Austin, TX (PRWEB) March 04, 2014
At SXSWedu today, the Pearson Foundation announced new initiatives to encourage and train teachers, and to introduce proven learning experiences that support students at school and in the community. These efforts, which build upon the Foundation’s ongoing New Learning Institute programming, showcase and share the aims of a growing network of nonprofit and community-based organizations whose work promotes innovative ways of teaching and learning.
Beginning this summer, the New Learning Institute will extend its support of a diverse set of nonprofit organizations devoted to building on learning from inside and out of school to improve outcomes for classroom teachers and their students. The New Learning Institute will help these organizations to scale their own professional development training and share their most successful practices in hands-on regional workshops and digital trainings with the collective potential to serve more than 10,000 teachers. These organizations include the NEA Foundation, the Future Educators Association and the California Academy of Sciences, as well as November Learning.
In tandem, the Pearson Foundation today also announced a new social learning platform, Project MASH. Project MASH makes it easy for teachers and students to find and share learning experiences developed in partnership with the nation’s best learning organizations—experiences that can be directly correlated to the Common Core State Standards. Students can “follow, share, and do” things in school and across their communities, then share their work with others, all within the Project MASH environment.
Project MASH also includes the New Learning Institute’s own branded learning experiences, as well as teacher support meant to bring new kinds of learning approaches into school, such as design thinking, citizen science, digital media production, and gaming. These ever-growing resources showcase contests, activities, and service learning projects and also offer independently developed curricula. To begin, Project MASH includes experiences and teacher engagement strategies crafted by partners including the Smithsonian Institution, GAP Inc.’s Plan Ahead program, Girl Rising, DIY, IDEAco, the Engagement Game Lab, Learning is Open, My Voice, the National Youth Leadership Council, StuVoice.org, and the Quaglia Institute for Student Aspirations.
“The Pearson Foundation has always had the good fortune to work with partners who focus on the next things in teaching and learning,” said Pearson Foundation President and CEO Mark Nieker. “As we embark on these new initiatives, I am confident that students and teachers will find these experiences to be inspiring and engaging.”
About the Pearson Foundation
The Pearson Foundation is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that aims to make a difference by promoting literacy, learning, and great teaching. The Pearson Foundation collaborates with leading businesses, nonprofits, and education experts to share good practice; foster innovation; and find workable solutions to the educational disadvantages facing young people and adults across the globe. More information on the Pearson Foundation can be found at http://www.pearsonfoundation.org.
Media Contact:
Stacey Finkel
Pearson Foundation
703-304-1377
Stacey.Finkel(at)pearsonfoundation(dot)org