Blog

Courage to do Bold Things

Posted on by nicolecolter
"Don’t go out there and avoid blame for a living. Go out there and put your ass on the line for the ideas you believe in. You won’t always be right. But if you’re not willing to provide an organization with the courage it needs to do bold things, trust me, there will be plenty of people who will happily provide the organization with the fear it needs to NOT do bold things." - ...
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Creating an OER Podcast with my Principles of Management Class

Posted on by nicolecolter
You can use Zoom to record podcast interviews
Podcasts are quickly becoming a way that so many people, especially business people (my discipline), fit learning into their busy lives. I mentor Sanat Singhal, a 17 year old who is exploring his interest in entrepreneurship through his podcast 21st Century Visionary. We met in The Podcasting Workshop in April 2020. I was invited back to help support the July cohort, and now t...
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Create Your Own School

Posted on by nicolecolter
Neon sign says, "This is the sign you've been looking for"
We believe most schools don't help young people discover their gifts, talents, passions, interests, or dreams; instead they convince them that there are limited paths to success. We believe that if young people were surrounded by a supportive community of peers and mentors, they could define success on their own terms. The Create Your Own School Community is a place to find...
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Learning #Ungrading via Twitter

Posted on by nicolecolter
My first Twitter Chat was awesome! In addition to finding new people to follow, and links to valuable #ungrading resources, I actually engaged in dialogue that helped me see things in new ways. The best conversation I was part of started with the tweet below. https://twitter.com/nicolecolter/status/1340353058128183296 So even though I've barely used Twitter, and had...
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My First Twitter Chat #Ungrading

Posted on by nicolecolter
Alfie Kohn Quote - "An emphasis on defective mindsets (or a tendency to accuse students of being insufficiently motivated) conveniently lets us off the hook. It is popular for the same reason we may be tempted to believe that the problem is grade-grubbing students rather than grade-giving instructors and institutions."
Today I am participating in my first Twitter chat. I'm excited to learn from the early adopters of ungrading. I'm also committed to blogging through my journey here since I'm an evangelist for liberatory education practices and I want to share the research guiding my decision, and my ups and downs as I move in this direction. Just a reminder, this is #SelfDirectedEduca...
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Manifesto for Children

Posted on by nicolecolter
E. Paul Torrance and the Manifesto for Children significantly influence my philosophy on education. Manifesto for Children Don’t be afraid to fall in love with something and pursue it with intensity. Know, understand, take pride in, practice, develop, exploit, and enjoy your greatest strengths. Learn to free yourself from the expectations of others and to walk away from the gam...
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Book Review: The Strength Switch

Posted on by nicolecolter
Waters, L. (2017).  The strength switch: How the new science of strength-based parenting can help your child and your teen to flourish. New York, NY: Avery. “He’s not coming back” muttered my supervisor in a defeated exhale.  Deep down I already knew this as he had been gone since day three, but I’d held out hope that the new special education teacher would return.  Instead ...
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5 1/2 Mentors that will change your life

Posted on by nicolecolter
In what ways do you need to develop?  Doug Stewart reveals the secret of personal development that helped him turn himself from a 1.4 GPA to a 3.4 GPA student. His conclusion "Mentorship isn’t something that is done to you. Mentorship is something you can do for yourself, with the help of others."   If you are interested in personal development and learning witho...
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Grades are for Eggs, not Children

Posted on by nicolecolter
We are three-quarters of the way through the school year and the full spectrum of parental emotions is most definitely surging at this point.  If you are about to launch your child into college and life, you are in the senior stretch - praying they don’t self-implode a few strides short of the finish line; you can’t quite breathe easy yet, can you? If your child typically do...
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Sanity Saver # 2 – In and Out Notetaking

Posted on by nicolecolter
Ever heard of "in and out thinking?"  Maybe not, but I can guarantee you have experienced it. The American Psychological Association studied what people did during a seminar, speech or workshop.  Their findings may be surprising to you.  According to the research findings, at any given moment, here's what was on their minds: 18% are really listening to the presenter 25...
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