Unleashing Student Superpowers: Practical Teaching Strategies for 21st Century Students

Turn students into learning superheroes!

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

Kristen Swanson helps teachers design meaningful, interactive curricula at the local and national level. She has taught at the elementary level, served as a regional consultant for Response to Intervention, and worked as an educational technology director for a public school district in Pennsylvania. She holds a B.A. degree from DeSales University, two M.A. degrees from Wilkes University, and an Ed.D. degree from Widener University. Kristen is currently an adjunct in the DeSales University instructional technology M.Ed program and a senior technology leader for BrightBytes.

In addition to her experience as an educator, Kristen is also passionate about meaningful professional learning. She serves on the board of the Edcamp Foundation, a nonprofit organization designed to facilitate local, grassroots professional development. She has shared her ideas and expertise at ASCD conferences, TEDxPhiladelphiaEd, TEDxNYED, and Educon. She has also been published in academic journals, including Literacy Learning: The Middle Years and the Journal of Reading, Writing, and Literacy. She is the author of Professional Learning in the Digital Age: The Educator’s Guide to User-Generated Learning and Teaching the Common Core Speaking and Listening Standards.

Kristen is active in the educational technology sphere. She is a Google Certified Teacher, Twitter Teacher, Edublog Award Nominee, and avid blogger. She strongly believes that rigorous curriculum fosters meaningful technology integration, and she is also interested in the learning opportunities provided by asynchronous learning.

Hadley Ferguson is a middle school teacher at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, an independent school in Philadelphia. She teaches History and Humanities as well as Entrepreneurship. Hadley is passionate about developing new curriculum to meet the needs of her students, working with other teachers, both in her building and through her personal learning network, to develop the best strategies to enhance the learning in her classroom. Hadley has a B.A. and an MEd from Smith College.

Because of her experiences of how important collaboration is for learning and growing as an educator, Hadley is actively involved in helping to develop connections among educators. She is a member of the Library of Congress’ Teaching with Primary Sources Mentor Advisory group, where she helps teachers connect with the Library. She also advises groups of teachers on strategies for working together to develop curriculum that includes the resources from the Library of Congress. She was named a “Teacher of the Future” by the National Association of Independent Schools and part of a network to enhance support for independent school teachers.  Hadley also seves on the board of the Edcamp Foundation, a nonprofit organization designed to facilitate local, grassroots professional development.

She has presented at a variety of conferences, including ISTE, National Middle School Association, Educational Computing Conference of Ontario and Educon. She has written articles for ISTE’s Learning and Leading on how teachers can take control of their professional development to directly impact the classroom. Her latest presentation is “On Being a Risk-Taking Teacher,” based on her work with ungrading. Her blog explores the challenges of teaching middle school in a digital world.