Is it Coming Together, ?

September 2022 | Issue 40

Coming Together?

What does it feel like when things start to come together? For many of us, it's the first time we had that feeling in nearly three years. The school year is up and running, and students and teachers are back in their classrooms. Whether you call it flow or a groove, exciting or exhilarating, regular or routine, from what we're hearing, it's also overwhelming.

That's right! In a typical school year, the time from mid-September until whatever Fall Break you have in your calendar is often hectic. You know the names of all the new teachers and students, you're hopefully done with diagnostic and review sessions, and now you're suddenly back in the thick of everything that called you to be a teacher. When do you have time to plan?

In most districts, there's a little time carved out around Fall Break, but rarely enough. If you feel that things are coming together so quickly that you fear they might start falling apart, don't sacrifice authentic project-learning experiences (APLEs). Turn instead to one of our Project ARC Project Coaches.

We offer you a choice of coaches to match your content area, and each coach offers you at least one APLE they designed and taught. They'll introduce you to their APLE, help you to tailor it to your local needs, and coach you through it, including a debrief at the end.

If you want things to come together in 2022-23 without falling apart, come together with a Project ARC Project Coach.

Emerging Ecosystems

We genuinely hope things are coming together for you this fall, but if they are, we know you may not have noticed a string of blogs Tim wrote with Meghan Lawson from West Clermont Schools this summer. There's something important happening in West Clermont (and Las Cruces and Los Angeles) that is worth celebrating.

Teachers, technical experts, and students are coming together across technology platforms such as Community Share to collaborate in the design of their learning ecosystem.

This ecosystem is no top-down district-directed initiative nor a private sector takeover of public resources but a genuine collaboration. It's not just "for the kids" but the whole school community.

We hope you'll dive into the five blogs here to learn more about how one example is emerging. Start with July 12th, and work your way through. And if they inspire or empower you to ask similar questions about the possibilities for your school community, don't hesitate to reach out to us at Project ARC. Professional learning is a tailored process, and we'd be happy to tailor something with you.

Level Jump with Project ARC

Come Together with our

Project Coaches!

Over the last several months, we've introduced you to the seven Project Coaches who have joined the Project ARC Team. Each is an experienced classroom teacher, and between them, we have over 20 APLEs for you to "harvest" this fall.

If you feel that things are coming together in a way that may overwhelm your desire to launch an authentic project learning experience, check them out by clicking below and turn to them for the support you need!