Granite Hearth

10/09/2026

Four very different rooms this week. One recurring question: How do we build systems that actually help people get somewhere?

That question connected conversations about governance, data, evaluation, and manufacturing career pathways.More in this week’s Granite Hearth post below.

A week of board work, data, evaluation, and manufacturing all came back to the same question: what are we helping someone do next?

10/02/2026

I have been teaching since 2002 and online since 2008. A lot has changed.

AI is the latest change, but I do not think it changes the goal of teaching. It changes the tools.

This week I shared five things I have learned about designing assignments that still make thinking, judgment, and real learning visible in the age of AI.
Read more below.

After more than 20 years of teaching, I do not think AI changes the goal. It changes the tools. Here are five ways I am adapting assignments while keeping the focus on real learning.

09/25/2026

Come check out the Fatherhood work in NH!

Join us for an upcoming virtual Lunch and Learn highlighting fatherhood-focused work across New Hampshire!

The session will be held on October 13th at 12pm, and will feature speakers from Granite Hearth, DCYF, and Dad Guild!

We’ll explore innovative approaches, local partnerships, and the people working to strengthen outcomes for fathers, children, and families.

Register here: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/october-2026-lunch-and-learn.

09/25/2026

A week at IMTS reinforced a simple idea: great STEM experiences do not choose a pathway for learners. They give them a meaningful place to start exploring.

Thank you Smartforce Student Summit at IMTS, IMTS - International Manufacturing Technology Show, and Catherine Ross for the wonderful show!

A week at IMTS reinforced a simple idea: great STEM experiences do not choose a pathway for learners. They give them a meaningful place to start exploring.

09/18/2026

Young People Need Tools for Connection: Qualitative Research Can Help

Young People Need Tools for Connection: Qualitative Research Can Help

09/14/2026

First Day at Smartforce Student Summit at IMTS!

09/11/2026

This weekend, Granite Hearth is heading to the Smartforce Student Summit at IMTS - International Manufacturing Technology Show 2026 with our new 4 Stories kit and Mbadika's M°Lab Field Kit.

I also just finished a new Granite Hearth white paper on what makes STEM kits effective.

The big takeaway: the kit itself is not the intervention. What matters is what learners get to do.

Read more below.

What the research says about STEM kits, and why we are bringing them back to IMTS

09/04/2026

Lessons from a summer research project by Granite Hearth intern Maria Tzanova.

Lessons from a summer research project by Granite Hearth intern Maria Tzanova

08/28/2026

Thank you Granite Hearth summer intern Isaac Thompson for your reflection this week!

Knowing the answer is only part of helping someone learn. Granite Hearth intern Isaac Thompson reflects on why flexibility matters in Digital Navigation, teaching, and problem solving.

08/21/2026

This week I spent time with my family in my camper in Niagara Falls and in the Hudson Valley... this piece still applies even when it is just you and your partner with your kiddos in your rig for the week:

Great teams are not made up of people with the same strengths. They are built by leaders who recognize different talents and create opportunities for everyone to do their best.