I've had lots of opportunities recently to think about what I'm all about professionally and personally. One catalyst has been my "Using Media for Social Change" course, in which they're urging us each to figure out what really matters to us. Another has been the Dr. Wiley, founder of the Open Education movement, who encourage everyone to find the thing they accidentally think about all the time no matter what. Drum roll please . . . I think I've finally found mine!
The thing that I can't seem to stop thinking about (though I've tried) is changing the way children learn in schools. I think learning is one of the most exciting human endeavors there is, but few classrooms feel that way. Public education is a great thing, but a one-size-fits-all approach just doesn't make sense.
What I envision is a school structure that allows students to learn what they want to learn and being okay with the fact that that will be different for everyone. Such a system would help children learn how to learn and trust them to do so with guidance along the way. Maybe it wouldn't work for everyone, but what if it did?
The thing that I can't seem to stop thinking about (though I've tried) is changing the way children learn in schools. I think learning is one of the most exciting human endeavors there is, but few classrooms feel that way. Public education is a great thing, but a one-size-fits-all approach just doesn't make sense.
What I envision is a school structure that allows students to learn what they want to learn and being okay with the fact that that will be different for everyone. Such a system would help children learn how to learn and trust them to do so with guidance along the way. Maybe it wouldn't work for everyone, but what if it did?
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