Unleashing Student Superpowers
Practical Teaching Strategies for 21st Century Students
- Kristen Swanson - The Edcamp Foundation
- Hadley J. Ferguson - The Edcamp Foundation
Foreword by Marilee Sprenger
Like we see in the movies, no two superheroes learn to use their powers in the exact same way. Each of your students has superpowers hidden inside, and you hold the keys to unlock them. With this cutting-edge handbook, you’ll turn your classroom into a place where students don’t just receive an education—they use their powers to create it.
Discover specific, ready-to-use instructional journeys designed to foster an inquiry-based, student-driven learning environment. Each research-based journey
- Supports one of the six student superpowers: Wondering, Curating, Designing, Digital Inking, Gaming, and Connecting
- Encourages students to think deeply; as required by the CCSS and NGSS
- Includes step-by-step lesson frameworks, aligned with the Common Core, that fit into your regular day
Tear through the obstacles of achievement and show your students that anything is possible!
“Ferguson and Swanson explain why tapping into student competencies is imperative and show the road-map for matching engaging activities to specific standards. So many books on the market explain why a shift is needed; this one gives you the tools to do it.”
—Erin Klein, Teacher
Michigan Reading Association, Bloomfield Hills
“Unleashing Student Superpowers is an amazing resource for the creation and enhancement of student-centered classroom environments that focus on high-level questioning, inquiry, and passion-based learning. Each Superpower theme provides linkages to the Common Core and flexible lesson plans that promote relevant skills for students’ learning.”
—Victoria Olson, Teacher
West Langley Elementary School, Canada
Free resources
Formative Assessment Tracking Sheet
Using this Formative Tracking Sheet from Swanson and Ferguson’s Unleashing Student Superpowers, your students can self-assess their progress across any lesson. (K-12)
Unleashing Student Superpowers Pinterest Board
This Pinterest Board for Unleashing Student Superpowers shares resources for the six student superpowers: Wondering, Curating, Connecting, Digital Inking, Designing, and Gaming.
Formative Assessment Tracking Sheet
Using this Formative Tracking Sheet from Swanson and Ferguson’s Unleashing Student Superpowers, your students can self-assess their progress across any lesson. (K-12)
"Ferguson and Swanson take teachers on a step-by-step journey through the process of planning powerful pedagogy for today's learners. They not only explain why tapping into student competencies is imperative, but they show the road-map for matching engaging activities to specific standards. So many books on the market explain why a shift is needed; this one gives you the tools to do it."
"Unleashing Student Superpowers is an amazing resource for the creation and enhancement of student-centered classroom environments that focus on high-level questioning, inquiry, and passion-based learning. Each Superpower theme provides linkages to the Common Core and flexible lesson plans that promote relevant skills for students learning, curating, questioning, connecting, authoring, and creating in a digital age."
"Swanson and Ferguson make the case that anything is possible in our classrooms. Student superpowers are not something to hope for, but instead they are real, tangible, and accessible ways to unleash each student’s potential. If you want to prepare our young students to be successful in today’s world, and in the future, read this book and watch your teaching change into a powerful motivational force. The “ten first steps” to starting today will have you moving toward this type of learning in no time!"
"In this book, Swanson and Ferguson provide a practical framework set to unlock the potential inside every student. The many easy-to-use strategies can be implemented in classrooms tomorrow. This book will help any teacher see and bring out the very best of each one of his/her students."
