Posts in Category Philosophy of Education

Real Education is Relevant

Real Education is Relevant 
And Relevance Is All About the Context

If we are going to talk about school reform designed to create meaningful education, we need to look at education within the context of the individual, her community, history, and the planet. And hopefully with as much sophistication as each context demands. 

 

Today’s education reform narrative is filled with buzz words that are meant to capture the majority of perceived issues we need to address in schools. Most are about making today’s learners competitive in tomorrow’s job market. None does this better than “21st century skills.” I actually have little issue with “21st century skills.” It’s the common context and...

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Posted on Nov 04, 2011 - 09:07 AM by Adam Burk

Real Education is Relevant

In high school, I maintained consistently horrible grades in math. It was mainly Algebra that killed my GPA. I just didn't get it you know? But gosh... I wanted to. I wanted to understand all those letters and symbols so bad. I've always had trouble learning something if I didn't understand the practicality and usefulness of it though. So in my Algebra class... the one I took three years in a row in high school... I asked more than one teacher, on more than one occasion,

"How is Algebra useful in a real world situation?"
"Why do the rules of Algebra work the way they do?"
"How do we know that this stuff is really true anyway? How is the truth of Algebra confirmed in the world and not on...

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Posted on Nov 03, 2011 - 04:39 PM by Shawn Strader

A list of incredible humans who know what real education looks like

Late last week, I was in a conversation with Sheryl Petty where she graciously encouraged me to look at just how much IDEA and my own thinking is impacted by other humans who have put their ideas and love into words.

In support of #blog4idec and today's theme of "Human", I thought I'd try to brainstorm off the cuff (no help from Google) the names of the people whose writing has profoundly shaped my thinking about what real education looks like at the most human level.

Feel free to add your own incredible humans in the comments box.

And yes, I am inviting several moments of, "how could I forget ________, and _____________, and __________ . . ."

Here's my list of incredible humans:

...

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Posted on Nov 01, 2011 - 11:59 AM by Scott Nine

Teach for Humanity

This is a story about experience.  Strangely enough, experience has the power to both sever and prompt connection.  There are threads of my story—my experience—that are particular to me as a black child, a black woman, and an African immigrant.  On the other hand, there are fibers in my story that are universal, and linked to my and your human self.  I imagine that you will find things in my story that will surprise you, resonate with you, frustrate, and perhaps even anger you.  I hope that all of the above will happen.  When you arrive at the end of my story, I hope that you will be wrestling with your own experiences, struggling to understand how they have shaped you as a particular...

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Posted on Oct 31, 2011 - 06:15 PM by Esther Ohito

I Learned to Believe in Me

This article is featured in the September 2011 issue of the Phi Delta Kappan.

What are the attributes and habits of “great” learners? What do their learning lives look like, and what beliefs do they hold about themselves that they might share with the rest of us? How can learners build personal, individual resilience when they're in academic programs that sometimes seem intent on focusing on their failures, highlighting what they're not good at, or making judgments based on previous unsuccessful performances? What if no interventions are available to them, or the available interventions are ineffective or off the mark?

For 10 years, I've been listening to people tell their learning...

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Posted on Aug 31, 2011 - 11:23 AM by Kirsten Olson

What Back to School is Like for An Unschooler

For unschoolers like us, there is no back to school. There is continual learning, all of the time. We don't buy a bunch of supplies (unless we find something incredible on sale, like my new $4 planner), we don't buy school clothes (we tend to get messy in whatever we wear, to be honest with you), and we definitely don't need Kindermats or other special, expensive items. I always have to laugh at the people who tell me that homeschooling must be expensive; most of what we do is free, save for special classes like taekwondo, which kids in school do, too.

I've been finding myself in rather hostile territory--or, perhaps, I am just hostile. All of these parents are posting pictures of their...

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Posted on Aug 21, 2011 - 08:07 PM by Sara Schmidt

Quote of the Day

I just finished reading "Compulsory Mis-Education by Paul Goodman, a recommended read. Here is a quote I found that remarkably summarizes IDEA's goals.

"Thus at present, facing a a confusing state of automated technology, excessive urbanization,
and entirely new patterns of work and leisure, the best educational brains out to be devoting
themselves to *various* means of educating and paths of growing up, appropriate to various
talents, conditions, and careers. We should be experimenting with different kinds of school,
no school at all, the real city as school, farm schools, practical apprenticeships, guided travel,
work camps, little theatres and local newspapers, and community service....

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Posted on Jul 12, 2011 - 07:00 PM by Zuleka Irvin

Resisting Temptation: Staying True to Your “Prime Directive”

I missed my January posting because I temporarily lost my vision; not literally, for I still had my eyesight, but my philosophical vision of what I am trying to do with my life in the field of education.

In mid-January, an announcement was circulated at my university that an Associate Director position was opening in the school's Honors Academy. As at many universities, students with high GPAs are invited to take special honors courses, engage in independent research, develop deeper relationships with faculty, and, if all requirements are met, graduate with special honors. The position caught my eye in part because I like working with students on research; but if I am 100% honest, I was...

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Posted on Feb 10, 2011 - 10:56 AM by Kristan Morrison

Soothing Hymn of My Eagle Mother

Like Amy Chua, my mother is Chinese and wants her daughter to succeed. She genuinely cares about my education and invests in my future. She wants me to maximize my time around productive activities and minimize my time dawdling. Like Amy Chua, my mother believes in my potential for growth and excellence.

However, I was allowed to have sleepovers. My B's were tolerated. I did not have to be a star musician or come in first in every math and science competition. I was permitted to pursue my interests and excel through passion. Because of my mother's love, I was able to graduate from Stanford University this past June.

My mother is an eagle mother.

Like an eagle, she is able to have a...

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Posted on Jan 31, 2011 - 12:08 AM by Susan Chen

A Fifteen-Year-Old’s Perspective on Testing

Hello Everyone!

Here I am, it is 12:20 in the morning on January 13th 2011, and I am doing homework. Today was a snow day, and I, instead of staying home and doing homework all day, made the somewhat irresponsible decision of going out to my friend's house and having a snowball fight and making a snowman and laughing the whole day away. And now I am mad at myself for it. But, before I fall into such a pit of self loathing, I have to ask myself, why? Why is it so dreadfully important that I, a social fifteen-year-old, stay home out of the beautiful snowy weather and study? And at what point did I become so deeply involved in school that I would be so disappointed in myself for something...

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Posted on Jan 13, 2011 - 12:18 AM by Claire Russell