Bea Leiderman is an instructional designer and technology coach, with experience as a teacher and technologist in K – 12 education. She and her partner William Rankin, through their company Unfold Learning LLC , design and run workshops and seminars, and provide educational presentations at events around the world. I was introduced to Leiderman at a Reimagining Learning Showcase at SAIT this past summer where she presented “Making teamwork work, scaffolding productive collaboration with Scrum”. The idea behind this project-based learning is highlighted in her article “This Framework Makes Group Projects More Collaborative-and Individual”(Leiderman, B.,2018). The article talks about getting fifth graders to collaborate on a coding project, but these ideas are not confined to fifth grade learning or just to coding.

In the presentation that I attended, Leiderman explained how teamwork is very important in both school and corporate environments. She reviewed the concepts used for Agile in corporate project work and showed how they can be used by students in the classroom. Using the collaborative activities defined within Scrum priorities belonging and outcomes, with everyone getting a role/s and sharing responsibility for the final product. Leidermans’ talks often center on how teachers can create environments where students can learn by doing.

Some of the work Leiderman does that is very relevant today focuses on the integration of new technology and ideas, with a focus on student learning. In her YouTube video “Technology in the classroom” she emphasizes the need to make changes that don’t just find different ways of doing the same thing, but actually change what is being done. Leiderman, along with her partner Rankin, have inspired me and many others to look for innovative ways to create meaningful learning experiences for students.

References

Leiderman, B. (2018, January 3). This Framework Makes Group Projects More Collaborative-and Individual. edsurge.    https://www.edsurge.com/news/2018-01-03-this-framework-makes-group-projects-more-collaborative-and-individual

Leiderman, B.(2019, February 21). Bea Leiderman – Technology in the classroom [Video]. Pi-top TEAM. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAqttHDKv0g