[Air-L] Your Opinion

Elaine Studnicki elainestudnicki at comcast.net
Thu Apr 16 07:29:41 PDT 2009


The teaching of and/or giving individual learning plans (aka: personalize
learning) in public education is a practice used for students in need and
the other end of the spectrum, the smart students.  It is, in my opinion and
as it is currently being used, a build in tool to segregate students and our
society.  The realities of implementing such a program, something that
educators are talking about, would require a complete change of our public
education system, if it were to provide a equity of services for all
students.  We are not organized for it and it concerns me that we believe it
should change but can't seem to make it so.  Nick is right, it is a
staggeringly difficult thing to do.

What, however, would happen if we changed the direction of education.
Instead of "giving" an education students "select" their education.  Which
may be what you mean Alex. But I don't think public education was ever
intended to teach the individual student.  It was for the masses.

One other thought, 21st century skill sets identify collaborative work as a
skill students need in their future.  If you haven't seem them...
http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/route21/index.php?option=com_content&view=a
rticle&id=5&Itemid=2
Information, media, and technology skills are listed there.


On 4/15/09 9:34 AM, "jeremy hunsinger" <jhuns at vt.edu> wrote:

> this worries me.... what if there really is no 'single student', but
> individualism is just an ideology and really we work best in small
> groups without that individuality that allows us to construct the
> 'single student'.   there has been a significant amount of research
> and writing on the problems surrounding the construction of the
> individual subject in modern society, and a good bit about tribes,
> groupuscules, and related matters also, but overall i see there are
> some possible benefits toward pushing against the model of the 'single
> student'  as the target of our learning systems.
> On Apr 15, 2009, at 9:03 AM, Alex Halavais wrote:
> 
>> I'll bite. I think we need to figure out what the extremes of
>> personalized learning are, and what implications these have for
>> learning in groups, institutions, and on the network. Yes, that is a
>> broad task, and one that is probably closely associated with Howard
>> Gardner, but designing a good educational system for many means, I
>> think, understanding how to design the best educational system for the
>> single student.
>> 
>> - Alex
>> 
>> On Tue, Apr 14, 2009 at 8:02 PM, Elaine Studnicki
>> <elainestudnicki at comcast.net> wrote:
>>> Colleagues,
>>> 
>>> I have hovered in the background for quite some time reading your
>>> extremely
>>> rich and diverse areas of interest/research. As a K-12 educator/
>>> doctoral
>>> student I am interested in the connections between higher ed.
>>> research and
>>> the daily classroom instruction/environment that composes our
>>> national
>>> educational system.  I am compelled to ask this question:
>>> 
>>> In your opinion what do you currently think is the most important
>>> area of
>>> research or perhaps the most important area "needing" research for
>>> our K-12
>>> educational system?
>>> 
>>> Thank you for your help and time,
>>> 
>>> Elaine
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
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>> 
>> 
>> 
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>> // Alexander C. Halavais, ciberflâneur
>> // http://alex.halavais.net
>> //
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> 
> _______________________________________________
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