Dream School...

If I had to create a school from scratch, I would build a charter school to allow for more freedom and flexibility to implement the types of programs that benefit students the most, and hire the teachers that are the most qualified - not only those with the highest seniority. Oh, and there would be no tenure.



First, I would look to hire a diverse range of teachers. The most important quality that I would look for is team work and collaboration. Basically, how easy is this person to work with? How well do they get along with others? It would also be very important that my teachers are flexible and willing to change/evolve in their practices, if what they are doing does not yield positive results for students. While references and credentials are very important, it is more important that my teachers are personable, willing to continue to grow and learn as educators, and are mentors to students not just in the classroom, but outside of class time, as well.



For my curriculum, I would like to keep it fairly open for teachers’ interpretation. We would have a collective objective that would be consistent and clearly stated across the grade levels, so that teachers have a clear idea of expectations and assessment metrics, but for the implementation I would allow the teachers to teach in a way that they feel work best and allows them to be the very best that they can be.



Technology would play an integral role in enhancing education for students. I would invest in professional development and training for teachers, first and foremost, so that they have the knowledge base and capability to integrate a wide variety of technology tools into their instruction. Technology would encourage differentiated instruction for students and a tailored approach to learning that would support students across various intelligence areas.

Changing Education Paradigms - Thoughts...

Every time I watch the Ken Robinson video on changing paradigms, it's a refreshing reminder about some of the root problems behind our education system, as well as the ways that various educational institutions (from local to national) are trying to "fix" the problem without fully grasping the core issue (or, maybe the core is issue is being understood, but too large and hefty to overhaul...). In terms of changing paradigms, one of the hardest things to do (this is the first thing they teach you in marketing...) is changing consumer culture. Changing paradigms is very much the same thing. If we have been doing something a certain way for a long time, changing culture, perception and paradigms will be near impossible.

The video outlines nearly everything in our educational system that doesn't work - in a kind of overly simplistic way - and why the current paradigm is on a downward moving slope, with no hope of repair. It presents many different kinds of issues (from long school days, to a "factory model" educational institution, to over-stimulated students), that are being linked to one another in a cause-effect pattern. While I agree that some of this has bearing, and there are certainly links that can be made between the various components, it is a much more complex problem (he barely touches on the financial/fiscal perspective) of an EVOLVING paradigm (unlike Ken, I don't believe we are DOOMED), that will take more than a 11 minute video-segment to analyze...!

Education & Technology: EdWeek Article

I came across a very interesting article published in EdWeek this week that discusses the future of education and technology, and their point of intersection. If you're an educator, or in some way involved in the world of education, you have probably heard the endless debates over the role (and use!) of technology in the classroom will impact education and our children's academuc success. The article makes the case for significantly increased differentiated and targeted instruction with the help of technology in the classroom (let's face it, class sizes probably won't get smaller any time soon...!), and that, despite budget shortfalls, there are many different resources out there (not to mention grant money!) from organizations that are willing to invest in tech-friendly and tech-savvy classrooms, if it means helping to better prepare our students for a future in the global economy and workforce. The article goes on to propose specific, tangible solutions to this dilemma (or, really, what the nay-sayers use as excuses...), including the use of different kinds of web-embedded programs that incorporate lessons, lesson materials and other resources for teachers (and administrators and parents!) to share publicly and in an efficient way.