Changing Education Paradigms

Comment

Comment by Wade Millington on April 19, 2011 at 3:14am

Formal assessment in the shape of SATS tests places teachers, students and parents under a lot of pressure. In 2007 the QCA “…urged schools to stop ‘drilling’ pupils for texts. Chief executive Ken Boston warned that ‘in many schools too much teaching time is taken up with practice tests and preparing for key stage tests in English, mathematics and science, at the expense of actual teaching in these core subjects and other areas.’ [3.] – The Guardian 11 August 2007 – cited in Ch 11, Education in England.Serving up the British Curriculum part 1 and 2

Comment by Erika Podlovics on April 18, 2011 at 8:49pm

The resources available to teachers today are incredible. Bringing videos from Khan Academy and Ted Talks, and using social media to get your students communicating and engaged are just a few things. We need to appeal to the needs of 21st century kids and keep up with their fast paced, highly information driven, and complex lives. 

 

This is a great video from a math teacher on Ted Talks that is very inspiring

http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_meyer_math_curriculum_makeover.html

Comment by Sara Nicklas on February 18, 2011 at 2:24pm

I disagree with the statement "The route to education marginalizes most the things you think are important about yourself."  This only happens if you let it.  Students don't seem to put the effort into education the way I did when I was in school.  I was not content to just do what I had to, to pass.  Today educators are looked upon to provide morals, manners, socialization techniques, as well as education.  Where is the pride in learning and the desire to do well because you want to, not just because someone tells you it is a good idea?  I think the video kind of stated that it is the process of education that takes this out of the students.  Is it, or is there something else we are missing?

Comment by Sara Nicklas on February 18, 2011 at 2:19pm

I agree with the statement "The current system was designed and conceived for a different age."  Even with an education these days the kids are not assured a job.  There is a great deal of competition from other countries as well as the U.S.  We need to focus on what the students need to know in order to be successful.  That brings up a big discussion in its own as the economy and outside world are changing so fast.

Comment by Sara Nicklas on February 18, 2011 at 2:11pm

As mentioned in the video, in the past and presently, students are educated in a factory design, with conformity to factory lines, in batches, according to age group, and depending on "date of manufacturing.  This is limiting the advanced students, holding the average students back, and not appropriately helping the struggling students.  So, how do we fix this factory we call school?  Placing students in groups according to educational level is a good idea, but what happens when you have a 9th grader in the 3rd grade reading class?  I am sure it happened back in the day in the one room school-houses, however, today parents seem to be more concerned with social aspects than the actual education.  If we continue on the track we are on, we will have a lack of good teachers, doctors, lawyers, and other important professionals in our world.

Comment by Leslie Raffelson on February 17, 2011 at 1:16pm

Instructions for Participation for Peetz School educators:

You will need to sign up for the Educators PLN before you are able to respond or post.

There is a video embedded on the page called Changing Education Paradigms. It is a speech given by Sir Ken Robinson and animated. Please watch the video and respond to the discussion questions presented.

I will be in the small lab first thing in the morning to discuss how to access the site and to sign up, post discussion topics and reply to discussions already there.

Activities:
There are 3 questions in the discussion forum questions that you need to respond to on Friday 2/18, but your participation in the discussion is encourage to extend beyond our professional development day.
1. Reflect on the ideas presented on the history of our educational system…
a. Please respond to the question yourself. Ask questions, rebut what is stated, add to it with additional information, links, content, supporting documentation, but contribute.
b. Read and respond to others comments within this discussion thread throughout the day and later in the week.
2. Agree: Pick a significant statement that Sir Ken Robinson makes in the speech..
a. Respond to the topic
b. Respond to 2-3 others at a minimum
3. Disagree: Sir Ken Robinson provides lots of problems…
a. Respond to the topic
b. Respond to 2-3 others at a minimum

Please feel free to add your own additional discussion topics and to browse and contribute to those made by others.

This discussion forum is open to the world and others will be invited to participate, so please welcome them and encourage your other colleagues to join in by forwarding this message to them. (Tweet it, Facebook it, Email it)

Benefits of this type of discussion:
Everyone has a voice
You get to think about your response
We can engage a worldwide audience
It can be an ongoing conversation and not one that ends at the allotted time
Provide additional resources to help educate others and expand horizons
Discussions are recorded and saved instead of forgotten and lost
You can participate in the discussion on your own time schedule (home, work, dr. office waiting room)
This may be how we provide some summer professional development