The Top Ten GOA Blog Posts of 2022

As we prepare for the new year ahead, we've been looking back at our most popular blogs from the past year. These articles capture some of the great ideas, strategies, and insights coming from our global team of educators. We're excited to share this list with you, and hope that you'll find something here that inspires your work in the new year ahead.

Check out our top 10 most popular posts from 2022!

1) An Introduction to Competency-Based Learning: What, Why, How - What is competency-based learning (CBL), why does it matter, and how do we move towards it? In this article, Chief Program Officer Eric Hudson shares the seven core elements of competency-based learning, explaining the key priorities of CBL and the shifts that educators and school leaders can make to adopt CBL.

A graphic defining GOA's three key priorities of CBL: Agency, Equity, and Transfer

2) How We Grade and Why: Five Steps for Fusing CBL and Grading - In this article, Director of Student Programs Jason Cummings explains GOA’s competency-based approach to grading and shares five approaches to create coexistence between grading for external constituencies while using CBL to focus on feedback and learning.

3) The Power of Collective Purpose in Schools - What is the role of the school leader in nurturing a sense of collective purpose? Eric Hudson explains how collective purpose allows people in a school community to make coherent decisions in the face of ambiguity and uncertainty, creates clear and empowering communication, and helps to prioritize the work that matters most.

4) How to Foster Student-Led Learning: Part Three in Our Series on Shifts and Strategies for Teachers - What does student-led learning look like? In this article, Director of Communications Bonnie Lathram shares six examples and strategies educators can use to foster a student-led learning experience.

5) Back to Basics, Not Back to “Normal” - In looking ahead to post-pandemic learning, school leaders need to be proactive in nurturing the basics: culture, programs, and people. Drawing on GOA’s experience working with school leadership teams, Eric Hudson revisits the “basics of school” and how these can help restore stability and strengthen school communities.

6) From Strategic Plan to Strategic Reality: The Power Middle Leaders Hold - In this post, Eric Hudson and Kawai Lai focus on one of five essential competencies of middle leadership, Align Vision to Strategy to Tactics, which has become increasingly important as many schools have embraced the opportunity to reimagine and envision a different future given the impacts of the global pandemic and racial reckoning.

7) Back-to-School Professional Learning: What Educators Need in 2022/2023 - GOA’s professional learning offerings aim to align with our educator competencies, emphasizing meaningful connections across schools, and creating flexible pathways for deeper learning. Director of Professional Learning Becky Green reveals how GOA is considering the themes of community, student-led learning, and time as GOA launches our back-to-school programming.

8) Building Collaborative Communities: Five Look-Fors - Collaboration is a pathway towards communities that work, play, and trust together - it matters. The author, Becky Green, invites the reader to explore GOA’s rubric of look-fors to affirm and to grow our practice of building collaborative communities while considering its relevance to our work with students and educators.

A graphic table for Building Collaborative Communities

9) Learning Loss: Why We Need Competency-Based Learning Now More Than Ever - In this article on learning loss, Associate Director of Professional Learning Sara Tahir explains how a competency-based approach to learning can serve as a powerful way for schools to address the gaps that may have arisen as a result of the impact of COVID-19.

10) Educator Competencies: Shifting Teacher Practice - Why do educators competencies matter and how can educator competencies be used to support shifts in teaching and learning? Jason Cummings and Sara Tahir recap a workshop they led at the 2022 Mastery Transcript Consortium Symposium, explaining GOA’s educator competencies.


Any topics you’d like us to cover in 2023? Let us know! We’re excited for what 2023 will bring, and we hope you join us in the new year. Here's how to get involved with GOA!

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GOA serves students, teachers, and leaders and is comprised of member schools from around the world, including independent, international, charter, and public schools. Learn more about Becoming a Member. Our professional learning opportunities are open to any educator or school team. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter. To stay up to date on GOA learning opportunities, sign up for our newsletter.

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