[Air-L] Your Opinion

jcu jcu at execulink.com
Wed Apr 15 08:13:48 PDT 2009


HI Elaine,

I forgot to ask if you are researching an American,
Canadian (or some other) school system. 

take care,
joan
(canada)




From: "jcu" 
Sent: Wednesday, April 15, 2009 11:08 AM
Subject: Re: [Air-L] Your Opinion


> HI Elaine,
> 
> I am not sure if this will make sense to you. But consider
> the pedagogies currently in play within public education
> K-12.  (I am assuming you've taught there, as opposed 
> to private systems). I would consider constructivist 
> approaches to knowledge-building and also consider 
> reflective practice as a mindset for your project. If you
> can accept this as a frame for public education (and I
> do beleive it is possible for a teacher to metaphorically 
> close the door to their classroom and teach a programn 
> that is child-centred, and create a learning space where 
> everyone (students, teachers and all peripheral stakeholders 
> (like parents, school admin, etc.) is a co-learner and 
> co-researcher ... if so ...then I would investigate the notion 
> of emergent curriculum. Re-view public education from
> this perspective. The Ministry driven curriculm will still
> get covered with an emergent curriculm approach. But 
> the process of learning (even for JK/SK kids) becomes 
> one of research. 
> 
> If I were working on your project, I would ask myself 
> how an emergent curriculm could be adapted to higher
> grades (take some tips from the Italians like Loris
> Malaguzzi, search Reggio Emellia or the reggio 
> approach to early learning). Currently, there are 
> public school teachers who are trying to 'trickle it 
> up" into higher public school grades.  
> 
> Think about it ... students and teachers working 
> together as researchers. Co-researchers. Building
> research skills, making thinking visible, etc.... As 
> opposed to teaching to the test, etc. 
> 
> Just some thoughts.     
> 
> I'd be interested to learn what you decide upon
> to investigate your question.
> 
> 
> 
> From: "jeremy hunsinger" 
> Sent: Wednesday, April 15, 2009 9:34 AM
> Subject: Re: [Air-L] Your Opinion
> 
> 
> 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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