Productive Struggle: An Approach that Fosters Critical Thinking

Productive Struggle: An Approach that Fosters Critical Thinking

This guest post was written by Kristin Owens, Assistant Director of STEM area. Why is math class not the setting for most made-for-TV movies? Frankly, it is often lacking many of the elements we find most entertaining: suspense, drama, edge-of-your-seat action. TV...
4 Characteristics of Technology Enhanced Items

4 Characteristics of Technology Enhanced Items

Many 21st century classrooms are equipped with a variety of high-tech resources, from computers to iPads to SMART boards. Along with these new technologies come new methods of assessment. While much of the buzz about technology-enhanced items (TEIs) is focused around...
Ying Yang of Content Development: Striking the Balance

Ying Yang of Content Development: Striking the Balance

It has been almost 30 years since I attended the Teaching and Curriculum Program at Harvard Graduate School of Education. Most of what I learned has long been forgotten, as the realities of teaching and writing lessons taught new, equally important lessons. But one of...
The Value of Fun in Professional Development Programs

The Value of Fun in Professional Development Programs

As the A Pass Content Team deliberated our Professional Development series for our contractors, it was obvious from an early stage that we wanted to avoid the typical lecture-audience idiom, or even the “how-to” video so familiar on YouTube these days.  Instead, we...