Curriculum leaders have focused intently in recent years on outcomes. Education, they claim, must be directed by outcomes that are specific and measurable. While there is evidence such outcomes can contribute to learning in some settings, most educators counter there are other aspects of becoming educated that are equally or even more valuable, but that Read More
Students are typically encouraged to perform well in school to “get a good job.” This suggests that each individual is the primary benefactor of his or her education. This is a rather recent, and limited, view of the benefits of becoming educated. If we assume that those who are educated are more efficient and more Read More
Defining the purpose of school is as a problem as wicked as any that we encounter in education. Many of the political discussions and debates are focused (either implicitly or explicitly) on negotiating the purpose of school, thus the structures and organizations that will accomplish that purpose. Ostensibly, all participants in these debates are focused Read More
Another post from words I wrote years ago… this post is derived from something I wrote in 2013: Education. Ever since there have been humans, they have invented methods ofteaching. The need to teach arises from our nature as social and technology-usingcreatures. Humans need to teach the young how to survive (what to eat and Read More
I am cleaning out my files and discovered (rediscovered is more correct as I knew these pieces were there), writing from decades ago. I must say that teacher looking forward to a career in education knew his stuff. For proof, I submit this from the fall of 1992. (At the time, I was starting my Read More
This post was motivated by a quote (see it below) from an unpublished piece I wrote a few years ago. Individuals who have developed the skills we once taught as a liberal education seems to be exactly what we need in society right now. We could also use educators, law makers, regulators, philanthropists, and other Read More
194: Inquiry and Authentic Assessment I have been looking through old papers I wrote as an undergraduate and graduate student years ago… actually decades ago. In 1997, I enrolled in a curriculum development course and a graduate student, and made this observation: An inquiry-based science curriculum that includes authentic assessment is not familiar to most Read More
I had AI create this post based on a chapter I wrote a few years ago. 188: Elevating EdTech Professional Development: Training, Planning, and Design If you have ever sat through a school professional development (PD) day focused on “technology integration,” you might be familiar with the following scenario: A room full of educators with Read More
Imagination is the ability to create “things” when they don’t exist. We envy imagination amongst children, and imaginative play is an activity that early childhood educators confirm is healthy for young children. It so healthy for their cognitive development, they many promote their programs as encouraging it. As children get older, we are less concerned Read More
In 1989, I was preparing to participate in a science curriculum project; actually, I was invited to chair the committee, but the curriculum coordinator decided it would be very unpopular to have a first-year teacher assume that role. I did reflect on the work the committee was going to undertake, and this post contains a Read More