Educational Buzzwords...E: Educational Paradigm Shifts

About Sir Ken Robinson

Of note in the video (find the whole transcript here):

1. There are two reasons for the current reform in public education. One is economic (how do we educate children so they are prepared for tomorrow when we have no idea what tomorrow is going to be about?) and the other is cultural (how do we make sure that children have a cultural identity while still being a part of globalization?). 
2. It's better to have a college degree over not having a degree, but it is no longer a guarantee that you will get a stable job because of that degree.
3. Everyone agrees we should raise our educational standards, but the problem is that we can't do this using the same educational ideas we've always used. Our current system of education 'was designed and conceived and constructed for a different age'. 
4. Public education, as we know it, is a relatively new concept.
5. Public education is steeped in academic ability, the idea that there are two kinds of people: smart people and not-so-smart people. The problem with that is that there are many people who are brilliant, who, based on the standards of education, are not seen as being brilliant. It's also steeped in the fact that everyone can/should/will be educated regardless of economic or social standing.
6. Public education can be compared to the plague of ADHD, not because ADHD isn't real, but because it is no longer valuable that kids learn, they are just factories for standardized testing.
7. In many ways the Arts are the answer because they are the most victimized due to their aesthetic nature. 'We are getting our kids through education by anesthetizing them.'
8. Schools are built for the Industrial age and they are mostly about conformity and standardization.
9. We need to educate kids to be divergent thinkers. We need to educate kids to have a capacity for creativity. Read the book: Break Point and Beyond and you'll find that schooling and education kills the idea of divergent thinking.
10. Most teachers understand this and don't want to kill a child's ability to be divergent, but it's part of the outdated educational process. We must stop this. We must quit putting people into categories and groups. We must collaborate. We must address our institutes of learning.

Educational Buzzwords...C: "Can Skateboarding Save Our Schools?"

C: "Can Skateboarding Save Our Schools?"

Anybody who knows me knows how much I absolutely love this video it touches on my personal philosophy as a human-being and as a teacher...we have to be willing to learn even when we fail.

I think this video speaks for itself, but here are some highlights...

What a learning experience in skateboarding is all about...it's different than at most schools...
1] Failure is normal.
2] Nobody knows ahead of time how long it takes anyone to learn anything.
3] Work your ass off until you figure it out.
4] Learning is NOT fun.
5] [It is] FLOW...finding 'Goldielocks challenges'.
6] No grades.
7] No cheating.
8] No teacher.
9] Real-time meaningful feedback.

And, Dr. Tae is right...we haven't done a very good job of looking outside of schools to look at how broad the spectrum of learning really is.

Oh, and skateboarding is friggin' cool!

A Little Sunday Love

An adorable (I hope he doesn't mind that I use the word 'adorable' to describe it) interview with author Jeremy Tarr...you can read what I think of the book...here or here.

 

A boy...er...man my sister graduated with, a man who I have known, in some capacity, forever has released a CD of lovely Opera recordings...check it out:

Click on the image to be taken to a place where you can sample or buy.

Here's to the Nights...

So, I've been feeling a little nostalgic, I always get this way in the Summer...more on that later...for now, listen to this song that reminds me of summer and makes me miss college, heck it makes me miss high school too! Enjoy!

Six Word Saturday #10

My life in six words
Summer, summertime, sit back and unwind...

Enjoy!!!

Want to play along? All that's necessary to participate is to describe your life (or something) in a phrase using just six words. For more information, try clicking here. Feel free to explain or not explain. Add an image, a video, a song, nothing. The full list and linky can be found here. And, here's where I found it.

50 Books in a Year: Book #6 Forgive My Fins

          I have always had this fascination with two lovely mystical creatures; mermaids and unicorns. So, when I was digging around for another book to read I'm so glad I found this book by Tera Lynn Childs called Forgive My Fins. There's a book giveaway that closes soon at this lovely blog called Forever Young Adult! Giveaways and I are not friends so I just, literally on Saturday, downloaded it on my Nook.

          Let's talk about mermaids for a minute...if I wanted to get really embarrassed I'd show you pictures I drew when I was in elementary and junior high. I'm not going to do that, ever! I would like you to know that my deep love of all things mermaid started with the Sea Wees. We'd get a set of these toys everytime we'd go to Wal-Mart. They were perfect for bathtime play as they were mermaids who came with floaty sponges and their tails make excellent razors for fake leg shaving. I wish I had some...I guess I know what I'll be doing for a diversion today!

          And, there are so many good mermaid movies! I was totally enchanted with Splash as a kid (it wasn't until later I even recognized that this movie may not have been appropriate for a 7 year old...it had a friggin' mermaid, come on!), my niece and I just had a delightful discussion about Aquamarine, such a good movie about a teen mermaid, and I just watched for the first time Fishtales with Billy Zane, then there's the under-rated Lady in the Water. And, don't even get me started about The Little Mermaid, even if it is a "Disney-fide no one dies" version. I even like it when mermaids aren't so nice like in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Peter Pan!

          So, this book is about a mermaid princess, who can't tell anyone she's a mermaid, who is major in love with the captain of the swim team...sounds lovely and teen and cute right!? Frankly, I hope she gets with her biker boy neighbor...and, if I know my teen dramas...I can't wait to start reading!!!

Feel free to read: The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen

Feel free to watch these Disney's Silly Symphonies...two of my favorite mermaid cartoons.

Tera Lynn Childs has also given me a great idea for a school project! More information can be found at: Books, Boys, Buzz

Character collages

Collage. I do this for every book. Because I'm a visual learner, I find it invaluable to have a pictorial compilation of my characters. Lots of writers do collages, but here's my method. You'll need some printer paper, scissors, a glue stick, and some magazines.

• Step One: Flip through as many magazines as possible. I like TeenVogue, CosmoGirl, InStyle, and Lucky the best. I tear out anything that reminds me of any of the characters in this book. I do collages for all of the main characters and most of the secondary ones, so as I tear stuff out I divide into piles by character. The more I have to choose from the better. At a minimum I need something that will make a good background, a headshot or two of and actor or model who looks like the character, and some clothing and accessories they would own.
• Step Two: Build the collage. Start by gluing down a background image that fills up most of the page (this way you won't end up with whitespace left over at the end). Then select a few of the headshot and clothing images, trim them to just the desired element, and arrange them over the background. I always lay these out before I glue so I make sure they all fit. Then snip out the small pictures and accessories and stick them wherever they fit.
• Step Three: Finalize the collage with words. This usually requires flipping back through the magazines looking for two things. 1) Words that resonate with your characters. 2) Ransom-note-type letters that you can cut out and use to form your character's name. Sometimes I even outline the letters of the name in a silver Sharpie to make it stand out more.

I'm sensing some Lit Muse book club book ideas! And, I don't even care that this book is part of a series!