Sunday, December 04, 2005

Culture Counts!

 


Tapping into the creativity of all students; rather that making every student fit the mainstream version of schooling.


Has our school system ever really concerned itself with the lived experiences, the culture and the environment of the students?


What would have to change if it did? Posted by Picasa

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Everything!

Anonymous said...

Short and sweet from you Bruce! The answer is to develop mass personalization of learning instead of fitting kids into a teacher controlled curriculum. A 'just in time' curriculum rather than an outdated 'just in case'!

Bruce Hammonds said...

I really believe that until we:

focus learning on the lived experiences and environment of the students; value their 'voice' and prior ideas; develop curriculums around their questions and concerns; expose them to all sorts of experiences that have the power to uncover hidden gifts; help them develop both independence and the ablity to work with other; and ensure that whatever students do they do to the best of their ability, little will change.

As soon as we determine what they should know we run into trouble and make teaching confusing for both learner and teacher. We need a 'just in time curriculum' and 'just in time' teaching. This is the future.

As for assessmnt students should be judged by experts in the field by what they can do, demonstrate or perform, and how well they improve their next effort.

To guide us all we need is a broad framework to work within, but as soon as we predetermine it, we run into truoble.

Everything depends on the artistry of the individual teacher - an artistry that is at risk in to todays 'evidence based', prove it or don't do, it audit low trust culture.

Anonymous said...

Now you are talking - this is creative teaching at its best.