Of Roses and Radishes

In times when we are working through an economic downturn, we have the opportunity to do some self reflection and some system-wide reflection to see where we are being efficient and where we might be able to trim some fat.

In education, where funding is often set to “just enough” anyway, we have the opportunity to turn ourselves into a well-oiled machine that uses just what we need and no more. This philosophy is also in keeping with our celebration of Earth Day yesterday—how can we thrive on the planet and use just what we need?

One way to analyze, is to look at our objectives and determine what the best way to meet those objectives is. Let’s assume our primary objective is to educate our population in order to create a vibrant, well-adjusted society. With that objective in mind we need to look at the needs of each individual learner. How do we best address the personal needs of each learner so that they blossom into the vibrant individual that supports a well-adjusted society?

We can liken the process to a garden. We address the watering and daylight needs of each individual flower and plant to meet its needs. We do not care for the rose the same way we care for the radish and yet both require care and feeding and both contribute to the beauty of our garden.

So how do we address the individual needs of learners in a traditional system where we ask each learner to meet the same set of standards at exactly the same time? In other words, how do we start taking care of the roses as roses and the radishes as radishes?

For starters, we acknowledge the benefits of having a diverse student population. We begin to break down the walls that are instituted by defined grade levels, score cards, and set standards. We listen to both the learner and to our own instinct as to what is best for each individual. We create environments that are conducive to self-directed learning and provide resources that address various learning styles and passions.

If you know of environments in K-12 or higher education that approach this vision, I would love to hear from you! We want to make sure that innovation continues even as we move through the current downturn towards a bright future. Please use the comment field or email me at woulfe@comcast.net

Pepsi University???

Funding for education is on my mind these days as the state of Colorado struggles with the challenge of how to continue to fund higher education in a state that is notorious for being 49th in funding for this service. Only because of the punitive threat of the federal government withholding stimulus money has the governor and legislation stepped up to the plate to figure out how to support this very important social requirement.

As we look at the future of education, what does the future of higher education look like? Do we continue to pursue the dream of giving everyone the opportunity to seek a college degree or do we limit it to those who are academically superior or financially capable?

A colleague of mine suggested that we make college free and support it through advertising. It seems to be the funding model for all new ventures these days! Maybe we could support the state budget on advertising revenue (smile).

I am optimistic that we will find a solution to our budgetary woes and fund education as it needs to be funded. We value the contributions it makes to our work, our families, and to the quality of life in general. The best investment you can make in yourself is education. Spread the word.

The Forbidden Fruit

The CTIA Wireless Conference (http://www.ctiawireless.com/) was in Las Vegas this week. I didn’t attend this year, but was present a year ago. The mobile phone industry is still a vibrant industry even in these economically troubled times and I hold great hope for what it can provide to not only our personal lives in general, but to education specifically.

My company, Acadium, (www.acadium.com) is working on a mobile phone based technology that will empower learners in the classroom by creating an interactive, engaging environment. Similar to the current “clicker” systems, learners will be able to respond to the teacher’s questions with simple answers, or slightly longer opinions. I think we are just scratching the surface on how this technology will used in education and I am very excited about the potential.

Another interesting company is LocaModa (www.locamoda.com). Their emphasis is not education, but they have some ingenious games and interactive services that also shed some light on what the future might hold for the wireless/mobile phone industry and how it can be used as a learning tool.

There is even a book on the market, Toys to Tools by Liz Kolb. Kolb describes ways to use the cell phone in a K-12 classroom.

Some teachers think it is blasphemy to bring the cell phone into the classroom. I think it is only a matter time. Remember when calculators were forbidden?

Let me know what you think!

A Place to Learn

Blog03-27-09
Ever wonder what the perfect classroom would look like? Would it even have desks? Would it look more like a home? Would it look more like an office?

I have seen a few classrooms that “feel” right. One is at my daughter’s high school. The room is full of color, texture, and interesting things to look lie. It is a history teacher’s room and even the panels on the ceiling have been painted by students with scenes depicting historical events.

I think the perfect classroom would include lots of “texture” like this history classroom. I think the variety stimulates our brains. And when our brains are stimulated, or awake, we learn more, we remember what we have learned.

Most elementary schools have very rich classrooms. I am not sure why we don’t continue the trend as children grow older.

Teenagers also seem to gravitate to classrooms that have comfortable furniture. Many times the classrooms of drama/theater teachers have comfortable furniture if only because it serves as storage for set props! It is a popular place for students to gather—it feels like home.

We have seen this same trend in bookstores and libraries—comfortable furniture is inviting! I would argue that when we feel relaxed and comfortable, we are also able to absorb more information.

Its fun to imagine what the classroom of the future might look like—maybe it’s part traditional classroom, part office, part living room!

Share your thoughts!

Appreciation

I spent the better part of last Thursday in conversations and reading documentation that in essence “bashed” our current education system. As anyone reading this blog knows, I am always looking for ways to improve on what we do and to find better ways to reach our students. I do suspect, however, that criticizing the current system is not in our best interest.

I am a fan of Appreciative Inquiry. This is a mode of operation for finding solutions. It was initially used by the CWC in times of crisis because they found through experience that focusing on what is currently working leads to a quicker solution in contrast to determining what’s wrong and how to fix it.

David Cooperrider wrote some of the early books on the topic and there are several institutes around, including one right here in Boulder, Colorado. www.positivechange.org

So if we took some time and explored what is working in education today, maybe we will find the answers to a better education system for tomorrow. I would like to suggest following list as some areas that are currently working well:

• Teachers—I think most of the teachers in the field are committed to what they do and really care about their learners.
• Options—state and federal governments are finally supporting options of all kinds including charter schools, distance learning options, and home schooling.
• Families—more families are supporting learners in their educational endeavors. Parents are realizing the importance of education worldwide and are increasingly supportive.
• Individualization—the Internet, third party organizations, and increased staff at many schools provides learners with the ability to individualize their learning.
• Collaboration—from my perspective there is a greater amount of collaboration between learners and between teachers.

Use the comment field to add to my list!