Transforming Education During the Pandemic and Beyond
MetroWest STEM Education Network’s Quarterly Meeting
With Dr. Gil Noam, PEAR
Wednesday, May 26, 2021
8:30am-10:30am
via Zoom
Click on image to learn more.
Dr. Noam's presentation will be based on his new book, Ten Big Bets: Transforming Education During the Pandemic and Beyond. Teachers, administrators, afterschool providers, families, and all community members will benefit from the ideas proposed by Dr. Noam as we reconsider and transform the learning experiences we offer to our students in light of the lessons learned during the pandemic.
About the Book
The global pandemic has thrown our schools and afterschool programs into disarray. Teachers, parents, and children alike face uncertainty, while distance learning strains the human connections that make school meaningful. In this book, Dr. Gil Noam, a Harvard psychologist, researcher, and educator, shows that times of upheaval demand fundamental positive change. Rather than providing a technical manual or rigid prescriptions, Noam introduces ten core ideas for teachers, administrators, afterschool providers, and families to embrace both in the harrowing time of COVID-19 and in the years of reconstruction and transformation that will follow. Paying equal attention to the needs of children and the needs of educators, he advocates for strong academic challenge rooted in productive relationships, engaged learning, and positive mental health. By bringing us to these core ideas of what's important, Ten Big Bets offers a clear path for all adults who dedicate themselves to children and youth so that each and every one learns and thrives. Each chapter is followed by concrete, evidence-based recommendations that can be implemented immediately and over time.
About the Author
Dr. Gil Noam is a clinical, developmental, and educational psychologist with over 200 publications on resilience and social and emotional learning in school and out-of-school settings. He is a full-time faculty member at Harvard Medical School and McLean and Mass. General Hospitals and is the founder and chair of PEAR: Partnerships in Education and Resilience. He lives in Cambridge, MA, lectures nationally and internationally, and loves hiking and skiing, especially with friends and family. For more information, visit Dr. Noam's author website.
Advanced Praise
“Noam has written an educational book for this moment, at once visionary, inspirational, challenging and, above all, practical for educators who are desperately seeking help on ‘what to do Monday morning?’ A must read!”
-Paul Reville, Keppel Professor, Harvard Graduate School of Education, former Massachusetts Secretary of Education
“This book is beautifully written, scholarly, and practical. Every reflective educator who aspires to help their students and colleagues learn and grow socially, emotionally, and academically should read and be inspired by it.”
-Roger Weissberg, Chief Knowledge Officer, Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL)
“Ten Big Bets provides wonderful and useful insights into the critical priorities for children and youth. Whether responsible for a school district or a single afterschool program, practitioners will find what they urgently need to be doing now and moving into the future.”
-Dale A. Blyth, Ph.D., Extension Professor Emeritus, College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota
“Disruption creates opportunity. For each of the Ten Big Bets, Noam skillfully provides practical advice for how to manage in the present while creating footholds that educators and administrators in schools and community-based out-of-school time programs can use to support students better. Equally important, Noam takes exceptional care to describe the critical but distinct roles the educators in these complementary systems play with each other, with children and teens, and with families.”
-Karen Pittman, Co-Founder, President and CEO, the Forum for Youth Investment
