Milton Chen Speaking Topics

• Edges of Innovation in Our Schools

  This presentation looks at how school systems are reinventing themselves, focusing on their growing edges of innovation. Dr. Chen explains that these Edges are moving to the center and redefining the nature of “school” as it was known in the 20th Century and include 1) the Thinking Edge, 2) the Curriculum Edge, 3) the Technology Edge, 4) the Time/Place Edge, 5) the Co-Teaching Edge and 6) the Youth Edge. The Edges address fundamental shifts to our thinking about schooling; ways in which technology is transforming when, where and how students learn; and roles of teachers and students as teachers form teaching teams with other experts and students take on more responsibility for their own learning.

• Digital Tools

  The astonishing array of digital tools is bringing a new world of learning into focus, where information is available 24/7/365 on tablets, laptops and smart phones. The Internet is now maturing as an educational platform, where subjects, from chemistry to Mandarin to art history, are now making curricula more engaging and affordable for learners at increasingly younger ages. Online learning platforms now enable students and teachers to track and reflect upon progress on a daily basis. We know that digital learning can occur any time and any place, but can it migrate through any path, any pace?

  This speech explores how digital learning should change everything about how we think about the learner, the teacher and the school. Dr. Chen will show examples of these innovative practices from Edutopia.org, the Lucas Foundation’s multimedia Web site and its archive of documentaries, available for free download and embedding, with foreign language captions from Google Translate.

Afterschool: Eliminating the Final Bell for Learning

The nation’s steady progress as an economy and as a society will end unless we profoundly change our thinking and policies about when, where, and how children learn and develop. In this presentation, Chen explores the importance of afterschool as a creative learning time that should be implemented into a larger, comprehensive year-round learning system.

Advocating the benefits of providing students with a seamless learning experience, Chen believes we need to avoid placing all responsibility for teaching on a short school day. Without a broader view of learning, all American school-age children will be denied access to experiences that will help them be successful lifelong learners.

Six Leading Edges of Innovation in Our Schools

Dr. Milton Chen, senior fellow and executive director, emeritus at The George Lucas Educational Foundation (GLEF), discusses how school systems are reinventing themselves, focusing on their growing edges of innovation in districts, states, and nations. These Edges are redefining the nature of “school” as it was known in the 20th Century and include 1) the Thinking Edge, 2) the Curriculum Edge, 3) Technology Edge, 4) Time/Place Edge, 5) Co-Teaching Edge, and 6) the Youth Edge. The Six Edges form the framework of his book, Education Nation, selected as one of the 10 best books of 2010 by the American School Board Journal.

The Edges address fundamental shifts to our thinking about schooling; ways in which technology is transforming when, where, and how students learn; and roles of teachers and students as teachers collaborate with other educators and experts and students take more responsibility for their own learning.

Educating the Whole Child: The Role of the Arts, Nature, & Place-Based Learning

To educate all learners to higher levels, education must shift away from curricula narrowly focused on language arts and mathematics. Experiences with the arts and nature enable schools and informal learning centers to expand engagement and success for all students, building on their strengths and "multiple intelligences." The arts and nature enable students to “come to their senses” in their learning, using their minds, bodies, hearts, and hands.

Instead of an "achievement gap," Dr. Chen reframes the discussion to the "experience gap.” Many of today’s students are growing up without the broad range of experiences to connect school life to real life and to propel their educations forward with purpose and passion. Authentic place-based learning provides these experiences, gained through working in school gardens and visiting workplaces, historic sites, and public lands. These experiences enable them to learn not only about STEM, history, and cultures in powerful ways, but also lead them to think more deeply about themselves, their abilities, and their aspirations.