What Starts in the Classroom…
Over two decades ago, I looked at my curriculum, my teaching style, and my students and discerned that content knowledge, testing, and grades were not the most important purpose of school. I accepted the reality that my students will forget much of the content they learn in my class. And if content knowledge was not the purpose, then testing and grading this knowledge could not be the focus of my teaching pedagogy and assessment strategy. Therefore, I needed to clarify the purpose of learning and shift the focus of my teaching to inspiring the social-emotional learning (SEL) skills that lead my students to success within and beyond the walls of my classroom - building an inclusive classroom, empowering my students to take the risks that help them discover the fullness of who they are, and allowing them the opportunity to self-assess their own growth and development.
Purpose-Driven Learning is a framework that focuses on intentional belonging, social-emotional learning, and self-assessment. It takes ten SEL skills of driven people and seeks to offer a shared language of learning for students, teachers, parents, and administrators. These skills can be discovered, developed, and demonstrated at every age and in every subject area. More importantly, these skills are needed beyond our schools to help students find holistic purpose and meaningful fulfillment throughout their lives.
“Excited about intentionally using the language of the 10 Keys of Purpose-Driven Learning in my classroom!”
…Can Have a Lasting Impact!
“I am just blown away with Adam and Purpose-Driven Learning! This really, really speaks to my teacher’s heart!”
As a teacher, I wrote about my classroom experiences and pedagogy in blog posts that I have shared and re-shared over the years on my blog and over social media. Now, I have written a book that seeks to share my experiences as an educator, both in the classroom and across my many interactions with children, teens, and young adults - in school, in the arts, at camp, and within my faith community (CLICK HERE). These experiences led me to develop Purpose-Driven Learning, techniques and practices that unlock learning, rather than simply require and enforce compliance. I have challenged myself to instill more than just content knowledge and empower holistic assessment beyond just a letter grade. I am honored to be able to speak about Purpose-Driven Learning at educational conferences across the country and have loved running professional development workshops for fellow educators about this pedagogy.
My experiences are rooted in the relationships I built with my students, campers, and youth group members. They have been developed in response to my observations of those I have taught and from the heartfelt feedback received during our time together and, on occasion, years after their time in my classroom, cabin, or church group. I hope that the stories I share can be motivational and inspiring, yet I also seek to offer accessible and culturally responsive research and practical strategies for your teaching and your students’ learning. I hope my book can help you inspire your learners in unlocking their potential for growth and empowering their passion for lifelong learning as they continue on their journey beyond their time in your classroom. Our time with those we teach is limited, but our impact can be lasting. I have experienced it and it has transformed me as an educator. Now, I hope to help others experience the transformative power of Purpose-Driven Learning, too!
Sign-up to receive the PDL newsletter, explore our growing community of educators at #UnlockPDL on Twitter, and pre-order my book: Purpose-Driven Learning: Unlocking and Empowering Our Students’ Innate Passion for Learning published July 12, 2022.
