Category: Emotional/Social

20th Century vs 21st Century Model of Education

8/22/2016

In this post I am offering my perspectives on how education today remains firmly entrenched in what is often called the Factory Model, which was designed for the Industrial Revolution. The majority of students at that time were educated to prepare for work on farms on in factories. This is an obsolete model of a by-gone era. But it is still with us today, well into the 21st century:

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The Social/Emotional Environment

7/16/2016

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Learning is serious, but that doesn't mean it has to be grim!

A new school year is about to begin (in many countries). Despite the ongoing problems which plague education, educators are preparing, anticipating that this will be the best year yet in their classroom, on their campus or in their school district.

While most agree that the purpose of schooling is for students to acquire academic content, we contend that schools have a greater purpose, which includes the academic. We agree with John Dewey, who said that school is . .

“a place to gain content knowledge, but also a place to learn how to live. In his eyes, the purpose of education should not revolve around the acquisition of a pre-determined set of skills, but rather the realization of one's full potential and the ability to use those skills for the greater good.”[i]

Before we jump straight to focusing on the academics, we must prepare the learning environment. This includes the physical environment - from facilities, to how we arrange classrooms, to schoolyards. Next, we must intentionally design the social/emotional environment. Then, we are ready to prepare the academic environment - and that starts with high expectations.

This post will provide you with many tips on how to create the optimum social/emotional environment - starting with what to do on the first day of school! Enjoy, and please add your ideas below!

Another excellent resource for the new year is this post, How daily meditation improves behavior - and increases creativity.

Click here to find your tips on creating the optimal social/emotional environment!

[1] John Dewey, Wikipedia

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The Blob - It Eats Schools Alive!

5/6/2016

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“The Blob” is a 1958 film starring Steve McQueen in his first leading role. Click here to watch the trailer!

Note: this post is a bit of a rant expressing my observations and frustrations over the continuing, and to me, inane, practices plaguing education since the inception of NCLB. The purpose of this article is not to denigrate educators, although I realize it sounds like that sometimes. I can say that the classroom teachers are not responsible for these practices; they were forced upon them.

For several years now I have been equating a film, in which a monster called "The Blob" threatens to destroy all life on Earth, to the ongoing standardized testing mania that has been spreading, growing and destroying education. It began in the United States, in Texas to be exact (where I live), and this monster which I have named Standardized Testing Mania has spread virtually all over the planet - like the Blob or a pandemic.

The definition of genius is taking the complex
and making it simple.

Albert Einstein

More than a rant, though, this is an invitation for you to reflect upon the damage this situation has done to students, educators and parents. And an invitation to begin a conversation - here and at your school or in your community. I offer some questions to spark your conversations.

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The Happy Secret to Better Work (and School)

10/23/2015

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This TED Talk by Shawn Achor and his book, The Happiness Advantage, has excellent tips for how be happier, which is turn increases productivity, energy, creativity, innovation and learning. The book is packed with research-based data. I recommend this video for students, educators, parents, and business and community leaders!

An excerpt from this TED Talk, including some specific actions I would incorporate into my class. You don't NOT have the time!

If you can raise somebody's level of positivity in the present, then their brain experiences what we now call a happiness advantage, which is your brain at positive performs significantly better than at negative, neutral or stressed. Your intelligence rises, your creativity rises, your energy levels rise. In fact, we've found that every single business outcome improves. Your brain at positive is 31% m ore productive than your brain at negative, neutral or stressed. You're 37% better at sales. Doctors are 19 percent faster, more accurate at coming up with the correct diagnosis when positive instead of negative, neutral or stressed. . . . . .

* Write down three new things that they're grateful for for 21 days in a row, three new things each day. And at the end of that, their brain starts to retain a pattern of scanning the world not for the negative, but for the positive first.

* Journaling about one positive experience you've had over the past 24 hours allows your brain to relive it. Exercise teaches your brain that your behavior matters.

* We find that meditation allows your brain to get over the cultural ADHD that we've been creating by trying to do multiple tasks at once and allows our brains to focus on the task at hand.

* And finally, random acts of kindness are conscious acts of kindness. We get people, when they open up their inbox, to write one positive email praising or thanking somebody in their support network.

And by doing these activities and by training your brain just like we train our bodies, what we've found is we can reverse the formula for happiness and success, and in doing so, not only create ripples of positivity, but a real revolution.

Please see a related post in this blog on Meditation in School - completely amazing!

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The Decline of Play

3/23/2015

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Dr. Peter Gray is the author of Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life

Dr. Gray brings attention to the reality that over the past 60 years in the United States there has been a gradual, but overall dramatic, decline in children's freedom to play with other children, without adult direction. Over the same period, there has also been a dramatic increase in anxiety, depression, feelings of helplessness, suicide, and narcissism in children and adolescents. Based on his own and others' research, Dr. Gray documents why free play is essential for children's healthy social and emotional development and outlines steps through which we can bring free play back to children's lives.

From the AERO web site, the Alternative Education Resources Organization, founded and directed by Jerry Mintz.

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Global Competencies through the Arts and Creativity

1/23/2015

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1. Investigating the world beyond their immediate environment.
2. Using the arts to recognize their own and other's perspectives.
3. Communicating their ideas effectively with diverse audiences using the arts.
4. Using the arts to translate their ideas into appropriate actions to improve conditions.

Click on Read More to access Resources and Curriculum Ideas.

Students develop global competence through the arts by:

The image above is one taken at the Navratri Festival at The Galaxy Education System (TGES) in Rajkot, Gujarat, India in 2011. Enjoy the audio file which is also from that festival. Click the image to enjoy a brief glimpse of this fabulous celebration, 9 nights of dancing, to honor their favorite goddess, Durga. a Hindu deity. She is the goddess of the Victory of Good over Evil. The dances are performed by the students at TGES, from the very little ones (PK) through high school, and the festival is broadcast live, online to the world. The arts and creativity are abundant, from the music, singing and dancing to the costumes, which are spectacular.

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Student Empowerment Through Art

1/20/2015

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Guest post contributed by
Adam Johnson - Social Justice Educator

I am a middle school ELL/math teacher in the South Bronx. I am currently in my 5th year of teaching. I wanted all of you to know about a project that has empowered my students. I hope that you consider implementing a similar project in your school community.

25 students (all ELLs) and I started an after-school art club two years ago called South Bronx Youth Art. We meet every Thursday and Friday from 2:30-5:00 pm to paint and create works of art inspired by the students' experiences and their community.

While I can recount many instances of how this program has helped my students' confidence I am most proud of their collective gains on the 2013-2014 Common Core state math and ELA exam. I believe this achievement was possible because of the strong relationships formed through this club and their ability to trust their teacher.

This year the students have even started earning money due to interest in their art. The students have set up and administer an Etsy site where people all over the world can buy their art. All profits go to buying more art supplies and directly to the artists.

This program is not only building confidence in our students, but preparing them for the 21st century because they are using their creativity to capture the attention of people around the world and using social media to market and actually make money. I highly encourage you to implement a similar type of program.

Please take a look at this link to get a better idea of the creativity that happens in our program.

Click here to purchase one of these beautiful works of art!

Adam Johnson <[email protected]>

Click Read More to find out how this project is 21st century . . .

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Exploring the Possibilities!

20th Century vs 21st Century Model of Education

The Social/Emotional Environment

Learning is serious, but that doesn't mean it has to be grim!

The Blob - It Eats Schools Alive!

The Happy Secret to Better Work (and School)

The Decline of Play

Global Competencies through the Arts and Creativity

Students develop global competence through the arts by:

Student Empowerment Through Art

Categories

Archives

Exploring the Possibilities!

20th Century vs 21st Century Model of Education

The Social/Emotional Environment

​Learning is serious, but that doesn't mean it has to be grim!

The Blob - It Eats Schools Alive!

The Happy Secret to Better Work (and School)

The Decline of Play

Global Competencies through the Arts and Creativity

Students develop global competence through the arts by:

Student Empowerment Through Art

Categories

Archives

Learning is serious, but that doesn't mean it has to be grim!