Conference to Restore Humanity! 2025: Quest for Connection

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Why “What Works” Won’t Work and Why “What Works” May Hurt

Covington

2020

Unpacking the criticisms of "what works" in education and the dangers of "evidence-based" education research.

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Trevor Aleo A man sitting at a table explaining something.

A man sitting at a table explaining something.

Trevor teaches high school English, designs professional learning experiences for teachers, and researches the intersection of disciplinary literacies and multimodality. He is a co-author of Learning That Transfers: Designing Curriculum for a Changing World and a doctoral student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champagne.

An image of the lighthouse with the text Third Coast Learning Collaborative.

Reimagining public middle schools in Western Michigan.

Text displayed "100 Days of Conversations About School"

Listening and learning from 400+ young people & educators.

Brennan Dignan

he/him

As a college counselor at a progressive international school in Hong Kong, Brennan's work attempts to infuse the post-graduation planning process with meaning and purpose as defined by the individual.

The Runaway Bunny-Allegory for Ego

May 8, 2020

I am going to spend the remainder of this (whatever this is) post on a different level of analysis: deconstructing the ego and why it’s so important in our work as progressive educators

A cyberpunk bunny.

Loving Care

January 23, 2020

It was about six months ago that I was introduced to Wendell Berry’s writing through a reference in a Michael Pollan book. In this book, Pollan points to Berry’s concept of eating as an agricultural act. There was something about this concept that sparked in me a desire to learn more.

A man working on a futuristic farm.

As They Say in Arkansas

October 30, 2019

Deeply embedded and out of site, it operates in the shadows pointing its big fat finger at the student. I would express it somewhat imperfectly like this: the system is fine, deal with it.

A watercolor canyon in Arkansas.

To Have, Not Be Had

July 31, 2019

...the thrust of what I wanted to speak to in this post: Robert Kegan’s developmental theory and its potential relevance to the crazy world of the college search and selection process.

An immense library.

The Cult of What

March 26, 2019

I think I should disclose from the outset that I do not believe this is a college problem. It’s bigger than that. This is a problem generated by the Cult of What. Let me start there.

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Tracing Letters

March 8, 2019

In many ways, the college application highlights much of what is wrong with our current approach to education.

Abstract square pattern.

The College Process & Progressive Ed: What’s Wrong

February 13, 2019

...which are meant to increase the likelihood that a student will be admitted to the school of their choice. So, what does this have to do with progressive education? As it stands today, very little.

An empty corridor.