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Milton Chen

Former Executive Director of the George Lucas Education Foundation; Author of "Education Nation: Six Leading Edges of Innovation in Our Schools"

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Milton Chen Biography

Milton Chen, PhD, is senior fellow and executive director, emeritus at the George Lucas Educational Foundation (GLEF), a nonprofit operating foundation in the San Francisco Bay Area that utilizes its multimedia website, Edutopia.org, and documentary films to communicate a new vision for twenty-first-century schools. Dr. Chen has served as executive director of GLEF for twelve years. During his tenure, GLEF and Edutopia greatly expanded their editorial publishing efforts, including the award-winning Edutopia magazine. Edutopia.org is known as a destination website for educators and others interested in educational innovation and has won numerous honors, including the 2009 Webby People’s Voice Award for best education website.

Dr. Chen’s career has spanned four decades at the intersection of pre-K–12 education, media, and technology. Prior to joining GLEF in 1998, he served for ten years as the founding director of the KQED Center for Education (PBS) in San Francisco. In the 1970s, he was director of research at Sesame Workshop in New York, helping develop Sesame Street, the Electric Company, and 3-2-1 Contact. From 1985 to 1987, Dr. Chen was an assistant professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education where he taught and conducted research on educational technology. During 2007–08, he was one of thirty-five Fulbright New Century Scholars conducting research on access and diversity issues in higher education and K–12.

Dr. Chen chairs the advisory council for the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media at St. Vincent College in Pennsylvania and has been appointed to the National Park System advisory board. He currently serves on the board of directors of the Panasonic Foundation in New Jersey; ConnectEd: The California Center for College and Career; and the San Francisco School Alliance.

Dr. Chen’s work has been honored with the Elmo Award from Sesame Workshop and the Fred Rogers Award from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and by the Congressional Black Caucus and two science centers in the Bay Area—the Exploratorium and the Lawrence Hall of Science. He is the author of more than thirty books, chapters, and articles on educational media. Dr. Chen’s book, Education Nation: Six Leading Edges of Innovation in Our Schools (Jossey-Bass, 2010), is based on his work at Edutopia.

Dr. Chen received an AB degree in social studies from Harvard College. He also holds MA and PhD degrees in communication research from Stanford University.

Speaking Topics
  • Learning From the Outside In: National Parks, America’s Best Outdoor Classrooms

    As the U. S. grapples with educating its diverse students to higher levels, creative educators are taking them beyond the four walls of their classrooms. Beginning in “nature nearby” such as school gardens and city parks and extending to more than 400 national parks, students come alive in outdoor classrooms, studying air and water quality, climate change, endangered species, and habitat restoration. They often learn alongside scientists and naturalists of all ages, in experiences ranging from single-day field trips to immersive week-long classes. Schools such as the Teton Science Schools or the Minnesota “Zoo School” use the outdoors on a regular basis.

    With its Centennial in 2016, the National Parks gained greater visibility for their role as America’s best outdoor classrooms, where students learn valuable STEM lessons, but also gain front-row seats to connect American history to today’s events. These parks include the well known, from Gettysburg to Yosemite to the Grand Canyon, as well as smaller sites, such as the Japanese-American internment camp at Manzanar and Frederick Douglass’s home outside of Washington, D. C.

    Technology supports these place-based experiences. The National Park Service website contains a wide range of lesson plans across grade levels as well as opportunities for virtual field trips and Ranger chats. Online platforms, such as iNaturalist, enable students to record, verify, and deepen understanding of plants and animals they encounter. Games, apps, and even virtual reality enable students to engage with National Park sites. Experiential learning can lead students to deeper reflection on their own lives, resilience, and passions.

    Milton Chen has been an education advisor to the Golden Gate National Parks in the Bay Area and the National Park Service. He will describe how National Parks and other public lands are becoming an integral part of our nation’s new learning landscape and present examples of inspiring programs linking students to America’s most important places.

  • The Common Core of the Child: Arts Across the Curriculum

    As states implement the Common Core Standards, it's also worth asking: "What about the Common Core of the child?" What do children bring to their learning and what do they need? A deeper understanding of children's multiple intelligences and the social aspects of learning would lead to placing visual and performing arts at the core. Throughout history, the arts have been intimately connected to the language arts, mathematics, history, and STEM. Rather than being regarded as separate subjects, the visual and performing arts should be considered as valid forms of communication alongside the traditional language arts. George Lucas has long been an advocate for this view. Websites, such as Pixar in a Box and Google Arts & Culture, are helping us rediscover these connections.

    The digital arts now enable students to express their talents through photography, film, animation, music, and other forms. Dr. Chen will present examples from Edutopia.org of how the performing arts can improve reading and writing and how exploring the "grammar" of significant films can support learning in literature and history.

  • The Power of Inquiry and STEM Project-Based Learning (PBL)

    At a time when the U. S. and other nations are emphasizing STEM for college• and career-readiness, PBL now needs to become the curricular centerpiece for a national movement. GLEF's Edutopia.org website has documented many exemplary STEM projects for nearly two decades, from elementary students designing playgrounds to high school students building hybrid cars.

    STEM-based PBL represents an important "edge of innovation" in schools, as described in Dr. Chen's award-winning book, Education Nation. PBL curricula connect to other "edges of innovation," such as the role of technology and co-teaching and learning, as students work in teams to accomplish ambitious projects. Dr. Chen will also highlight work by Lucas Education Research, a second unit within the Lucas Educational Foundation, conducting rigorous research on the outcomes of PBL in elementary and secondary schools.

  • Weapons of Mass Instruction: Every Child with Digital Tools for Modern Learning

    Powerful digital devices are now affordable "weapons of mass instruction" for all learners. Providing them to every student, as well as teachers who know how to harness their power, has become one of the most significant civil rights issues of our time. Dr. Chen discusses how education holds the key to other societal goals, such as violence reduction, health care, employment, and community-building and how education is undergoing a Renaissance of how, when, and where it happens.

    The next generation of personalized tools will enable students to track and improve their own learning and behaviors. MIT’s Dr. Seymour Papert famously said that technology offers students “wheel for the mind.” Today’s students can learn more, faster, than in previous generations, powered by mobile devices, rich Internet resources, apps, games, and simulations, and networks of mentors.

  • 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.

  • 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.

Videos
Hqdefault

Dr. Milton Chen

Dr. Chen presented to high school teachers at the annual Instructional Fair,...
Books
Education Nation: Six Leading Edges of Innovation in our Schools

Education Nation: Six Leading Edges of Innovation in our Schools

Education Nation: Six Leading Edges of Innovation in our Schools

Education Nation: Six Leading Edges of Innovation in our Schools

The Smart Parent's Guide to Kids' TV

The Smart Parent's Guide to Kids' TV

FAQs
  • How do I book Milton Chen to speak at my event?

    Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Milton Chen for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Milton Chen, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Milton Chen or any other speaker of your choice.
  • What are the speaker fees for Milton Chen

    Speaking fees for Milton Chen, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book Milton Chen are under $10,000 for live events and under $10,000 for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire Milton Chen, click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent.
  • What topics does Milton Chen speak about?

  • Where does Milton Chen travel from?

    Milton Chen generally travels from San Francisco, CA, USA, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent.
  • Who is Milton Chen’s agent?

    AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully booked keynote speakers like Milton Chen for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Milton Chen for your next private or corporate function.
  • What is a full-service speaker booking agency?

    AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host Milton Chen or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us.
  • Why is AAE Speakers Bureau different from other booking agencies?

    If you’re looking for the best, unbiased speaker recommendations, paired with a top-notch customer service experience, you’re in the right place. At AAE Speakers Bureau, we exclusively represent the interests of our clients - professional organizations, companies, universities, and associations. We intentionally do not represent the speakers we feature or book. That is so we can present our clients with the broadest and best performing set of speaker options in the market today, and we can make these recommendations without any obligation to promote a specific speaker over another. This is why when our agents suggest a speaker for your event, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality with a history of proven success with our other clients.
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Former Executive Director of the George Lucas Education Foundation; Author of "Education Nation: Six Leading Edges of Innovation in Our Schools"

Travels From:
San Francisco, CA, USA
Speaking Fee:

Milton Chen Biography

Milton Chen, PhD, is senior fellow and executive director, emeritus at the George Lucas Educational Foundation (GLEF), a nonprofit operating foundation in the San Francisco Bay Area that utilizes its multimedia website, Edutopia.org, and documentary films to communicate a new vision for twenty-first-century schools. Dr. Chen has served as executive director of GLEF for twelve years. During his tenure, GLEF and Edutopia greatly expanded their editorial publishing efforts, including the award-winning Edutopia magazine. Edutopia.org is known as a destination website for educators and others interested in educational innovation and has won numerous honors, including the 2009 Webby People’s Voice Award for best education website.

Dr. Chen’s career has spanned four decades at the intersection of pre-K–12 education, media, and technology. Prior to joining GLEF in 1998, he served for ten years as the founding director of the KQED Center for Education (PBS) in San Francisco. In the 1970s, he was director of research at Sesame Workshop in New York, helping develop Sesame Street, the Electric Company, and 3-2-1 Contact. From 1985 to 1987, Dr. Chen was an assistant professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education where he taught and conducted research on educational technology. During 2007–08, he was one of thirty-five Fulbright New Century Scholars conducting research on access and diversity issues in higher education and K–12.

Dr. Chen chairs the advisory council for the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media at St. Vincent College in Pennsylvania and has been appointed to the National Park System advisory board. He currently serves on the board of directors of the Panasonic Foundation in New Jersey; ConnectEd: The California Center for College and Career; and the San Francisco School Alliance.

Dr. Chen’s work has been honored with the Elmo Award from Sesame Workshop and the Fred Rogers Award from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and by the Congressional Black Caucus and two science centers in the Bay Area—the Exploratorium and the Lawrence Hall of Science. He is the author of more than thirty books, chapters, and articles on educational media. Dr. Chen’s book, Education Nation: Six Leading Edges of Innovation in Our Schools (Jossey-Bass, 2010), is based on his work at Edutopia.

Dr. Chen received an AB degree in social studies from Harvard College. He also holds MA and PhD degrees in communication research from Stanford University.

Milton Chen Speaking Topics

  • Learning From the Outside In: National Parks, America’s Best Outdoor Classrooms

    As the U. S. grapples with educating its diverse students to higher levels, creative educators are taking them beyond the four walls of their classrooms. Beginning in “nature nearby” such as school gardens and city parks and extending to more than 400 national parks, students come alive in outdoor classrooms, studying air and water quality, climate change, endangered species, and habitat restoration. They often learn alongside scientists and naturalists of all ages, in experiences ranging from single-day field trips to immersive week-long classes. Schools such as the Teton Science Schools or the Minnesota “Zoo School” use the outdoors on a regular basis.

    With its Centennial in 2016, the National Parks gained greater visibility for their role as America’s best outdoor classrooms, where students learn valuable STEM lessons, but also gain front-row seats to connect American history to today’s events. These parks include the well known, from Gettysburg to Yosemite to the Grand Canyon, as well as smaller sites, such as the Japanese-American internment camp at Manzanar and Frederick Douglass’s home outside of Washington, D. C.

    Technology supports these place-based experiences. The National Park Service website contains a wide range of lesson plans across grade levels as well as opportunities for virtual field trips and Ranger chats. Online platforms, such as iNaturalist, enable students to record, verify, and deepen understanding of plants and animals they encounter. Games, apps, and even virtual reality enable students to engage with National Park sites. Experiential learning can lead students to deeper reflection on their own lives, resilience, and passions.

    Milton Chen has been an education advisor to the Golden Gate National Parks in the Bay Area and the National Park Service. He will describe how National Parks and other public lands are becoming an integral part of our nation’s new learning landscape and present examples of inspiring programs linking students to America’s most important places.

  • The Common Core of the Child: Arts Across the Curriculum

    As states implement the Common Core Standards, it's also worth asking: "What about the Common Core of the child?" What do children bring to their learning and what do they need? A deeper understanding of children's multiple intelligences and the social aspects of learning would lead to placing visual and performing arts at the core. Throughout history, the arts have been intimately connected to the language arts, mathematics, history, and STEM. Rather than being regarded as separate subjects, the visual and performing arts should be considered as valid forms of communication alongside the traditional language arts. George Lucas has long been an advocate for this view. Websites, such as Pixar in a Box and Google Arts & Culture, are helping us rediscover these connections.

    The digital arts now enable students to express their talents through photography, film, animation, music, and other forms. Dr. Chen will present examples from Edutopia.org of how the performing arts can improve reading and writing and how exploring the "grammar" of significant films can support learning in literature and history.

  • The Power of Inquiry and STEM Project-Based Learning (PBL)

    At a time when the U. S. and other nations are emphasizing STEM for college• and career-readiness, PBL now needs to become the curricular centerpiece for a national movement. GLEF's Edutopia.org website has documented many exemplary STEM projects for nearly two decades, from elementary students designing playgrounds to high school students building hybrid cars.

    STEM-based PBL represents an important "edge of innovation" in schools, as described in Dr. Chen's award-winning book, Education Nation. PBL curricula connect to other "edges of innovation," such as the role of technology and co-teaching and learning, as students work in teams to accomplish ambitious projects. Dr. Chen will also highlight work by Lucas Education Research, a second unit within the Lucas Educational Foundation, conducting rigorous research on the outcomes of PBL in elementary and secondary schools.

  • Weapons of Mass Instruction: Every Child with Digital Tools for Modern Learning

    Powerful digital devices are now affordable "weapons of mass instruction" for all learners. Providing them to every student, as well as teachers who know how to harness their power, has become one of the most significant civil rights issues of our time. Dr. Chen discusses how education holds the key to other societal goals, such as violence reduction, health care, employment, and community-building and how education is undergoing a Renaissance of how, when, and where it happens.

    The next generation of personalized tools will enable students to track and improve their own learning and behaviors. MIT’s Dr. Seymour Papert famously said that technology offers students “wheel for the mind.” Today’s students can learn more, faster, than in previous generations, powered by mobile devices, rich Internet resources, apps, games, and simulations, and networks of mentors.

  • 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.

  • 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.

Milton Chen Videos

  • Milton Chen - Personalized Learning - YouTube
    Dr. Milton Chen is senior fellow and executive director, emeritus at The George Lucas Educational Foundation (GLEF), a non-profit operating ...
  • Dr. Milton Chen
    Dr. Chen presented to high school teachers at the annual Instructional Fair, focusing on technology and project-based learning as key ...
  • Learning Landscapes: The Future of Education with Dr. Milton Chen

Milton Chen Books

Speaker Lists Featuring Milton Chen

FAQs on booking Milton Chen

  • How do I book Milton Chen to speak at my event?

    Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Milton Chen for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Milton Chen, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Milton Chen or any other speaker of your choice.
  • What are the speaker fees for Milton Chen

    Speaking fees for Milton Chen, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book Milton Chen are under $10,000 for live events and under $10,000 for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire Milton Chen, click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent.
  • What topics does Milton Chen speak about?

  • Where does Milton Chen travel from?

    Milton Chen generally travels from San Francisco, CA, USA, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent.
  • Who is Milton Chen’s agent?

    AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully booked keynote speakers like Milton Chen for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Milton Chen for your next private or corporate function.
  • What is a full-service speaker booking agency?

    AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host Milton Chen or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us.
  • Why is AAE Speakers Bureau different from other booking agencies?

    If you’re looking for the best, unbiased speaker recommendations, paired with a top-notch customer service experience, you’re in the right place. At AAE Speakers Bureau, we exclusively represent the interests of our clients - professional organizations, companies, universities, and associations. We intentionally do not represent the speakers we feature or book. That is so we can present our clients with the broadest and best performing set of speaker options in the market today, and we can make these recommendations without any obligation to promote a specific speaker over another. This is why when our agents suggest a speaker for your event, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality with a history of proven success with our other clients.

Milton Chen is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Learning From the Outside In: National Parks, America’s Best Outdoor Classrooms, The Common Core of the Child: Arts Across the Curriculum , The Power of Inquiry and STEM Project-Based Learning (PBL) , Weapons of Mass Instruction: Every Child with Digital Tools for Modern Learning, Educating the Whole Child: The Role of the Arts, Nature, & Place-Based Learning and Six Leading Edges of Innovation in Our Schools. The estimated speaking fee range to book Milton Chen for your event is $5,000 - $10,000. Milton Chen generally travels from San Francisco, CA, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Erin Gruwell, Alan November, Gever Tulley, Keith L. Brown and Liz Dozier. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Milton Chen for an upcoming live or virtual event.

Milton Chen Speaking Topics

  • Learning From the Outside In: National Parks, America’s Best Outdoor Classrooms

    As the U. S. grapples with educating its diverse students to higher levels, creative educators are taking them beyond the four walls of their classrooms. Beginning in “nature nearby” such as school gardens and city parks and extending to more than 400 national parks, students come alive in outdoor classrooms, studying air and water quality, climate change, endangered species, and habitat restoration. They often learn alongside scientists and naturalists of all ages, in experiences ranging from single-day field trips to immersive week-long classes. Schools such as the Teton Science Schools or the Minnesota “Zoo School” use the outdoors on a regular basis.

    With its Centennial in 2016, the National Parks gained greater visibility for their role as America’s best outdoor classrooms, where students learn valuable STEM lessons, but also gain front-row seats to connect American history to today’s events. These parks include the well known, from Gettysburg to Yosemite to the Grand Canyon, as well as smaller sites, such as the Japanese-American internment camp at Manzanar and Frederick Douglass’s home outside of Washington, D. C.

    Technology supports these place-based experiences. The National Park Service website contains a wide range of lesson plans across grade levels as well as opportunities for virtual field trips and Ranger chats. Online platforms, such as iNaturalist, enable students to record, verify, and deepen understanding of plants and animals they encounter. Games, apps, and even virtual reality enable students to engage with National Park sites. Experiential learning can lead students to deeper reflection on their own lives, resilience, and passions.

    Milton Chen has been an education advisor to the Golden Gate National Parks in the Bay Area and the National Park Service. He will describe how National Parks and other public lands are becoming an integral part of our nation’s new learning landscape and present examples of inspiring programs linking students to America’s most important places.

  • The Common Core of the Child: Arts Across the Curriculum

    As states implement the Common Core Standards, it's also worth asking: "What about the Common Core of the child?" What do children bring to their learning and what do they need? A deeper understanding of children's multiple intelligences and the social aspects of learning would lead to placing visual and performing arts at the core. Throughout history, the arts have been intimately connected to the language arts, mathematics, history, and STEM. Rather than being regarded as separate subjects, the visual and performing arts should be considered as valid forms of communication alongside the traditional language arts. George Lucas has long been an advocate for this view. Websites, such as Pixar in a Box and Google Arts & Culture, are helping us rediscover these connections.

    The digital arts now enable students to express their talents through photography, film, animation, music, and other forms. Dr. Chen will present examples from Edutopia.org of how the performing arts can improve reading and writing and how exploring the "grammar" of significant films can support learning in literature and history.

  • The Power of Inquiry and STEM Project-Based Learning (PBL)

    At a time when the U. S. and other nations are emphasizing STEM for college• and career-readiness, PBL now needs to become the curricular centerpiece for a national movement. GLEF's Edutopia.org website has documented many exemplary STEM projects for nearly two decades, from elementary students designing playgrounds to high school students building hybrid cars.

    STEM-based PBL represents an important "edge of innovation" in schools, as described in Dr. Chen's award-winning book, Education Nation. PBL curricula connect to other "edges of innovation," such as the role of technology and co-teaching and learning, as students work in teams to accomplish ambitious projects. Dr. Chen will also highlight work by Lucas Education Research, a second unit within the Lucas Educational Foundation, conducting rigorous research on the outcomes of PBL in elementary and secondary schools.

  • Weapons of Mass Instruction: Every Child with Digital Tools for Modern Learning

    Powerful digital devices are now affordable "weapons of mass instruction" for all learners. Providing them to every student, as well as teachers who know how to harness their power, has become one of the most significant civil rights issues of our time. Dr. Chen discusses how education holds the key to other societal goals, such as violence reduction, health care, employment, and community-building and how education is undergoing a Renaissance of how, when, and where it happens.

    The next generation of personalized tools will enable students to track and improve their own learning and behaviors. MIT’s Dr. Seymour Papert famously said that technology offers students “wheel for the mind.” Today’s students can learn more, faster, than in previous generations, powered by mobile devices, rich Internet resources, apps, games, and simulations, and networks of mentors.

  • 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.

  • 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.

Milton Chen Speaker Videos

  • Milton Chen - Personalized Learning - YouTube
    Dr. Milton Chen is senior fellow and executive director, emeritus at The George Lucas Educational Foundation (GLEF), a non-profit operating ...
    Dr. Milton Chen
    Dr. Chen presented to high school teachers at the annual Instructional Fair, focusing on technology and project-based learning as key ...
  • Learning Landscapes: The Future of Education with Dr. Milton Chen
    CABE 2015 - Milton Chen
  • Media & Early Learning Symposium 2010: Milton Chen

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Speakers Similar to Milton Chen

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