobalEd Leadership Readers,
This has been a year of enormous challenges for anyone on the front lines of education—whether you work in Pk-12 schools or universities. The challenges have been relentless but we have also experienced the forces of good; whether it was foundations that supported our work, parents who have shown patience and appreciation or colleagues who have been there for us. And, it’s not surprising that many of our most popular blogs in 2021 dealt with equity, innovation and the role of educational technology.
As we enter 2022 we do so with less of a sense of confidence that stability awaits us in the next few months. We have all learned a lot ensuring that all children, whether they are in the school building or at home, must be offered access to an education. We have been forced to examine our practices much more deeply. I hope we have learned that we must be more inclusive and innovative in how we support teachers and students.
So, we have tallied up the numbers to see what you found most compelling at GlobalEd Leadership this year—here are our ten top blogs of 2021.
10. Promoting Hands-On STEM Activities with Local Readily Available Resources in Ghana By Heather Beem
“Our practical science training has six stages spread out over two years where we take teachers through different skills and mindsets.” Read more.
9. Creating Teen Access to Innovation Culture to Build a Better World By Lisa Dawley
“Every summer, we host a teacher camp to introduce teachers to social good innovation, and introduce them to the innovation challenge if they want to go further. Sign up at https://www.pactful.org/camp/” Read more.
8. Re-defining Innovation: Using the Offline EdTech Platform Kolibri to Support Learners Globally By Laura Danforth
“Through the Kolibri Product Ecosystem, we have worked to provide tools that support existing pedagogical structures, particularly through guidance in the integration of different kinds of blended learning practices.” Read more.
7. Emancipatory Leadership and Improving Equity in Education
By Fabiola Bagula
“Emancipatory leaders help to create and host these “right conditions,” understanding that schools belong to the community they serve, asking themselves: How are we listening to our students and families? Do we share power with them?” Read more.
6. Teach 2030: Using EdTech to Transform Teacher Practice by Kat Thorne
“For the last two years, we have been working with our community of teachers and schools to identify what a blended model might look like using high quality digital content.” Read more.
5. School Culture: A Key Aspect of Positive and Successful Schools by Kent and Scott Peterson
“Strong school cultures include engaging in a wide variety of rituals, traditions, ceremonies, and celebrations.” Read more.
4. Making Learning Math Fun Through Game-based Learning. By Lilian Nyaranga
“We opted to create a physical board game instead of the popular digital games, to ensure that as many children from different social backgrounds were reached, regardless of technological access.” Read more.
3. Future IDs at Alcatraz, a Socially-Engaged Art and Educational Project about Justice reform and Second Chances after Incarceration By Angela Leech
“Socially engaged art is a growing area of arts practice in which artists collaborate with individuals and communities on aesthetic responses to social challenges.” Read more.
2. Children in Freedom School: An Afrocentric Approach to Education by Utheri Kanayo
“We operate using the Ubuntu ideology, “I am because you are,” meaning that we work collectively rather than individually.” Read more.
1. The Importance of School Leader Preparation and Training to Develop Leadership Skills for Ghanaian Schools By Michael Amayki
“School heads in Ghana must have a minimum of 15 years of teaching experience, but they are not required to complete a professional standardized training programme in educational administration or educational leadership.” Read more.
Happy reading and wishing you all well in 2022!