flickr image via woodleywonderworks
... and the tools we need to travel them.
Wyle E. Coyote knew that kits could help him catch that roadrunner, but the kit alone wasn't enough. He also needed a path. What's the difference? I will say simply that kits are the tools that help us down the path. Wiley didn't have a well-thought out plan; no philosophical foundation to follow when hunting roadrunners, so the tools in his ACME kits were ineffective. Paths and tools to help navigate them need to synchronize if either is to be effective.
For some time now, a global group of excellent thinkers have been vetting a path for EduKare; a philosophical concept designed to improve schools making them better, faster and less costly within their local teaching and learning environments. We are joined in our thought circles weekly by others who are on very similar paths, but who perhaps are using different kits to effect good change in education. I think it's a good idea to share our toolkits so the path to improving teaching and learning environments can be made even more efficient.
Cathy Davidson (via Twitter @CatinStack) blogged the following points recently at HASTAC (Humanities, Art, Science and Technology Advanced Collaboration).
My Twitter pal Michael Josefowicz, who tweets as @toughLoveforx, is one of the very best tweeters on all things education. He asked me recently about where I thought education reform needed to begin and last night I tweeted 10 for starters . . . but there are so many more. Please add more ideas and tweet them. The other person in this Twitter feed is @graingered (Sean Grainger) who I also know only from his Twitter feed. Follow all these good folks: #GoodEd
@catinstack's 10 late-night tweets on ed reform (w some a.m. edits):
- End standardized EOG tests--they demotivate learning and good teaching
- Test in challenging way, use tough game mechanics w real-time feedback and new challenges
- ABCD grading is 19th c factory standard, meat packers: need nuance, subtle, real, honest assessment
- Make learning real, relevant, tied to communities, real experience, accomplishment, worth
- Omit industrial age "two cultures" binary (stem v art, human, soc). Really? in the Information age?
- Teach kids to think through, with, about, for--and create--new, interactive digital global communication
- Nourish ability, stop diagnosing, labelling, stigmatizing, medicating disability
- Restore arts, music, shop, PE: soul stirring learning that lets kids move, make, sing, dream
- stop making college implicit standard for all education, back to preschool. Many worthy careers don't need higher ed
- Involve parents, guardians, friends, grandparents as teacher's aids; subsidize healthy breakfasts and lunches
This is as succinct a list as I have seen relative to 10 very relevant education paths to consider. I think dialog around the specific tools to help us get down these paths is warranted, so I've contextualized an EduKare kit in response to Cathy's list (see list below each point):
