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@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