Joshua Block

Humanities Teacher at Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia. Passionately believes that education is a tool to help people understand and transform their individual and collective realities.

Today Was Filled With Sketchnotes

Student Choice Leads to Student Voice

[Cross-posted on Edutopia] The way I understood school learning shifted the first time I was given an opportunity to design a project of my own. This high school senior project, an environmental audit of my school district, became my passion. I stayed awake at night researching, met with different experts, and ultimately presented a proposal […]Read Post ›

Writing is Thinking

The other day I played my class a five minute radio piece about young people becoming first time activists in the aftermath of the tragedy in Ferguson. I was excited to share this reporting with my students because of the multiple voices with larger messages about democracy and active citizenship, two topics that are core to our […]Read Post ›

Democracy & Education Digital Stories

Teaching at a public school in Philadelphia it feels crucial to design curriculum that allows students to deeply understand, and speak out about, changes that are happening in the School District of Philadelphia. This year my American Government classes began the year with an inquiry into the concept of democracy. This lead to an investigation of […]Read Post ›

Avoiding the Flop

[Cross-posted on Edutopia] The beginning of the school year arrives with excitement, eagerness, and the potential for new beginnings. It does not take long for this initial surge of energy to wear off as students and teachers find themselves caught up in the actual routine of school. We can avoid this potential shift to monotony […]Read Post ›