My Takeaway from EdCafe:
As a middle school teacher and a mother of a young son, this video was very meaningful.
Policies and Curriculum:
I agreed with the views on current education policies being based on conformity, and not on diversity. It should be more personalized, and less generic. As humans, we are all diverse, creative, and curious. Curriculum should be well balanced and diverse that meets the needs of different individuals.
Students:
Students should be engaged, and teachers should feel supported. Learning should be personalized and unique. Teaching needs to be authentic and engaging. If it's not true learning isn't happening in the classroom. Is ADD over diagnosis a true portrait of learners, or is is showing us that kids are simply "struggling with childhood?" An excellent question!
Teachers:
Sir Ken Robinson makes the point clearly that even though teaching is "a creative profession," our current policies tend to "de-professionalize" us. Since school climate is so important, it needs to be nurtured. My strongest take away from this video was when Robinson said, "Education is not a mechanical system. It is a human system."
" Is ADD over diagnosis a true portrait of learners, or is is showing us that kids are simply 'struggling with childhood?'" A very good and powerful question indeed. The next logical question is, "who is in charge of helping with that struggling childhood?" I agree with Robinson in that the education system needs to stay human. How do teachers accomplish this with standardized tests looming? How can school systems and towns better educated parents to create healthier childhoods for their children? Who's job is that? The government, the community, the church, the schools?
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