Our Inspiration - Knowledge Launch

Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont

Redefining spaces for learning

Here we go again. As the new school year beckons, we are hearing the familiar refrains from August 2020 about a series of binary choices. Virtual versus live instruction. Masks or no masks. Vaccine requirements or not. While I’ll leave it...

It’s time to rethink the 3Rs. Let’s add a 4th… Readiness.

The concept of the 3Rs of education appears to have originated in the 19th century although it’s fascinating to think that the notion that reading, writing, and arithmetic should serve as the core foundation for learning even appears in the...

One year later…

The one-year anniversary of the world shutting down due to COVID-19 has summoned a flood of perspectives and insights about the unthinkable change that has occurred in such a short time. I’ve been challenged, dumbfounded, and sometimes inspired by the...

Mapping the K-12 Distance Learning Journey

This Spring, the K12 landscape was upended. As we chronicled the response from one school, valuable lessons emerged to transform the classroom of the 21st century. March 16, 2020 We received the official notice this afternoon that our...

Mapping the K12 Distance Learning Journey – Phase 3

May 26, 2020 Last week, the principal of our elementary school announced to our ten‐inch by seven‐inch digital classroom that “school is officially closed” for the summer. Normally, that big moment is preceded by field days, farewell performances, and end‐of‐year...

Mapping the K12 Distance Learning Journey – Phase 2

April 23, 2020 One month ago, my children finished Spring Break. Instead of returning to the physical classrooms, athletics fields, and hallway meet‐ups that defined their school year, they navigated their ways to the black box of remote K‐12 learning....

Mapping the K12 Distance Learning Journey – Phase 1

We received the official notice this afternoon that our “home school” would be in session beginning immediately as the nation prepares for its largest experiment in distance learning. Pre‐kindergarteners through graduate students are about to experience tech‐enabled teaching and learning...

Perspectives on Peloton

Today, Peloton goes public. Since its founding, I’ve thought a lot about the company’s model and its ability to keep people motivated and engaged to stay active and healthy. In honor of their big day, I’ve been reflecting on some...

What’s your biggest idea?

All weekend, I’ve been engrossed by the coverage of the 50th anniversary of the landing of Apollo 11. It’s just amazing to think about the vision and the courage not only to imagine the project but to execute on it....

Linger.

For a long time, I’ve been obsessed with helping companies create different kinds of development experiences that are hyperactive. Our orthodoxies have been laser-like focused on creating return on the time spent learning. For example, we’ve often operated under the...

It is critical to scan the landscape for the big ideas that transform learning. Research and new ideas are at the core of what we do.