Discussion: dialog, conversation, links

 

I'd like you to raise questions, make suggestions, crtiticize, and--I hope--add to what I'm doing.

This website has several discussion areas:

For general discussion of education reform, see link in box at right.
For discussion of our course material, see links on the pages for each course.
 
Note that all discussion posts are reviewed for appropriate content before they appear on this site.
 

Links for other websites I recommend:

This single article, by one of Bill Clinton's favorite professors, explains our point of view better than any other: http://www.carrollquigley.net/Articles/Needed-A-Revolution-in-Thinking.htm

Another great article:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2015/11/03/a-venture-capitalist-searches-for-the-purpose-of-school-heres-what-he-found/

Susan Ohanian is one of our nation's leading commentators on education policy: http://www.susanohanian.org/

Diane Ravitch, author, professor, and historian of education, speaks out on the failures of standardization-based education reform: http://www.dianeravitch.com/

Valerie Strauss's blog on the Washington Post website publishes enlightened education commentary from many sources: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet

Tom Maglozzi, professor and NPR "Car Talk" co-host:  "My New Theory of Learning:" http://www.cartalk.com/content/rant/r-rlast15.html

The late Jerry Bracey's Education Disinformation Detection and Reporting site: http://www.america-tomorrow.com/bracey/EDDRA/

Listserv created after the death of Jerry Bracey for original subscribers to EDDRA: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eddra

Alfie Kohn is the author of 12 books about education and human behavior, including The Schools Our Children Deserve, The Homework Myth, and the newly published Feel-Bad Education . . . And Other Contrarian Essays on Children & Schoolinghttp://www.alfiekohn.com

Site for solid information about problems generated by standardized testing: http://www.fairtest.org/

Steve Denning, renowned expert in organizational management, gives his "Single best idea for reforming education" here.

July 7, 2011 The educational value of creative disobedience

Video: Geoff Mulgan describes UK Studio Schools

UK Studio Schools website

Judy Willis, authority on cognitive processes, on educational strategies

Most Americans lack understanding of our own society, and of the profound ways in which we differ in culture from societies with whom we must deal. A thoughtful paper on this problem, and its consequences for America and American education: http://www.fpri.org/article/2011/12/what-our-students-and-our-political-leaders-dont-know-about-the-middle-east/

Is merit pay for teachers a good idea? Check out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrkrvAUbU9Y

More evidence that using reality as the main learning resource, and involving learners actively can motivate and transform them: http://www.ted.com/talks/stephen_ritz_a_teacher_growing_green_in_the_south_bronx.html?utm_source=newsletter_

Sir Ken Robinson's analysis of conventional education's adverse outcomes, in a great RSA-animated talk: http://www.towleroad.com/2012/06/ken-robinson-animation.html#more

And another talk by Sir Ken, dovetailing nicely with what we believe and say: http://sirkenrobinson.com/?p=905

A new TED speech by Dr. Derek Cabrera, "A Big TOE," details a conceptual framework that is consistent with that in Introduction to Systems and our other "Systems-Based Learning" course materials: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUqRTWCdXt4

The Natural Learning Research Institute provides professional books, workshops, and other support for those who know that educational processes must actively involve the learner.

Check out Reclaiming the Heart and Soul of Education, compliled and edited by Dr. William Spady, and much more at the5thparadigm.net.

Our insistence that understanding systems is essential but missing from education's core is echoed at http://www.thesolutionsjournal.com/node/1167.

More on systems: https://creativesystemsthinking.wordpress.com/2014/11/22/systems-thinking-seeing-how-everything-is-connected/  (Thanks, Ignacio!)

This focuses on early childhood education but dovetails nicely with our views:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2016/08/19/what-the-modern-world-has-forgotten-about-children-and-learning/

A classic paper on cultural differences: http://spiritualityandculture.com/uploads/Intercultural_Communication_by_Hall.pdf

Slideshow for learners, introducing systems: https://www.slideshare.net/jbeltowska/systems-thinking-lessons-from-the-fifth-discipline-fieldbook-by-senge-kleiker-roberts-ross-and-smith/16-BOUNDED_RATIONALITYIn_decision_making_rationality

Article by Amadou Diallo in The Hechinger Report Project-based learning and standardized tests don't mix. 

Michael Moore about schools in Finland: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-DcjwzF9yc 

Escuela Nueva (New School), developed a half-century ago in Columbia, and now used in many countries, shows the power of student-directed small learning groups that we advocate: https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2020/08/29/an-unusual-model-bring-virtual-learning-life/

Siri Fiske, founder and head of MYSA School in Washington, D.C., advocates eliminating the fragmentation of learning caused by traditional curriculum division into subjectshttps://www.orlandosentinel.com/opinion/guest-commentary/os-op-school-subjects-outdated-interdisciplinary-20200822-hignmolmdza3nnnro2vmuypg6y-story.html

Available soon: A guide to living fully and humanely by learning the wisdom of authentic manual work. The Wisdom of Our Hands: Crafting, A Life: Stowe, Doug: 9781610355018: Amazon.com: Books