As I was listening to him I was thinking about ways to use Twitter---which coincidentally I had joined a few days before. My first Tweet, on 11/11/11, called out Sam Chaltain (@samchaltain), and it was about integrated learning and assessment.

In a recent tweet, Chaltain describes the importance of story telling to bring excitement into teaching. As we flip, blend and go hybrid, might we run the risk of taking some of the excitement out of learning? Or lose some of the personality of the teacher who might be your mentor, your guide? Chaltain wants to make sure we keep that level of engagement and connection in the classroom.

He asks us to consider when (and where) we were when we learned best? How many of you answer: at a computer terminal in the library, watching a video on my iPad, calculating a complex answer to a problem in calculus?

No, it’s the “before” or “after” that counts, that brings it home. Watching JFK’s assassination and understanding all the issues at play is a great piece of learning; even better though is re-enacting the trial of Lee Harvey Oswald with all your knowledge at your fingertips. Taking the learning deeper because a great teacher came up with a great assignment.

As head of a progressive school with meaningful relationships at its core, I say “Right on!” to Sam—and thank you.

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Pocket Change is a web diary written by Jane Moulding, head of school.