November 27, 2009 127 Comments

How Could New Ideas Change Education

Kenny Miller from MTV The other day, I went to MTV Networks to hang out with Kenny Miller and I dragged along my friend Faith Legendre from Webex/Cisco. I had no idea what Kenny would share with me. A visit with him is serendipitous as Kenny is MTVN’s “cool hunter” guy. He fixes weird things. He finds new models. So, what was on Kenny’s mind?

Education.

Kenny, or rather MTV, has partnered up with some folks to work on GetSchooled.com. Essentially, the site hopes to work on the problem of the school dropout rate, and secondarily, the college admissions rate. The stats that Kenny gave me were staggering (and as I immediately forget numbers, they were something like 30% of all kids who enter high school don’t finish or some similar – you can correct me). They made my head fog up as I thought about what it’d mean to try and solve those problems.

Evidently, our education problems cost us something like 350 Billion US Dollars a year in lost revenue (or similar – again, I don’t remember such things well). That’s crazy. So essentially, just fixing a few bits of education, just improving a few parts, would change the way this country works.

Faith, it turns out, has all kinds of knowledge about the education system and she and Kenny started riffing on all the cool projects. She told me about GetIdeas.org and TeacherTube, and how Cisco is working on 21st Century Schools iniatives. Kenny and Faith told me about Big Picture Schools and Green Dot SChools and Marc Ecko’s Sweat Equity enterprises, and several other great projects.

The question remains:

How Could New Ideas Change Education?

In a way, I’m already noodling with this. With Whitney Hoffman and Christopher S. Penn, I started PodCamp as a way to teach about media making with alternative methods. This is the unconference model, but it’s started me down a path to learn more about the DNA of Disruption, and what I could do by applying alternative education models to other situations.

I’m not interested in becoming a teacher. In fact, I’m not much interested in the existing systems. I’ll let others figure out how to fix those from within. However, I am more than interested about what else can be done outside of the boxes. I’m curious what we could do to change the laws, change the rules, make new games, and create success from cradle to grave.

Think about this: my 3-year-old boy knows more about navigating the web than most school computer programs. My 7-year-old daughter’s fascination with the Titanic would give her a great springboard for learning engineering, forensics, and many other sciences, though the original assignment was simply to read a few books for the sake of reading. Neither of my kids are being taught leadership (directly), nor are they being taught entrepreneurial studies (directly). The old system, make factory workers, is still firmly in place, and we’re trying to patch that. I don’t think that’s how I want to roll.

I was talking with Dr. Lynn Dorman tonight on twitter, and as she nears 70, she’s facing the same fate that lots of people fall into: younger generations don’t understand how to learn from the body of work of their successors, even if their only learning is in which systems have failed in the past. How can we marry up all the great resources of people who know something great to those of us who could stand to learn more?

I’m also interested in educational models for business workers. We’re in a society where HR is less and less about career development and more and more about benefits management. Companies are no longer the stewards of your development and career. How can I help those of us who lived in the cubicle farms, and what can I do to share that information in a way that will empower others?

I’ve no idea where I will go with this in the larger context. I just wanted to put the thoughts out there. I’m curious as to what you’re thinking about it.

How can we build new learning models? How can we equip our youth and/or our students and/or our business professionals? How do we share what we’ve learned with these new tools? How do we equip our kids to do something with all we’ve learned from social media?

What’s your take on all these kinds of projects? If Kenny Miller’s working on it, I know it’s important. I’m also wondering what else would could do with our combined knowledge. We’re the smartest people around supposedly, right? How can we help?

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  • http://www.smartstartcoach.com/ linda m lopeke

    I remember that story, Kathy! That's why I bought that issue too.

  • katherineburks

    Thank you, Chris, for your post and this conversation. It's great to hear about MTV's focus on education and I appreciate the passion in the comments.

    I've been teaching visioning as a life skill – mostly 6th to 9th graders so far. My experience has been that many students are seeking meaning and purpose. A lot of them are deeply concerned about our environment and other local and global problems…and some feel called to make a difference.

    When you ask the question “how can we help?” one answer is mentoring. There are lots of motivated children with awesome dreams that would totally blossom with the right mentor…especially if it's in alignment with their vision.

  • http://www.betterlearningbetterearning.com/ Steve C

    Chris,

    Our use of “education” is pretty broad in the sense that your post discusses it both in terms of younger people, as well as training in the corporate world. There are the approaches of “pedagogy” (teaching younger people) and “andragogy” (teaching adults) that learning theorists like to throw around. It may pay to dissect the issue into those two branches.

    I work in the thick of the corporate HR training world and you're right that it's going further and further away from developing people, and increasingly focused on what will bring in more money.

    My preoccupation is getting people to take charge of their own learning and development, as you'll see if you visit my fledgling site. How do you think leaders – in academia, in business, etc. – can get both youth and adults to WANT to learn instead of feeling they HAVE to learn?

    Thanks for your work and information!

    s.c.

  • duh

    Take some fucking notes when people tell you numbers, huh? BTW, love the contempt for “factory workers” and “cubicle farms”.

  • http://ariwriter.com Ari Herzog

    You'd enjoy something I wrote nine months ago featuring Kaplan University: http://ariwriter.com/rewrite-the-rules/

  • http://www.fly4change.com/ Alex Rampy-Bornkessel

    Chris,

    As you consider the topic of education and how to influence and change–please consider looking into the field of social marketing. Not social media, but social marketing. It's a field of study started in the 1970s that lays out a framework on how to influence and change behavior for social good. Thus–I bring it up as it seems you are mulling and brainstorming on how to affect others, systems and processes, and you may find social marketing a friend in the journey.

    Thanks,

    Alex (@socialbttrfly)

  • http://www.quired.com J. Paul Duplantis

    I think to fix education for our children two things need to happen.

    1. FIX THE PARENTS. I would put up a parent spending quality time with their child on the 3 R's, character building and ethics vs. an unlimited budget any day. (Wow – talk about a Utopian notion)

    2. Develop technologies to inspire interest. Whether it be through serendipity or a direct experience, if a child can learn by choice rather than by force it seems to reason there will be a greater chance for recall and a future application of what was learned. Augmented reality is one area I feel may inspire interest through immersing a child into an area of initial interest then leading them to other areas of discovery.

    Another would be to match learning opportunities based on an evolving profile of the child. Collect their interests over time then find related pathways to information that may spark their interest.

    If you want them to learn math and they have at one point expressed an interest in the latest boy band. Is there a boy in the band who has an avid interest in math. If so – introduce them to his path of learning. If he had a profile – they would have access to this.

    If we want to use social networking to its fullest, let's use it properly. I find the best information off of what other people discover or know. Why can't this work for education as well.

    This will probably be a hell of alot easier than fixing the parents:)

  • http://cashwithatrueconscience.com/rbblog Ryan

    Great point about HR Chris. In essence it's about what you can get (benefits) before what you can give (development).

    I don't know much about how the educational system works. I do know that there is little if any emphasis put on personal development.

    The irony of education is that the world changers we learn about rejected much of what they learned in books and did it their own way. Education is important, but learning what to do with the education is what makes a difference in the world. This is where personal development / motivational skills come in.

    How to work self-improvement courses into a curriculum, I don't know. I do know that many successful people swear by Napoleon Hill's “Think and Grow Rich.” It's easy to read so it could be taught from elementary school upward.

    I'm convinced that if kids could receive a copy and devote 50 minutes of class time to it daily the world would change for the better dramatically. What everyone ultimate desires to be is successful and this book is developed from over 25 years of interviews with the most successful people in history.

  • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

    I don't remember the article, but if you think about it, what a much more interesting use for that magazine, instead of writing about Twitter and gear.

    You're right that what sells magazines isn't necessarily what inspires the world to change. But I won't ding Wired for that. That's “we the people” hard at work seeking consumer feedback loops.

    Interesting. I think a magazine devoted to education reform and the new ideas probably wouldn't go far. In fact, I think Lucas has a magazine like that.

  • kylemcguffin

    Chris we are on the same page. I just blogged about this yesterday. Our system is not matching our capabilities and our children will be at a disadvantage. As leaders we must take matters into our own hands. Lets make change happen for the sake of our children.

    Make it a great day!

  • hendrixhargrove

    As an incoming freshman at Colby College, I attended orientation with the then school President. He described learning as a series of serendipitous moments, like when you're in the library stacks looking for a book, spy another book, take it from the shelf, and open a whole new world previously unknown.

    More than any technology since the Dewey Decimal System, Twitter delivers those serendipitous moments. It has dramatically changed how I interact with the universe. No longer satisfied with merely visiting the library stacks of the internet and searching for something specific, I actively – and excitedly – find and follow people on Twitter who offer me bit.ly serendipitous moments. I learn what they know and embark on another learning adventure.

    I believe the lean back learning model has been disrupted and a new model, driven by organized serendipity, is ready to be harnessed.

    How do we learn from our predecessors and successors? First, we have to find them. Twitter does that for us with lists and hashtags. How do we learn what they know? Tweets hook us and bit.ly links lead us to web sites, the library stacks where the serendipitous cycle magically renews itself….deja vu all over again.

    Instead of classes focused on textbooks – many of which suffer flawed editing and dubious political bias – and rigidly defined class subject definitions – we build learning that starts with the tools and processes that support organized serendipity.

    Like you, I'm not quite sure where this is going…innovative educators not afraid of being disrupted need to figure out a new teacher-student relationship, learning paths/specialization, majors/minors, prerequisites, electives, testing, verification…..the meat and potatoes of learning and preparing students for the world.

    My $0.02.

    @hendrixhargrove

  • http://blog.meadowsonline.com/ John Meadows

    I think the really sad thing is that for many kids, the damage is done before they even set foot in school. Poverty, chaotic home lives, poor nutrition, lack of positive role models (and plenty of negative role models), no exposure to reading or other enriching activities, etc. dramatically lower the odds of being a successful student, before a child even starts kindergarten.

    You can talk all you want about being innovative in education, but it's window dressing, unless a child's basic needs are met.

  • katherinebolman

    It seems to me that your children, by way of your observations will lead the way.
    My concern is the loss of art and architecture in the school system so I am doing something to address the issue and need help in the process. I am creating a course in the history of art and architecture around the world ahaafoundation.org is the place to go.
    I have been researching other sites to see where I fit in. If you know any please pass the information on after you have looked at my web site.

    The Applied History of Art and Architecture is content rich and question based. It is a course and not a lesson plan. In the best of all learning worlds students will work together to use the information and build on it. Students will create paintings inspired by the work they see in one of the micro lessons. Students will apply the information they learn in their history and perhaps to a novel they are reading.

    The site is in its beginning phase and open to collaboration with teachers, students and graduate students who might want to use this idea as a dissertation.

  • katherinebolman

    How Could New Ideas Change Education
    It seems to me that your children, by way of your observations will lead the way.
    My concern is the loss of art and architecture in the school system so I am doing something to address the issue and need help in the process. I am creating a course in the history of art and architecture around the world ahaafoundation.org is the place to go.
    I have been researching other sites to see where I fit in. If you know any please pass the information on after you have looked at my web site.

    The Applied History of Art and Architecture is content rich and question based. It is a course and not a lesson plan. In the best of all learning worlds students will work together to use the information and build on it. Students will create paintings inspired by the work they see in one of the micro lessons. Students will apply the information they learn in their history and perhaps to a novel they are reading.

    The site is in its beginning phase and open to collaboration with teachers, students and graduate students who might want to use this idea as a dissertation.

  • ChristianaStergiou

    I've just read Edward de Bono's Think: Before It's Too Late. A lot there about the need to teach thinking. It would make a huge difference to our world, and to the potential of our kids.

    Although, thankfully, it's never too late to teach yourself to think.

  • http://chrisbrogan.com Chris Brogan

    I'm a big fan of serendipity. : ) This is a great comment. I'm thinking up more ideas based on this, so thank you, Hendrix.

  • http://sistrentheatercollective.com/ rail
  • http://twitter.com/susangiurleo susangiurleo

    Chris, this is such a hot button topic for me. As someone who works with kids labeled as “special needs” (many autistic) I am always thinking outside the box in terms of how to creatively educate them. The truth is as human beings we are hard wired to learn in “real time,” as things happen and evolve around us. This is how we learn to walk, talk, socialize, etc. Kids learn by observing, experimenting, critiquing each others work. It is all innate.

    But our current education system beats the hell out of the joy of innate learning by 1st or 2nd grade. We are training kids to take tests, fill in bubbles and work on assembly lines (which don't really exist in the US anymore).

    So how do we tap into the innate learning for kids, adults, everyone?
    Build education around curiosity, questions, interests.
    Think “unEducation” in same way as an “unconference.”

    Ask kids what they are interested in and build curriculums around that. Integrate science, math, reading, art, music, community service.

    My goal for all of the kids I help with unique learning styles is they come to know themselves as competent learners because to be successful we need to be life long learners. The content will come in time, but feeling excited about the process, engaged in the idea that learning is fun and never stops. Going forward I think the MOST important skill we need to teach is how to be a life long learner. How to access information, how to assess what is accurate and useful. In a world of web 2.0, Google and smart phones the next generation will not need to ever memorize a fact, but they will need to know how to find accurate information and sort out fact from fiction (or just wishful thinking).

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  • http://www.slice-works.com krabil57

    Maria Montessori is the queen of serendipitous learning. She understood that children are very individual in the way they learn, process information and approach problem-solving. Her model allows the “student” to direct their own learning according to their interests and curiosities. Home schooling is a great platform that can mirror the Montessori method to varying degrees.

    As the busy mother of five curious and gifted children, I was always looking for ways to challenge my children's thinking. One of my favorite education/parenting books was The Way They Learn, by Cynthia Tobias. In her book, she explains the multiple learning styles and gives suggestions for how to accommodate them.

    Unfortunately, the current “education model” that you find in most schools best suits only one style of learner–the language-based learner. I have a theory that one reason so many are engaged by video games is that it allows the visual learners to finally have a space where they have an edge!

    BTW–your children are learning quite a bit about leadership (and many other things), very directly, from both you and your wife. Our behavior, good and bad, leaves indelible impressions on our children's young minds as they seek to make sense of the world around them.

  • kkreft

    If you're interested in education and how some new premises are making a difference, I recommend you look up and support STEM education in your community.

    STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) is based on the premise that kids need to be taught how to think – how to look at empirical data and then draw conclusions – before they're simply taught a bunch of facts. STEM education believes that the silos we've been applying (e.g., physics and biology are two different classes, taught independently of each other) doesn't make sense, that all education is linked, that what you learn in one area integrates with what you learn in another. It also believes that textbook learning doesn't stay with you like practical application in the real world. STEM schools partner with local tech businesses and allow the students to apply their learning in the real world.

    I visited several of these schools in 2007, and was greatly impressed by the excitement the students had about learning. I visited over a holiday weekend, and students and teachers were in class working on projects – just because it was more fun than anything else they could be doing! They were also passionate about graduating, going on to college, and making a difference in the real world.

    And what is really amazing is that STEM schools purposely don't seek out the brightest and best for their students. They take a true cross-section of society. Many of the students were failing until they joined the STEM school. But the engagement of the activities made the learning exciting.

    Most people haven't even heard of STEM, so when I saw this article, I had to chime in. I think people need to know about and support STEM in their communities.

  • johnglasgow

    Hi,
    I'm really glad to see issues like this raised outside a specific educational forum. It is also heartening to know that many people outside education are so concerned about these issues. Just a few things I would like to add:

    1. I think we are all in agreement that some type of paradigm shift is required if education is going to be truly effective at addressing the needs of today (and the future). What seems to be lacking is the development of critical thinking skills as the core of the curriculum. Access to information is easier, and the student's ability to use the tools needed to access it are more advanced, than ever before so the need to memorize reams of data is no longer a priority. What is needed is the ability to analyze this information, sort it and use it as a launching pad for generating new ideas. Gardner said as much (and much more eloquently) in his book “The Disciplined Mind”.

    2. The introduction of new technology as a delivery platform for learning is not the issue. How that platform can be used effectively is. I have seen a lot of schools proud of the fact that every classroom has a computer with internet, but I have seldom seen a computer put to good use as a teaching tool. More often than not it's used to run Power Point to enhance a lecture. Looking at our varied delivery platform as resources, each with its own strengths and weaknesses, is one way to start. Viewed this way, every resource at the student's disposal, from the instructor to the blackboard, to the textbook to Twitter has a place in the learning environment. The questions is less about, “Should I use facebook?” and more about “What content should I use facebook to deliver?” When teachers are able to adapt to this environment, we will be ready for almost any new technology that comes our way (augmented reality, cheap 3D modelling systems, etc).

    3. Last, buy-in from the teachers themselves is of paramount importance. The problem I have often witnessed is that many teachers do not view new teaching methodologies or technologies as benefits. Rather, they view them as simply “another thing I have do fit in to my already overloaded schedule”. Very few current pre-packaged teaching programs (you know, the ones in which the textbook, teacher's book, workbooks, CDs, etc all come in a big box) address how to integrate new technology into the existing program in a meaningful way. So it falls to the teacher to figure out how to shoehorn it in so they can look “advanced”.

    In the end, we need teachers to understand that new technologies can be a blessing, and then pressure from all stakeholders on the government to change the curriculum and the textbook companies to start producing material that truly integrates tech, rather than layering a thin veneer of “modern learning” on top of out of date classroom resources.

  • briangryth

    Chris,

    Thanks for the post. My daughter is only 16 months, but her birth already has me thinking about education. One of the things missing from your post is key.

    Teachers!!!! I think an important question is how do we empower teachers to advance the ball? I'm not sure of what the answer is, but we have to figure out some way of helping.

    I guess I think of this topic in this way. When kids win, we all win!

    Thanks, Brian

  • http://edgility.net/ James Folkestad

    This is the question that I would like to answer. “How do we equip our kids to do something with all we’ve learned from social media?” Thank you for asking it.

    I also agree with you about the current system… it is difficult to imagine how to fix it… but if we don't I fear that our country will be “road kill” – see Nussbaum's Business Week short = Asia vs. America (other countries are doing it) http://ow.ly/HdBg

  • hendrixhargrove

    Keep me posted, let me know if I can help. Would be a most worthy project.

    H.

  • hendrixhargrove

    Cool. Will look forward to hearing more about your ideas.

  • hendrixhargrove

    I could not agree more.

  • hendrixhargrove

    Cool. Let me know if I can help.

  • camilladowns

    Hey Chris! Thanks so much for this post. This parallels my thinking & passion in regards to the “old school” thinking & teaching of kids with special needs (chromosome abnormalities, autism, down syndrome, etc). It would be awesome to integrate this line of thinking in regards to them as well.

    With a combination of technology & social media, it is my belief that there has been a fundamental shift to include these children & adults in way in which has never been possible.

    When we met briefly at Blog World & New Media Expo in October I mentioned by passion of the speech impaired using Social Media to communicate, get a job, be an entrepreneur & improve quality of life. I am taking my own small little steps here in Reno, but these steps would turn into gigantic steps if it were a part of a larger movement. I am leaning more towards the thinking of letting others or those already in “the system” work on what's there & come at this outside of the box!

    My 8 year old daughter has a chromosome abnormality (18p-) and for her 6th birthday I got her a laptop computer. She is speech impaired and I have since taught her to email, use IM on Skype, blog, she knows about Facebook, Twitter. And most recently & most exciting news is that I got her an iPhone and installed an AAC App (Proloquo2Go) on it. Talk about life changing for the speech impaired! (Spoke to the code developer for the App last Wednesday & we'll see where that leads.)

    Anyway, slightly off topic ~ Sorry! Just that I believe whatever “out of the box” thinking, projects & movements occur with this should include our special children also. I truly believe & feel that what is happening with technology & social media is absolutely life changing for them & they should not continue to be “taught” in the old school manner.

    As Always ~ Thanks Chris!

    Camilla

  • http://www.facebook.com/laura.kangas Laura Kangas

    Chris here is a link you might want to pass on to your MTV friend…
    http://www.sirkenrobinson.com and another site called http://www.wearethepeoplemovie.com
    Creativity needs to be inspired. Education is one thing, but inspiring creativity is what floats the boat.
    I hope that you will do a post about this after you read it. I would love to hear how this plays into what you are already experiencing.

  • http://www.facebook.com/laura.kangas Laura Kangas

    Here's another interesting thing – With the technology that we have today, why is it that Oprah's peeps all know how to Skype. Yet, when H1N1 was closing schools in rapid succession, no one thought to send everyone home, yet keep everyone working by utilizing the technology.

  • leemikles

    Chris,
    Your reference to your daughter's love of Titanic reminded me of something Nolan Bushnell (Founder of Atari and Chuckie Cheese, amongst other stuff) said in a talk a few years ago. Mr. Bushnell said that we need to stop thinking of the teacher as the actor and instead as the producer.

    In other words, historically, it has been up to the teacher to create and deliver what was learned. Now with technology, teachers can instead focus on assembling the right content to connect with each student.

    Extend this to social-imagine if teachers could learn from the successes of other teachers on how best to organize the content modules based upon students. Teachers should be able to focus on 'finding the switch' in each student.

  • http://www.theascendancegroup.org/ TAG

    Chris,

    Brilliant questions…thanks for igniting the conversation.

    I have been championing a new model for education. I've written about it in depth here (and for the sake of brevity, will just offer you and your readers the link):

    http://blog.theascendancegroup.org/post/how-cou…

    I'd love to get your thoughts and continue the conversation.

  • http://www.honeybeeconsulting.com startabuzz

    I happened upon a message someone had left for a friend earlier today & it immediately made me think of this post. I am all for new innovations, such as web-based learning, etc., that will lessen costs for schools, while giving kids the tools they need to learn. REALLY learn. What frightens me, though, is this:

    “Cant wate 2 b done with this weak. And 2 ryan and his family u have my simpithy and my prayers go out 2 u”

    This was written by a high school graduate. Someone whose writing/spelling skills are poor, even by texting standards. Innovations are in order, even necessary, but we cannot lose sight of fundamentals, else we become a nation of dullards who can't spell their way out of a paper bag.

  • http://www.vitabits.de/gesundheit-des-mannes shaunhenriques

    I agree with the standard point regarding the level of education is that Education is the most important thing that we should invest in, but not old school – an education system that was developed 100 years ago, but a new one, which drive innovation, creativity, thinking outside the box and ART, lots of it.I like post very much which gives more attention to the priority of the education and their different levels.I want to know certain new rules and regulations.

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  • Vishakha

    Hey! for related info please visit http://www.seamlesseducationacademy.blogspot.com/

  • http://twitter.com/Woonerfs Woonerfs

    Thank you for the thought provoking post. As I was watching Sports Illustrated's new tablet demo the other day, it got me thinking about the inherent educational capabilities of this new information delivery platform.

    I've seen children shy of 2 years old entertain themselves with the photo slider and paint shop app on the iPhone. Children can easily embrace the direct relationship between the fingertip and object movement that the iPhone offers. With a similar tactile interface, the tablet would be able to offer multimedia educational applications that are customized to a child's aptitude for learning.

    There's also a range of applications for the tablet in a classroom environment–which may help shift the classroom away from industrial worker preparedness towards independent, innovative thinkers!

    Any thoughts?

  • http://twitter.com/Woonerfs Woonerfs

    Thank you for the thought provoking post. As I was watching Sports Illustrated's new tablet demo the other day, it got me thinking about the inherent educational capabilities of this new information delivery platform.

    I've seen children shy of 2 years old entertain themselves with the photo slider and paint shop app on the iPhone. Children can easily embrace the direct relationship between the fingertip and object movement that the iPhone offers. With a similar tactile interface, the tablet would be able to offer multimedia educational applications that are customized to a child's aptitude for learning.

    There's also a range of applications for the tablet in a classroom environment–which may help shift the classroom away from industrial worker preparedness towards independent, innovative thinkers!

    Any thoughts?

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  • geschenkefrmnner

    Hi,
    New ideas are very helpful in each and every direction.I always suggest use brainstorming techniques or systematic idea generation methods get new ideas. Many good creative thinking books describe idea generation techniques that are both effective and easy to use.
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  • charlesbrooks

    Often we forget the little guy, the SMB, in our discussions of the comings and goings of the Internet marketing industry. Sure there are times like this when a report surfaces talking about their issues and concerns but, for the most part, we like to talk about big brands and how they do the Internet marketing thing well or not so well.

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  • http://twitter.com/carenrich Dr. Caren Rich

    Hi Chris,

    I am a public school teacher. The teachers at my school are educators. Learning does go on in the classrooms.

    My middle school students are diversely labeled as autistic, specific learning disabled, English Language learners, economically disadvantaged, emotionally disturbed and so on. Some go on to do great things in the world; they were misplaced.

    Fortunately, I was trained in Montessori methods, guided imagery and clinical psychology. Unfortunately, much of my time is spent preparing the kids for performance assessments that don't measure their gifted abilities. Despite regulations, good teaching does happen in the “spaces between”. They connect with their wisdom and spark their own worth.

    Currently, we have no music program at our school. Historically, the arts have been a lifesaver for our students. We have to write grants for cooking and science projects. Our students read blogs like Zen Habits and submit entries to sites like,”The Art of Non-Conformity” at http://chrisguillebeau.com/. They feel like a community in a global sense. A transformation from the obsessions and rituals many with autism and learning disabilities display.

  • http://www.peekabooparenting.com/ Sandra Gunn

    You have touched a subject that impacts every person and government institution in this country. I wrote a book “Peek-A-Boo, I See You! Parenting from Your Child's Point of View”. Education begins at birth with 2 parents, Family. Look at your children. They know what they know because of your responsible parenting. Our sons were reading at age 3 and were interested in all kinds of wild and wonderful things.

    The peak of infant brain development occurs between the ages of 0 and 2. Human growth and development, through observation and neurological research, confirms our understanding that the early years of life are of critical importance for laying the foundation for a lifetime of learning and loving.

    Please read my thoughts on this subject at http://www.peekabooparenting.com. We need to change parenting to improve education.

  • http://onlinephduk.com/ Jason

    “Companies are no longer the stewards of your development and career.”
    Well put !, Not even universities as employers are interested in continued professional development of their staff !

  • http://www.transferpod.com/ pc to ipod

    Having good and new idea to change the old system of education is great and possible as well, but I think new idea is not enough because the main problem is in the person who ruled for it, right?

  • http://www.allweekwalls.com/services.html temparay walls nyc

    One brilliant idea is a must to change the present system of education, but the question is how? Of course through thinking the weaknesses of the old system, by doing that manner they would make the new ideas much different from oldest.

    Just like place a temparay walls nyc on your house instead of other type of walls ^_^.

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