Editor’s Note: As part of our ongoing celebration of World Teachers’ Day, we'll be sharing stories that demonstrate the creative power of teachers worldwide, building towards a global online gathering of educators on December 3: Education on Air. Register today. And join the movement by sharing what teachers mean to you with #ItTakesATeacher

For Arlene Parra, who teaches Spanish to 9th and 10th graders at High Tech High Media Arts in San Diego, inspiration for classroom projects is everywhere – on the street, at home and on campus. “You have to be open to the world you live in, and the world your students live in,” she says.

Teaching in a school where about half of students are Latino, Parra is committed to helping students connect with their culture through language and the arts. “I grew up speaking both English and Spanish, but didn’t speak a lot of Spanish at home – it was something I reclaimed by studying it in college,” says Parra, who is Chicana and a native of nearby Chula Vista, California. Now, she works with students who want fluency to be able to connect more with their families and communities. Parra shared with us how she ties the curricula to current events and builds lessons around the pop culture and music that students are passionate about.   

It takes a teacher to use the outside world for inspiration

As a relatively new teacher – previously an apprentice, she was hired on as a full-time Spanish instructor just two weeks before the start of the school term – Parra is keen to flex her creative muscles. Her students come from different grades, backgrounds and levels of fluency, which means she needs to create tailored curricula for each class.

Parra looks for inspiration outside the classroom to find projects that will help students learn to use Spanish in their daily lives. While reading the local newspaper, she came up with the idea to have her class produce a Spanish language paper that focuses on the upcoming local and national elections. The newspaper will be handed out to people celebrating Dia de Los Muertos, the traditional Mexican holiday honoring the dead, on Nov. 2.

“It’s the perfect project for a Spanish class because there’s a place for everyone,” Parra says – beginners and advanced students alike. “We’ll have opinion pieces and crossword puzzles.” She’s even working on getting local journalists to speak to her students about political coverage and satire, which will build upon the election theme.

Students like Nolan, one 10th grader, love Parra’s ability to weave culture into her lessons. “I mean, on the first day of school she played the guitar and sang mariachi for us,” Nolan says. “She loves the culture and is able to showcase the beauty of it in new clever ways every day.”

It takes a teacher to engage students with technology, pop culture and music

The school’s project-based learning environment and technology let Parra experiment with ideas that demand independent thinking and research. In mid-September, to highlight Mexican Independence Day, Parra led students in researching Mexican artists. Each student chose a person to highlight and used Chromebooks and Google Slides to make a presentation. “I had 50 students working on this at once – it was amazing,” she says.

Parra also uses music to engage students. During a brief stint as an apprentice humanities teacher last year, Parra noticed how often students listened to music during their breaks. She realized she could build a lesson around this passion that so many of her students shared. “The popular songs that students listen to were a great segue to starting conversations in the classroom about social movements, like Black Lives Matter,” says Parra. She created a series of posters with song lyrics that spoke to social change and asked groups to write their own songs highlighting a social issue.

“This is what I love about being here,” says Parra of the charter school’s philosophy, which encourages students to work independently and choose their own paths for learning. “I can give kids so much freedom.”

“What makes Ms.Parra a fantastic teacher is her personality and the way she explains things so it makes it way easier to understand,” says Bryce, a 9th grade Spanish student. “Ms.Parra is also one of the most sweetest, funniest, and most caring teachers I know. I’m really glad I got her as my teacher and I can't wait for more projects ahead.”

To connect with and learn from teachers like Arlene, join us for Education on Air on December 3rd.

The recent White House Announcement of several key initiatives supporting CS4All has put a spotlight on the importance of providing access to Computer Science (CS) education for children in the U.S. But achieving the reality of enabling all students to study CS in school raises a critical question: “Where do we find teachers for these courses?”.

According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, there are close to 126,000 schools in the U.S. with 58% of those reporting at least one computer science class  (Trends in the State of Computer Science in U.S. K–12 Schools). To make sure that ALL schools have a CS course, we need more than 53,000 teachers to fill the current gap. We also need a guaranteed pipeline of incoming teachers to replace those who retire or leave the profession every year.

But unfortunately, there are very few new CS teachers in the pipeline. According to the Department of Education, in the 2013-14 school year (the most recent statistics available) somewhere between 46 and 77 new CS teachers graduated in the U.S (depending on whether you look at the graduation figures by area or by academic subject). That’s a pretty drastic gap.

There are two ways to increase this number. The first involves transitioning current teachers from other fields to CS. This has been largely the focus of efforts by organizations such as the National Science Foundation’s CS10K program and Code.org’s direct work with 120+ school districts. These programs may meet existing demands for CS teachers/courses but do not allow for the predicted need. The long-term solution is to increase the number of new teachers coming out of teacher preparation programs. So far, efforts in this area have been few and far between.  

As noted in a previous post, the CS teacher certification system in the U.S. is deeply flawed. The majority of states do not have a CS teacher certification or endorsement. And while there is a growing number of states interested in creating these programs, they all need a way of ensuring that new teachers know what they need to know.

What if there was a way to jumpstart the new teacher pipeline by allowing teachers to demonstrate that they are ready to teach CS? For example, 39 states use Praxis exams for the purposes of licensure, but only 8 of these states (AR, ID, MD, ND, TX, WI, WV, and WY) currently have one for computer science—an exam under license from Texas. A CS licensure exam with buy-in from all states, however, could be used by both new teachers and by those already teaching in some other discipline to demonstrate that they are ready to teach CS. Such an exam could additionally allow teachers to more easily transfer their credentials to other states.

Of course, a nationally recognized testing body or vendor would need to develop such a test; it would need to be vetted as comprehensive and appropriate by the CS education community; and states would need to buy into the exam by officially recognizing if for a CS certification or endorsement.

Such an exam does not yet exist, and it wouldn’t address all of the factors contributing to the growing CS teacher shortage. But it could eliminate a key barrier for teachers who are ready to teach now and states that are truly committed to CS4All. Google is now working with the CS education community to explore interventions and ideas that could help to overcome these barriers.

Editor's note: Since reforming its education system 40 years ago, Finland has earned the reputation of an innovator in education. We see Finland’s progress as an opportunity to learn about the issues that impact the educational discipline. Only by understanding these issues can we strive to ensure the value of our efforts for teachers and learners. We commissioned research on the Finnish teaching profession by Kantar Public, an independent social research agency, as part of these efforts. This guest post is a response to that research by Michael Fullan, former dean of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto. Michael advises policymakers and local leaders around the world on how to improve their education systems to benefit all students.

Policymakers and education leaders often look to high-achieving educational systems, like those in Finland, Canada and South Korea, for insight. They ask how foreign approaches to teaching and learning might translate into better results at home. I’ve found that most outside observers fail to grasp the most valuable lessons. Strict standards, mandatory Master’s degrees and professional development programs don’t necessarily lead to success. Culture does.

A recent study by Google and Kantar Public explored teacher status in Finland, and what we might learn from their example. The research underscores the importance of culture in establishing teaching as a respected and attractive profession. The Finnish educational system is built upon a culture of autonomy and trust. Teachers have the freedom to choose how they teach, which fosters creativity, collaboration and ownership.

You can’t borrow Finland’s culture, nor anyone else’s. You have to create your own. If you want to improve educational outcomes at a national level, you can’t simply mandate that teachers be respected by society. Cultural change doesn’t come from the top down — but from the bottom up, the middle out, and all around. For most countries, that means flipping the long-held strategy.

I think about culture in terms of “collaborative professionalism” — a commitment from professionals at all levels of the education system to work together and share knowledge, skills and experience to improve student achievement and well-being. Collaborative professionalism involves transforming culture by continuously lifting everyone involved in the ecosystem. When you’re both teaching and learning, nurturing and being nurtured, giving and receiving help, the whole system gets better.

Cultures rooted in collaborative professionalism share common traits, including autonomy and co-learning, as in the diagram below. The elements interact, feed on each other and self-correct. They operate like a flywheel— accelerating once on the move. 

In cultures that embrace this framework, teachers seek ideas, sort them out individually and together, and press for precision in terms of what works best for a given student. They aren’t working to please the accountability system. Instead, they’re committed to success for its own sake — and they seek to understand the causes of success rather than just the outcomes. This is the evidence we find in Finland.

In the Finnish system, teachers and principals work together to improve learning. Every municipality and school has the freedom to adapt the national guidelines for their local context, and teachers decide on their class curriculum. Educational quality is determined and monitored by the schools themselves, and driven by students’ needs rather than national standards.

I’ve also seen this kind of collaborative professionalism at work in Canada. Schools and districts are engaging their staff as change leaders — and encouraging teachers to participate as learners. Ontario, for example, increased its high school graduation rate from 68 percent to 85 percent by working closely with districts and its 900 secondary schools.

Most countries have cultural instances of collaborative professionalism that may not be entirely obvious. In many cases, these educators have been working under the radar because of misguided policies that focus on testing and evaluation. These leaders can be liberated if the focus shifts from policing standards to involving everyone in the educational system as partners in collaborative professionalism. I challenge educators and policy-makers to find their own Finland by building culture and improving together.

You can learn more about this topic in Professional Capital, a book by Andy Hargreaves and Michael Fullan, and through the Professional Capital Online Survey, a new tool for teachers and principals based on the book.

This article is part of our ongoing effort to explore the issues impacting education and share our learnings along the way, which you can find at www.google.com/edu/resources/global-education/.

Editor's note: Since reforming its education system 40 years ago, Finland has earned the reputation of an innovator in education. We see Finland’s progress as an opportunity to learn about the issues that impact the educational discipline. Only by understanding these issues can we strive to ensure the value of our efforts for teachers and learners. We commissioned research on the Finnish teaching profession by Kantar Public, an independent social research agency, as part of these efforts. This guest post is a response to that research by Michael Fullan, former dean of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto. Michael advises policymakers and local leaders around the world on how to improve their education systems to benefit all students.

Policymakers and education leaders often look to high-achieving educational systems, like those in Finland, Canada and South Korea, for insight. They ask how foreign approaches to teaching and learning might translate into better results at home. I’ve found that most outside observers fail to grasp the most valuable lessons. Strict standards, mandatory Master’s degrees and professional development programs don’t necessarily lead to success. Culture does.

A recent study by Google and Kantar Public explored teacher status in Finland, and what we might learn from their example. The research underscores the importance of culture in establishing teaching as a respected and attractive profession. The Finnish educational system is built upon a culture of autonomy and trust. Teachers have the freedom to choose how they teach, which fosters creativity, collaboration and ownership.

You can’t borrow Finland’s culture, nor anyone else’s. You have to create your own. If you want to improve educational outcomes at a national level, you can’t simply mandate that teachers be respected by society. Cultural change doesn’t come from the top down — but from the bottom up, the middle out, and all around. For most countries, that means flipping the long-held strategy.

I think about culture in terms of “collaborative professionalism” — a commitment from professionals at all levels of the education system to work together and share knowledge, skills and experience to improve student achievement and well-being. Collaborative professionalism involves transforming culture by continuously lifting everyone involved in the ecosystem. When you’re both teaching and learning, nurturing and being nurtured, giving and receiving help, the whole system gets better.

Cultures rooted in collaborative professionalism share common traits, including autonomy and co-learning, as in the diagram below. The elements interact, feed on each other and self-correct. They operate like a flywheel— accelerating once on the move. 

In cultures that embrace this framework, teachers seek ideas, sort them out individually and together, and press for precision in terms of what works best for a given student. They aren’t working to please the accountability system. Instead, they’re committed to success for its own sake — and they seek to understand the causes of success rather than just the outcomes. This is the evidence we find in Finland.

In the Finnish system, teachers and principals work together to improve learning. Every municipality and school has the freedom to adapt the national guidelines for their local context, and teachers decide on their class curriculum. Educational quality is determined and monitored by the schools themselves, and driven by students’ needs rather than national standards.

I’ve also seen this kind of collaborative professionalism at work in Canada. Schools and districts are engaging their staff as change leaders — and encouraging teachers to participate as learners. Ontario, for example, increased its high school graduation rate from 68 percent to 85 percent by working closely with districts and its 900 secondary schools.

Most countries have cultural instances of collaborative professionalism that may not be entirely obvious. In many cases, these educators have been working under the radar because of misguided policies that focus on testing and evaluation. These leaders can be liberated if the focus shifts from policing standards to involving everyone in the educational system as partners in collaborative professionalism. I challenge educators and policy-makers to find their own Finland by building culture and improving together.

You can learn more about this topic in Professional Capital, a book by Andy Hargreaves and Michael Fullan, and through the Professional Capital Online Survey, a new tool for teachers and principals based on the book.

This article is part of our ongoing effort to explore the issues impacting education and share our learnings along the way, which you can find at www.google.com/edu/resources/global-education/.

As a teacher from Danvers, MA, a town once known as Salem Village, I have been teaching the Salem Witch Trials to my students for years. Students often have difficulty understanding the gravity of what happened in their own backyard until they see the sites themselves during their 4th grade local history tours.

This year, when it came to covering the trials in our classroom, we incorporated a lesson from Google Expeditions allowing students to go through the sites in Danvers tied directly to the Trials again, but this time virtually. Seeing these sites within the classroom gave our students context, allowing them to see the physical places where these events unfolded while we discussed them. This in-classroom experience facilitated a deeper conversation into the mentality of the time. Mandi, an 11th grade student, said that the Expedition “brought a whole new level of understanding to what we are learning”. “It’s almost like we’re there in person” added 11th grader Sarah.

Now, you don’t need to be in from Massachusetts to experience these sites. The new Expeditions invite you to explore the landmarks from the Trials including the Witch House, the home of Witch Trials Judge Jonathan Corwin, and The House of Seven Gables, which tells the story of the writer Nathaniel Hawthorne and his connection to the events of the Salem Witch Trials. This Halloween, students everywhere can take part in learning about this chapter of history.

Students can also experience a new Expedition for another holiday that falls this week, Day of the Dead. Dia de Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a two-day holiday that is celebrated throughout Mexico when families honor the role of death in life and connect with those who have died. Far from being a sad occasion, Dia de Muertos is colorful, humorous, and joyful. In this Expedition, students can visit sites like the Mexico City Plaza de las Tres Culturas, The Museo de la Muerte and The Dolores Olmedo Museum.

This Fall, these Expedition experiences will allow students to explore their world and bring deeper meaning to their classroom discussions.

Editor’s Note: As part of our ongoing celebration of World Teachers’ Day, we'll be sharing stories that demonstrate the creative power of teachers worldwide, building towards a global online gathering of educators on December 3: Education on Air. Register today. And join the movement by sharing what teachers mean to you with #ItTakesATeacher

For Matt Martin, a chemistry teacher at San Diego’s High Tech High, teaching has always been about  sharing his passion for science and discovery. Matt knew early in life that teaching would be the best way he could inspire others to experiment, solve problems and explore their natural curiosity. Matt shared with us how he fuels students’ excitement for science by emphasizing experiential projects and self-reliance in problem solving.

It takes a teacher to incubate mad scientists

Matt sets his classroom apart by emphasizing the engineering design process (EDP), which is the central theme for his curriculum this year. This project-based approach to learning gives students room to fail and encourages them to analyze their results, regardless of the outcome. For his annual Mad Scientist project students designed and conducted their own experiments, such as building their own fireworks and igniting substances underwater. By discouraging duplicate projects and sourcing project ideas from the students, Matt brings creativity to the forefront. “You get to see all kinds of things changing color, growing -- even creating colored fire,” he says.

While every teacher aims to engage and encourage their students, Matt’s teaching style enables students to learn through experimentation, problem solving and critical analysis. He emphasizes self-reliance while giving students the tools to problem solve themselves. “I learned how to persevere through my mistakes & grow confident as a student from the freedom given in Matt's class.” said Savand, one of Matt’s senior students.

“I’m in awe of science and I love spreading that knowledge,” Matt says. By combining principles of engineering, an emphasis on student collaboration, and his contagious love of science, Matt created something larger: genuinely creative and curious students.

It takes a teacher to take smart risks

Matt looks to his school director, Robert, who functions as principal, for inspiration and guidance. “Robert really tries to cut through the nonsense and do what’s best for students,” Matt said. “He always encourages us and supports us in taking risks.”

This ethos of taking smart risks was put to the test when Matt and his students came up with a bold idea. They wanted to evolve one of their classroom projects —  making soap out of lye —  into a full-fledged business. Undaunted by the challenge of starting a company, Matt’s  students began researching different ways to get their business online. After weeks spent huddling around Chromebooks and poring over Google Docs of potential vendors, Wicked Soap Company was born. With help from some real-world scholars, John Cahalin and Elyse Burden, Wicked Soap Company has grown into a self-sustaining enterprise. “I’ve loved the opportunity to work with my classmates to run a business,” said Sophie, a sophomore student in Matt’s class. “Matt helps make chemistry fun.”

The engineering and design principles Matt instills in his students reflect his love for making new things. When Matt and his wife moved into a new home this summer, he embarked on a home improvement project, leveling ground and importing bricks and tile to build a patio in the backyard. “I like to create and work with my hands,” Matt said. “If I find something I’ve never done before, I’ll experiment and try it out.”

Matt loves when his students come to him with creative ideas, and works with them to turn these concepts into tangible results. When one of his students wanted to see if the class could make bath bombs, Matt helped the students iterate and discover the best way to create them. His ability to turn students’ ideas into teachable lessons sets Matt apart from his peers.

To hear from Matt live, join us for Education on Air on December 3rd.

Editor’s note: In 2012, Google CEO Sundar Pichai shared his excitement that the Council Bluffs, Leyden, Fond Du Lac and Richland Two school districts were about to go “all in” on technology by providing Chromebooks for their students. Pichai said, “I can’t wait to see the impact it has on the education dynamics in the classroom.” Now, four years later, the first wave of students who used Chromebooks throughout high school have graduated, so we reached out to the schools to find out what they learned along the way. To learn more tips on using Chromebooks in the classroom, join us for Education on Air on December 3rd.

Four years ago the Council Bluffs, Leyden, Fond Du Lac and Richland Two school districts gave each incoming ninth-grader a Chromebook to use in class and at home as part of a 1:1 program. Here are tips that teachers and administrators from each of these schools on how to be successful introducing Chromebooks:

Allow for a transition period

It takes time for people to adapt to any new device or technology, so be patient when integrating it in schools. “Our faculty loves using Chromebooks in the classroom, almost as much as our students do, but first they needed an initial transition period to adapt to the new technology,” says Dr. Tatiana Bonuma, a principal for Leyden School District in Illinois. To make the transition easier, Leyden has student technical support interns who are available to answer teachers’ questions and troubleshoot any issues that arise.

Students also may go through a short transition period while they learn different ways to use the devices, not just as word processors, but for research and deep learning. “At first, our students used Chromebooks as a replacement for paper and pens,” says Samantha Adams, a high school language arts teacher for Council Bluffs School District in Iowa. However, this changed fast as students dived into the internet to do research for science projects, history papers and other assignments.

Level the playing field

In many schools students with computers and internet access at home have a significant advantage over those that don’t. But with a Chromebook in every student’s backpack, every student in the class has the same opportunity to spend time learning, working on projects and expanding their knowledge. “There has been a significant shift at our school in student technological and research capabilities because we use Chromebooks and Google Apps. This program has been a great equalizer, giving every student the ability to learn and understand technology,” says Susanne Liggett, a high school teacher at Richland County School District Two in South Carolina.

Using Chromebooks on a daily basis means students are more prepared for college and that they are learning skills that will help them throughout their lives, no matter what field they choose. “All of our graduating students are now able to use technology to work on digital projects, such as creating websites, YouTube channels and interactive Google Drawings, at the level a university will expect,” says Renee Nolan, an educational technology coach at Fond du Lac School District in Wisconsin.

Balance online and offline interactions

Chromebooks can be powerful communications tools for young people who are developing social, interpersonal and other life skills. “Some of our students who were shy or reluctant to work with their classmates on a project became more willing to do so electronically,” says Michaela Gray, a high school teacher at Council Bluffs School District. For example, students who might normally avoid engaging in the classroom are eager to use Hangouts and Docs to communicate about assignments and collaborate. At Council Bluffs, Gray saw an increase in student participation as a result of Chromebooks.

The devices are so easy and fun to use that students take to them very fast. This is a good thing, but the enthusiasm must be balanced with face-to-face interactions. “Sometimes I have to remind students of the importance of discussion and collaborating in person to build communication skills,” explains Liggett.

It’s been exciting to observe these freshman classes learn to use Chromebooks for the first time and learn that they feel better prepared for the next chapters in their lives because of their experience with the technology. “Students that visit after graduating say their experience with Chromebooks makes them feel ready to take on college and the professional world,” says Dr. Tatiana Bonuma, Principal at West Leyden High School. Imagine what we will be able to learn from graduating classes in the future as the role of technology continues to expand in the classroom.

To learn more tips on using Chromebooks in the classroom, join us for Education on Air on December 3rd.

Editor’s note: In 2012, Google CEO Sundar Pichai shared his excitement that the Council Bluffs, Leyden, Fond Du Lac and Richland Two school districts were about to go “all in” on technology by providing Chromebooks for their students. Pichai said, “I can’t wait to see the impact it has on the education dynamics in the classroom.” Now, four years later, the first wave of students who used Chromebooks throughout high school have graduated, so we reached out to the schools to find out what they learned along the way. To learn more tips on using Chromebooks in the classroom, join us for Education on Air on December 3rd.

Four years ago the Council Bluffs, Leyden, Fond Du Lac and Richland Two school districts gave each incoming ninth-grader a Chromebook to use in class and at home as part of a 1:1 program. Here are tips that teachers and administrators from each of these schools on how to be successful introducing Chromebooks:

Allow for a transition period

It takes time for people to adapt to any new device or technology, so be patient when integrating it in schools. “Our faculty loves using Chromebooks in the classroom, almost as much as our students do, but first they needed an initial transition period to adapt to the new technology,” says Dr. Tatiana Bonuma, a principal for Leyden School District in Illinois. To make the transition easier, Leyden has student technical support interns who are available to answer teachers’ questions and troubleshoot any issues that arise.

Students also may go through a short transition period while they learn different ways to use the devices, not just as word processors, but for research and deep learning. “At first, our students used Chromebooks as a replacement for paper and pens,” says Samantha Adams, a high school language arts teacher for Council Bluffs School District in Iowa. However, this changed fast as students dived into the internet to do research for science projects, history papers and other assignments.

Level the playing field

In many schools students with computers and internet access at home have a significant advantage over those that don’t. But with a Chromebook in every student’s backpack, every student in the class has the same opportunity to spend time learning, working on projects and expanding their knowledge. “There has been a significant shift at our school in student technological and research capabilities because we use Chromebooks and Google Apps. This program has been a great equalizer, giving every student the ability to learn and understand technology,” says Susanne Liggett, a high school teacher at Richland County School District Two in South Carolina.

Using Chromebooks on a daily basis means students are more prepared for college and that they are learning skills that will help them throughout their lives, no matter what field they choose. “All of our graduating students are now able to use technology to work on digital projects, such as creating websites, YouTube channels and interactive Google Drawings, at the level a university will expect,” says Renee Nolan, an educational technology coach at Fond du Lac School District in Wisconsin.

Balance online and offline interactions

Chromebooks can be powerful communications tools for young people who are developing social, interpersonal and other life skills. “Some of our students who were shy or reluctant to work with their classmates on a project became more willing to do so electronically,” says Michaela Gray, a high school teacher at Council Bluffs School District. For example, students who might normally avoid engaging in the classroom are eager to use Hangouts and Docs to communicate about assignments and collaborate. At Council Bluffs, Gray saw an increase in student participation as a result of Chromebooks.

The devices are so easy and fun to use that students take to them very fast. This is a good thing, but the enthusiasm must be balanced with face-to-face interactions. “Sometimes I have to remind students of the importance of discussion and collaborating in person to build communication skills,” explains Liggett.

It’s been exciting to observe these freshman classes learn to use Chromebooks for the first time and learn that they feel better prepared for the next chapters in their lives because of their experience with the technology. “Students that visit after graduating say their experience with Chromebooks makes them feel ready to take on college and the professional world,” says Dr. Tatiana Bonuma, Principal at West Leyden High School. Imagine what we will be able to learn from graduating classes in the future as the role of technology continues to expand in the classroom.

To learn more tips on using Chromebooks in the classroom, join us for Education on Air on December 3rd.