Changes in Learning Environments

I recently read an article by a Bruce Jilk centred around changes in the learning environments. He speaks of expanding the possibilities for learning which often disappear after Kindergartern due to the types of teaching we employ as children get older. He maintains the challenge is to try an abandon old idealogies about the teacher being the 'fountain of all knowledge' and the 'production line' mentality of moving a child through preset stages of school.
He says to nurture truly creative learners we must engage the learner in participating fully with concepts and ideas, play with them, solve them, talk about them and ultimately show their depth of understanding through production and presentation to others.
We are lucky, we have the resources, the technology and the personnel to increase learning for our children.

Lifelong Learning

This week parents and teachers in our school community had online access to this educational blog. My hope is that it will become a vehicle for sharing information about children as learners and adults as learners.
This thought really hit home this week when we completed our transition program for our young new children as they prepare to begin school in 2010. Just like us they are 'lifelong learners', whom I suspect, will learn at a much faster rate than we did, merely because information is so readily available and easily understandable.
My guess is that young children (aged 5) today are already proficient users of technology and solvers of problems...is this your child?
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New ways of thinking!

It's always good to have discussion around the things that matter most. Recently I have shared thoughts and answered questions about our journey into new ways of thinking. This thinking is centred around learning and specifically how children today learn.
There is something both exciting and daunting about this for us as adults...because we are so used to the model of our own experience.
As we venture into new modes, new undestandings, new thoughts...we must keep asking questions and more importantly we must keep the learner at the centre of all we do.
I like to ask the question...Is it for the good of the children I teach?
How can we innovate as well as cherish what is good?
The following link is worth a read..a little long but clearly talks about the need for new ways of thinking.


http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/documents/le_white_paper-1.pdf

coming soon

Hi everyone,

Thanks for checking in to my blog.
I am passionate about education which is real for our kids today!
I hope to have a few great posts and links here very soon.
With so much talk of the changes in education today, its hardly surprising that we all have so many questions.

Maybe we will be able to find the answers to some of them together.

Paul