An indictment of whom?

I once saw this cartoon on the cover page of a multiple choice exam that was littered with questions that could have been aced by Google.

Unless the authors of the test simply did not understand Bill Watterson's message, or Calvin's for that matter, I'm not sure why this cartoon would be placed on the cover of the exam.

In the context of this exam, I think the Calvin and Hobbes cartoon below would have been more appropriate.

A cool opportunity

I'm excited to announce that I have been appointed to the Alberta Teachers' Association's (ATA) Strategic Planning Committee.

Without boring you with the details, I will summarize that essentially this means I have an opportunity to be even more involved in the direction the ATA will take in the coming years.

I am very proud of the progressive position the ATA continues to develop and impliment through research projects that promote an understanding for real learning.

I am honoured to have been appointed and anxious to get started.

The Secret Powers of Time: Phillip Zimbardo

I was thoroughly impressed by this 10 minute video. I think it speaks to our different perspective of time in a profoundly thought provoking way.

If you didn't think the factory model of schooling was in need of change, this video might be enough to seriously question the status quo of traditional education - it also equally challenges the idea that education reform simply needs to return to the basics.

Alfie Kohn Interview

Here is an interview featuring Alfie Kohn on Education Reform. His comments start at the 14 minute mark.

Here are a couple of Kohn's articles that he refers to during the interview:

The Folly of Merit Pay

Progressive Education

Beware of School "Reformers"

Punished by Rewards

Are you a fundamentalist?

Seth Godin:

Fundamentalist is a person who considers whether a fact is acceptable to their faith before they explore it. As opposed to a curious person who explores first and then considers whether or not they want to accept the ramifications.

Which would we prefer our children to become - fundamentalist or curious?

As their teacher or parent, which are you?

Dan Pink: Compliance to engagement

Daniel Pink's books Drive and A Whole New Mind both speak to how education needs to shift from just left brain linear, sequential abilities to also include the metaphorical right brain abilities.

This leads to the question, how do we motivate people to shift away from the factory model of education towards conceptually creative learning. To make this shift, Pink argues that we must move away from traditional carrott and stick manipulators that simply encourage sit and get - or in other words, an education system that was about processing people through compliance.

Compliance may be good enough in training workers to conduct rote instructions on fundamentally simplistic tasks, but ingenuity, advancement and creativity require much more than just compliance - we require engagement which demands far more autonomy, purpose and mastery on the behalf of children.

Pink also identifies the sad irony in that the American education system is currently moving towards even greater emphasis on routines, right answers and standardization precisely at the time when our society is moving away from these these factory model characteristics.

Want more on these topics?

Here is a brilliant interview by Harvard Business Review's blogger Andrew Keen and Daniel Pink.

Facebook Guide for Teachers

Teacher's Guide to Using Facebook (Read Fullscreen)

For more on Facebook for teachers, visit EduDemic.