Beyond The Canon: Re-thinking and Refreshing Children’s Classics

As we approach summer, libraries and schools are publishing reading lists of suggestions for children’s summer reading. All reading lists have their own personalities, curated by the librarians and teachers who create them. What many of them have in common, however, is that many books from the children’s literature “canon” tend to appear over and over again. While the canon exists for a reason–many of these texts are influential, memorable, or enjoyable–I want to take the opportunity to empower teachers, librarians and families to think beyond the canon. 

Teaching Math in Progressive Schools and Homes

Recently, I spent some time in the Po‘e Ka‘ahele (fourth and fifth-grade) classroom at Hanahau‘oli School. The teacher shared with her students: “Today, we are learning more about a volunteer project we are working on to clean up the Ala Wai Canal.”  She further described how the project involved making mud balls called, “Genki Balls,” out of dirt and “good” bacteria. When the Genki Balls are dried and thrown into the canal, they sink into the sludge at the bottom and release the bacteria, which will “eat” the sludge and make the Ala Wai cleaner for fish and humans. (It is fascinating to see how groups of people can work together to make the world a better place. If you want to learn more, click here.)

Progressive Principles In Conversation With Hawaiian Pedagogy, Philosophy and Worldview

Since the early 19th century, the progressive education movement has held significant space in the culture of Hawaiʻiʻs schools. This is not by coincidence or happenstance; the many intersections of progressive education principles and Native Hawaiian pedagogy and epistemology provided 19th century educators with a meaningful foundation with which to carry the burgeoning movement forward in the islands. By capitalizing on the intersections between Native Hawaiian (Kanaka Maoli) pedagogy, philosophy and epistemology, and the early (and current) principles of progressive education, educators in the Hawaiian islands were not only able to address the educational needs of their students in a culturally responsive and holistic way, but were also able to make meaningful contributions to the movement. Today, Hawai‘i is uniquely positioned to carry the progressive education movement forward, and can serve as an example of how we as educators can develop relationships with non-western pedagogies in order to better serve our students.

‘ĀinaQuest: Place-Based Gameplay in Education

Hawai‘i has the most endangered species in the United States, where many plants are unique to our islands. Many take for granted the beautiful natural environment our ancestors cultivated and lived harmoniously with. This diminished plant relationship is not unique to Hawaiʻi, it is actually an aspect of modern life that is prevalent in the industrial world. The phenomenon is called “plant blindness” (an inability to see or notice the plants in one’s own environment), and it affects approximately 91.9% of the population in Hawa‘i, especially those of us who reside in urban areas and who rely on urban services rather than foraging in the environment.

The 2024-25 Hawai‘i Social Justice Educator Awards: A Spotlight on Hawai‘i Teachers and Students Paving the Way

In her Presidential inaugural poem of “The Hill We Climb,” Amanda Gorman (2021) eloquently recites: 

When day comes we step out of the shade,
aflame and unafraid
The new dawn blooms as we free it
For there is always light,
if only we’re brave enough to see it
If only we’re brave enough to be it

Four years have passed since we elected Joe Biden President and Kamala Harris as the first woman of color Vice President. Yet, our nation remains deeply divided, as evidenced by the fracture along political lines. In this pivotal moment, it is imperative that we bridge our differences and champion an education rooted in social justice, one that upholds the principles of equality, fairness, and democracy. We must equip our educational and student leaders with the moral compass, tools, resources and networks to be able to “climb the hill” and enact meaningful change in the lives of our keiki, ‘ohana, and lāhui.

Welcome to the Collaborative Studio

My journey at Hanahauʻoli School started over 30 years ago. I was hired as the school’s Science and Computer Teacher. Five years into my time at Hanahauʻoli, I took a year’s sabbatical and completed my Master’s of Education with a focus in Educational Technology. I returned to teach in the multiage second and third grade class for two years. Then I became the Technology Coordinator. Several years later I moved to being the school’s Technology Integration Specialist where I worked more with teachers, guiding them with integrating technology (projects) into their curriculum. Eventually, I decided to step back into the classroom and taught in the fourth and fifth grade multiage class until our Head of School asked me to facilitate a new endeavor for our 106 year old progressive school – The Collaborative Studio. In this blog I share a brief history and introduction to this new makerspace and the ways it helps Hanahau‘oli students explore, experiment, create, collaborate, and learn by doing. 

Nature Study & ʻĀina-Based Education: Modern-Day Reflections on A.B. Lyons’ 1895 “Progressive Educator” Publication

In a previous blog post, I introduced readers to H.S. Townsend, Hawai‘i’s Inspector General of Schools from 1896 - 1900, and the tremendous contributions he made to the progressive education movement in Hawai‘i and beyond. This included sharing about Townsend’s The Progressive Educator newspaper, which was distributed monthly from 1893-1899, “one for every teacher of printed record in the Hawaiian Islands” (p.30). At the time, the newspaper provided cutting edge progressive education articles and resources. It also served as a foundation for the “Teachers’ Reading Clubs,” which were established “in nearly [every] school district” (p.31) across the nation. Townsend’s strategy was to provide educators with stimulating content that was both philosophically and practically relevant to their work in schools, and then the teachers could apply what they read to the development of their own progressive philosophy and pedagogy as they implemented new practices in their schools and classrooms and engaged in meaningful professional discussion and reflection with their colleagues. There is no doubt that Townsend’s little but mighty newspaper transformed public education in Hawai‘i at the time it was in circulation.

H.S. Townsend: Hawai‘i’s Avant-Garde Progressive Education Leader (1881-1901)

In this blog, I aim to share more about Henry Schuller (H.S.) Townsend. He was one of Hawai‘i’s leading American progressive educators who was “expected to be appointed the first superintendent of public instruction as soon as the territorial government was established” (Hunt, 1969, p. 297), but who was ousted from the position in 1900 because of the “aggressive Americanization campaign…[implemented in the] territory’s public schools” (Americanization through the school system, 2023). I was first introduced to Townsend while researching the chronology of public education leadership in Hawai‘i during the Kingdom, Republic, and Territorial time periods (see the chart below). 

Voices from the 1919 Hanahau'oli School Brochure: Insights from a Historical Inquiry into the School’s Original Brain Trust

There are many important voices who have shaped and continue to shape the ongoing progressive education movement. For example, the quotes from John Dewey and George Herbert Mead–written into a Hanahau'oli School brochure published in 1919–are as relevant today as they were when the pamphlet was first printed. Listed under a section of the brochure titled, “Aim and General Methods,” the words of Dewey and Mead frame the overall philosophy and pedagogy of the school at its founding. They serve as a foundation, or starting point from which the architects of the school’s original design could lean on and build off of as they “tried new methods and broke with the stilted formal type of instruction which was common at that time” (Cooke, 1964, p. 79).

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The School Archives: A Place to Document, Learn From, Reflect On, and Plan Forward the Ongoing Construction of a School’s Progressive Education Mission

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An important part of the Hanahau‘oli School Entering Teacher Collaborative (previously featured in this blog) is the opportunity for new teachers to visit the school archives to learn more about the school’s history and progressive education philosophy. To prepare for our time together in this special place, new teachers read about the history of Hanahau‘oli on the school’s website, select and read an additional piece of writing from a former head of school (e.g. Palmer, Mills, Hurley, Peters, Pohl), and they generate questions about what they want to know more about related to the school's history and culture. On the day that we gather in this special place, the teachers' have time to journal, learn about key documents and artifacts, and most importantly use the objects in the room to reflect on their own progressive education practice and explore questions about the school’s history together.

The River School: Using Innovation and Science to Translate Progressive Education Philosophy into a 21st Century Practice

The River School in Washington, DC and, subsequently, the Potomac River Clinic and National Center for Hearing Innovation, were born out of the shared vision to ensure all children with hearing loss have the best start imaginable. The first and only progressive, independent school of its kind, The River School provides children with hearing loss and their hearing peers an inclusive learning environment with a heightened focus on language, literacy and social development delivered by highly educated teachers and speech therapists. Working in conjunction with clinical services that lead the field of pediatric auditory, speech and language development, The River School serves a higher purpose and attracts families and professionals who embrace the mission.

Beyond the Walls: Documenting Learning Journeys at Hanahau'oli School

On October 12, 2023 I had the opportunity to join a guided visit for educators at Hanahau‘oli School. As a part of this program, I got to observe a daily school-wide community-sharing experience, listen to a brief introduction to Hanahau‘oli School’s history of progressive teaching and learning, participate in a tour of the school’s 146,000 sq ft campus, spend time observing multi-age classrooms and the team teaching approach, and engage in dialogue with administrators over a hosted lunch. While I learned and observed many things that day, one thing that stood out was how the classroom spaces documented the students’ learning journey.

Becoming Our Best Selves: Reconnecting to Ecosocial Literacy

If education systems were designed from the ground up to develop self-awareness and reflection; wisdom and discernment; kindness, empathy and compassion; ecological and ecosystems awareness, mastery and responsibility; gratitude, social integration and harmony; co-creative agency, joyful participation and commitment; and our very best selves, what might those systems look like?

We might imagine our very best self to be “the full flowering of our human potential” or, perhaps we might imagine offering our unique gifts to the world and accomplishing “all that we’re capable of as human beings.” Empirically, we’re fully capable of living peacefully among one another. We’re capable of living intimately and reverently with our non-human kin and integrating harmoniously with the vast tapestry of the cosmos. We’re capable of co-creative adaptation, imagination and transformation. Throughout our 300,000 year (or so) lineage as homo sapiens, we’ve already accomplished these things, evidenced by our existence here today. We could say that a dynamic, evidence-based and practical ecosocial literacy has been handed down to us through the myriad languages and human cultures around the planet, developed and tested through thousands of human generations. This is self-evident since we are the sole remaining species in the hominin lineage. None of the others who shared our hominin line survived the crucible of extinction.[1] Despite the shortcomings of our more recent history, the much longer fossil record indicates we have everything we need to make the profound transformation now required of us in the 21st century.

Fostering Emotional Regulation through Specialist Classes

It had been a rough day at school emotionally for my son and I was hearing all about it in the car ride home after school. After an argument with a friend at recess, he was explaining to me that he trudged up to the courtyard to meet Mrs Okano, Hanahau‘oli School’s beloved art teacher. She noticed he was upset, gave him a hug, and checked in with him while the class was getting ready to go. Then with one more hug she reassured him, "It's going to be okay....remember how you feel when you do art? You're going to feel much better in a little bit."

A Window into a Day in the Life of a Progressive Education Professional Development School

This September, the Hanahau‘oli community was introduced to the school’s 2023-2024 Artist-in-Residence, Howard Wolff. The Artist-in-Residence initiative benefits the school community from the daily interactions between the artist, students, teachers, and staff, as well as from the body of work produced by the artist at the residency’s conclusion. Howard Wolff is a longtime friend of the school and parent of Ari (’03). He brings his background in architecture and his talents as a photographer to Hanahau‘oli to accomplish two of his goals: Capture joyous work in action and help all members of the school community learn how to see … with or without a camera.

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Using Philosophy to Solve Social Issues in Japanese Society and Education (日本の社会教育問題解決に向けた哲学の活用)

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Japan is an aging society with a low birthrate. In March 2022, Shiroishi City, located in the south of Miyagi prefecture Japan, established a committee to consider the future of public schools in light of the declining school aged population. I was elected to chair the working group. Our committee began our work by looking at the city's student demographics. The total number of students in elementary school from 1st grade to 6th grade was 1,332 in 2022, but it is predicted that this will decrease to 600 in about 10 years (about 100 students per grade). Also, today, the standard number of children per class in Japan is 40. In the future, if there are 100 students in each grade, even if we collect students from the entire city, there will only be three classes per graded. In 10 years, one school in a city will be enough, compared to the 10 elementary schools and 5 junior high schools in Shiroshi City in 2022. All of this shows why school consolidation is inevitable in Japan's future.

The Future Teachers of Hawai'i Club

What does it mean to be a teacher? More elemental, What does it mean to even contemplate being a teacher? And what does it mean to come back to one’s home community to teach, and learn?  When does that moment happen when being a teacher first crosses one’s mind? I suspect that for some young people that moment happens and the questions arise when they first experience student-driven learning with a great teacher, guide or coach. A single class that engages a young learner could very well be the spark that ignites the fire and the passion to teach. I also suspect that for many young folk it is their “less than engaging” experiences “in class” that quickly turn them away from what many call the most noble profession. So what happens then? What forces come into play that, later, might tempt young folks into teaching? Surely it is not the pay, or the working conditions, or the way teachers are often in the crosshairs of our current cultural conflicts. 

Reflections from Maui: Creating a Classroom Community of Safety in Uncertain Times

My name is Martin Hamilton. I was born and raised on the island of Maui. This is my third year of teaching at Makawao Elementary School. The devastating Lahaina and Kula wildfires have had an emotional impact on me and all members of my island’s community, and with a new school year beginning for my 4th graders just days after the fires, I found myself uncertain about how to start the school year. News was slowly coming in about the catastrophic impacts, and I hadn’t yet met my students. I was unsure about who, how, or to what extent my students and their families had been affected by the fires and to what degree. In this moment of uncertainty, I was strengthened by the support of my former professors at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, including Dr. Toby Yos, whose feedback helped me orient myself during a difficult time. As teachers, I feel like most of us want so badly to help our students as much as we can. But sometimes it is difficult to know what will help them the most. I wanted to be able to become a counselor for every student in my class after the sad events on Maui. However, Toby’s message helped me remember that the best way I, as a classroom teacher, could help would be by laying the foundation for an intellectually and emotionally safe community. I remembered that healing will take time so I set out to re-plan the beginning weeks of school with this safe community as the goal.

Lessons from Theatre: What Happens when Communal Inquiry, Democratized Collaboration, and Student-Centered Pedagogies Intersect?

In Spring 2023,  Nate Drackett graduated with a MFA in Theatre from University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.  His MFA thesis production was titled, unspecified: a theatrical exploration of identity. He explored what happens at the point where communal inquiry, democratized collaboration, and student-centered pedagogies intersect. He reached across the disciplines of philosophy, social work, and theatre to explore aspects of identity (race, gender, sexuality, mental health, and others) that many have a hard time specifying for themselves. This multi-disciplinary exploration served as a very practical example of how creating space for diverse and multitudinous ideas not only affords deeper inquiry, but also provides opportunity for shared power and facilitates the creation of a community of co-creators. Through the process, he found that creativity and curiosity are very closely linked, and that many different fields including education, theatre, and philosophy, are using a variety of tools, sometimes overlapping, to tap into their innate power. In this blog he shares the story of his own educational journey and the tools he’s discovered for fostering community, inquiry, creativity and a love of learning along the way. 

Experimenting with a Decolonizing Math Education: Pwo Pedagogy

Micronesian ocean navigator and ancestor Mau Pialug’s (1932-2010) legacy taught the next and future generations the ancient wisdom of “traditional wayfinding, [which] is guided by the sun, moon, stars, winds, currents, and mathematical modeling” (Furuto & Phillips, 2021, p.263).  As a Polynesian master navigator, or Pwo, he teaches apprentices the concepts and procedures for precision engineering when preparing, mending, upgrading, and voyaging canoes. He uses an indigenous perspective, a genealogy of knowledge, which dates back in the Pacific waters to around 3,000 years ago (New Zealand History, 2023). Embedded in his language and the Pwo’s teachings of today are the answers to the three questions that continue to manifest in the process of precision engineering and mathematical modeling: What is changing? How is it changing? and Why is it changing?