Skill-Building Classrooms: Teacher-Scaffolded Micro-Projects | Transform.Ed Briefing #131
Inside the Briefing: From culture-first classroom moves to quick, teacher-guided micro-projects—practical steps to build skills.
Quick Updates 🔔
🌍✨ Mentor-Intern Program (MIP) — Cohort 24 (Applications now open)
The Global Citizenship Foundation’s Mentor-Intern Program is an SEL-embedded, work-integrated learning internship for early-career professionals and students. Application deadline: Applications for Cohort-24 close on September 22, 2025, 23:59 hours UTC. Learn about the program and the internship here.
Nominations for the ICTE 2025 Awards are Now Open!🎉
We are excited to announce that nominations are officially open for the ICTE 2025 Awards, celebrating outstanding contributions in advancing transformative education and global citizenship.
Do you know an individual, school, or organization driving meaningful change in education? Nominate them today! Learn more about awards at GCF here.
Deadline to apply/nominate for the award: October 1, 2025
Please Note: The Global Citizenship Foundation does not charge any fee for award nominations or participation. Let’s come together to spotlight those reimagining education for individual and societal flourishing.
Big Ideas 💡
How to Lead Your Community Toward a Shared Vision of Student Success
Aligning micro-projects to a shared, community-owned vision of student success ensures projects teach school-valued outcomes (e.g., communication, agency) rather than being one-off “activities.” The article explains how convening community members, defining success together, and translating those definitions into measurable classroom moves helps projects scale and sustain.
By Suzie Boss | .ed Magazine
Why Learning Cultures Must Come First
Micro-projects only work when classroom culture supports inquiry, risk-taking, and feedback. ASCD’s concise guidance focuses leaders and teachers on the routines, feedback cycles, and instructional leadership that make project work productive rather than chaotic. Use this before launching new micro-projects.
By Salome Thomas-EL
Poll of the Week 📊
Poll Results from Last Week
In response to the question “What type of support would help you implement more teacher-scaffolded micro-projects?” the breakdown of results is as follows:
Professional development workshops are the most sought-after support for implementing teacher-scaffolded micro-projects, with 33% of respondents prioritizing hands-on training. Meanwhile, ready-to-use project templates, peer collaboration networks, digital tools, and real examples of successful micro-projects each garnered 16%, showing a balanced interest in practical resources and community support. Suggesting that while teachers highly value structured learning opportunities, they also seek accessible tools and the chance to learn from both colleagues and proven models.
Would you like to discuss these results or share your thoughts in the community?
Policy Pulse 🏛
A Guide for Teachers: Training Teachers to Implement a Competency-Based Curriculum
By UNESCO
Practical guidance from regional workshops on how to translate competency frameworks into teacher practice (teacher training, coached rollout, classroom examples). This brief directly informs how to scaffold micro-projects so teachers can operationalize competencies in short, scaffolded activities.
Teacher implications: Focus PD on practice (modeling, co-planning micro-projects), supply short 'project primers' teachers can use in one lesson, and use peer coaching cycles during rollout.
Global Events for Your Calendar 🗓
Nov 11 - 13 | PAID ENTRY >> International Conference on Transformative Education 2025 ( ICTE 2025)
This is an Online Annual Event hosted by Global Citizenship Foundation.
Sep 24 | FREE ENTRY >> How Are We Preparing Students for Evolving Career Paths?
This is an Online Event hosted by Education Week.
Sep 24 | FREE ENTRY >> Educator Back to School Night Online with the Nixon Library-NARA
This is an Online Event hosted by Eventbrite.
Sep 25 | FREE ENTRY >> Inclusive Family Engagement for Every Language, Culture, and Tech Level
This is an Online Event hosted by edWeb.
Lights, Camera, Education 🎬
Film >> October Sky (1999)
A coming-of-age drama about a small-town student inspired to build rockets despite community expectations and limited resources; it’s about curiosity, mentorship, resilience, and how hands-on projects can change trajectories. The story shows how a clear challenge, a supportive mentor, and incremental project work can ignite student motivation.
Documentary >> Most Likely to Succeed (2015)
A thoughtful look at the limits of traditional schooling and a close-up on schools trying radically different approaches — especially project-based learning, student agency, and alternative assessment. The film follows teachers, students, and school leaders as they experiment with design-style, real-world projects and asks whether schools are preparing learners for the modern world.
Courses and Learning 🧑💻
Self-Paced Course >> Modern Classroom Essentials
A free online course which entails an innovative, research-backed instructional model that responds to every student's needs.
By Modern Classrooms Projects
Books 📚
Project Based Teaching: How to Create Rigorous and Engaging Learning Experiences
By Suzie Boss & John Larmer
Community Connect 💭
What’s one micro-project you could run in a single week that builds a real-world skill (communication, data storytelling, conflict mediation, prototyping, interviewing)?
Share the outline on our community post.
New to the community? Join the Circles of Practice by the Global Citizenship Foundation! Get exclusive access to the latest updates, resources, and collaboration opportunities. Stay informed, connected, and equipped to shape the many futures of education.
Join our Circles of Practice Community
Job Opportunities 📥
Academic and Research Positions (University Level)
🇶🇦 Associate Professor of Islamic Finance , Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Ar-Rayyan. (Deadline: 23 Sep 2025)
🇩🇪 Junior professorship in Behavioral Economics, Leuphana University of Lüneburg, Lüneburg. (Deadline: 21 Sept 2025)
🇺🇸 Assistant Professor of Human Anatomy, Michigan State University, Michigan. (Deadline: 15 Oct 2025)
🇯🇵 Associate Professor (Business), Soka University, Tokyo. (Deadline: 30 Sept 2025)
🇨🇦 Associate Professor, Department of Family Practice, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver. (Deadline: November 1, 2025)
🇨🇦 Associate Professor, Department of Anesthesiology, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver. (Deadline: October 30, 2025)
Leadership and Administrative Roles (University Level)
🇸🇬 Assistant Dean (Global Engagement), National University of Singapore, Singapore. (Deadline: 1 Oct 2025)
🇰🇿 Associate Dean and Open Rank Professor of Law, Kazakhstan Institute of Management, Economics, and Strategic Research, Almaty. (Deadline: Nov 4, 2025)
🇺🇸 UAF Chancellor, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Alaska. (Deadline: Open Until Filled)
🇭🇰 Head of Department of Neuroscience, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong. (Deadline: Open Until Filled)
School Leadership and Administrative Roles
🇬🇧 Graduate Teaching Assistant, Mulberry Academy Woodside, Haringey. (Deadline: 25 Sep 2025)
🇸🇦 Pedagogical Coordinator (Tentative), KAUST Schools, Thuwal. (Deadline: 16 Oct 2025)
🇹🇭 Head of KS 4/5 Physical Education, Rugby School Thailand, Chonburi. (Deadline: 30 November 2025)
K-12 Teaching Opportunities
🇦🇪 English Teacher, SABIS Network School, Dubai. (Deadline: 24 Sep 2025)
🇪🇬 English Language & Literature Teacher, Worldwide Teaching, Egypt (Deadline: 24 Sep 2025)
🇨🇳 Computer Science Teacher, The King’s School Shenzhen International , Guangdong. (Deadline: 30 Sep 2025)
🇦🇺 Primary Teacher, Talent Focus Recruitment, Queensland. (Deadline: 08 Oct 2025)
INGO & NGO (Global Organizations)
🇦🇴 Programme Associate TA (GS6), UNICEF, Launda. (Deadline: 25 Sep 2025)
🇵🇸 Volunteer with Palestinian Children, Engage in Palestine, Hebron. (Deadline: Open Until Filled)
🇨🇲 Senior People & Culture Coordinator, International Rescue Committee, Yaounde. (Deadline: Open Until Filled)
🇧🇩 Manager/Senior Manager-Human Resources, International Rescue Committee, Cox’s Bazar. (Deadline: Open Until Filled)
Disclaimer: The Global Citizenship Foundation does not endorse or assume responsibility for the content, products, services, policies, or practices of external links, providers, or any third-party materials referenced in this newsletter. Please use your discretion when accessing external links or resources.
The Global Citizenship Foundation is a leading specialist international organization based in South Asia (NCR Delhi, India) and the European Union (Tallinn, Estonia). Its principal mandate is to realize the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 4 and Target 4.7 (Education for Global Citizenship and Sustainable Development). Since 2016, the GCF has impacted education in 70+ countries, striving to transform education for human and planetary flourishing.
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