In the early 18th century commerce had become a primary driver for education the American colonies. Physical connectivity to move goods and information was growing rapidly. Stores were moving beyond the basics and it was becoming necessary to let potential customers know what was available. The amount of information was growing rapidly and with it, the necessity of connecting it with the consuming public. Teaching as many as possible how to read and do arithmetic had become important.
We've seen many periods of change in education. Public land grant colleges, the advent of the University laboratory (one of the largest and most enduring inventions of the 19th century), full education for women and minorities, physical education, education for it's own sake vs vocational training, the dramatic change to science education during the Cold War and the failed experiment of teaching real mathematics. Some of these have gone through cycles and now we stand at a time where it seems clear a shift of emphasis is necessary.
I've written a fair amount of my experience - the gifts of play, boredom and freedom that my parents gave and two mentors separated by time and space that allowed me to focus on a core interest in such a way that I managed to learn a bit about curiosity. I've learned and taught at a variety of levels and have some ideas on what I'd like to see change. I also suspect many of my ideas aren't that well informed and some are controversial (in particular my views on the current STEM emphasis, how to change math and science education, precollege focus, critical thinking, physical education, and practical skills training).
What I want to propose is a bit of homework. The readership here is small, but extremely diverse. I'd love to collect ideas from as many who would like to write something and post them in a few weeks, As a constraint, keep it to one to four ideas, for pre-college education. Feel free to point out anything you feel is being done exceptionally well that should be more broadly applied, Anything from a paragraph or two to a few pages if inspiration hits. Pencils down on January 14th. Let me know if you want it to be anonymous or associate your name. Feel free to include anything other than text. I'll collect everything including my bit into a long post a few days later.
Remember that we all have a different take on this education thing. Everyone's ideas are potentially interesting, so don't worry if you're not in the business.
And if you want to make a video, that's ok too...
__________
Recipe corner
My mother died a year ago .. going through some old things this recipe appeared. It's from her mother, but makes a fine gingerbread. Better with vanilla ice cream than whipped cream, but also good by itself.
Comments