tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post8515761555905399420..comments2024-03-26T23:57:42.268-04:00Comments on SpeEdChange: A physical place for virtual educationirasocolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01412837280249622430noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-51625854360355741732013-02-22T10:37:52.629-05:002013-02-22T10:37:52.629-05:00First, I want to say that I totally get where you ...First, I want to say that I totally get where you are coming from. The industrialized world is very school-centric. I bought a book about world peace for my "home"schooled five year old and the uniting theme of all the world’s children was that they all go to school in some way, shape, or form. We encounter it everywhere. Why shouldn't they have a place that is truly theirs; a place with recourses where they can piece together their education based on their interests or scaffold their learning? As another reader pointed out, many libraries make a suitable place for this type of learning and gathering.<br /><br />However, you and countless others like you in this climate of ed reform show an extreme lack of understanding when it comes to "home "schooling. The idea that "home"schooled children sit at home all day alone is completely preposterous and is an unfortunate myth. It evokes pity for these children when none is warranted. Sure, there is a small percentage of "home"schoolers that "home"school for religious reasons and/or might fit that stereotype, but the VAST majority of "home"school families are just the opposite. I "home"school my five year old son, although he prefers to call it Life Learning. We are rarely at home. We live on the Oregon Coast so in the case of extremely inclement weather, we may stay home and read, watch a documentary, study leaf shapes, use our Montessori materials to cement math concepts, cook, play, write a puppet show, etc. You get the point. Mostly, we are out and about interacting with the world, researching, taking nature walks, poking around in tide pools, gathering with friends and fellow Life Learners, camping, hiking, traveling, etc. People often comment, my mother included (who was initially skeptical about "home"schooling), that my son is remarkably mature and well-adjusted. This is the result of him having had so many experiences in the world and interactions with the people in it, and not solely with people of his own age.<br /><br />I am sure you have noticed that the "home" in "home"schooling is in quotations throughout my response to your post. In case you haven't guessed, it is because Life Learning does not take place in the home, it takes place in the world. Please educate yourself instead of continuing to perpetuate this silly myth. If education reform is truly to take hold, each of the many facets needs to come together to present a united front against the prevalent culture of factory schooling and high-stakes testing instead of trying to tear each other down in order to present themselves as the best alternative option. <br />dr.jackalopehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12649304554135901841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-55150257405244805402013-02-22T10:05:16.608-05:002013-02-22T10:05:16.608-05:00I agree with "shiftingphases" in that to...I agree with "shiftingphases" in that to a degree such places exist in the form of public libraries. For the most part I like your ideas and would support the implementation of more such "open learning centers" - I would do away with the moniker of school altogether - but only if they were completely voluntary. The compulsory, coercive element needs to go. Also, I strongly disagree with your last sentence. The alternative to being at a school is NOT a bunch of kids sitting at home alone. Any homeschooling or unschooling family will tell you they are almost never at home, and even for kids who are not homeschoolers, being at home rarely means being alone anymore. With Face Time and Skype - just to name two - the opportunities for worldwide interactions with friends and peers is limitless.<br />Amyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13887223530697350266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-69967894499645752072011-07-23T09:50:15.986-04:002011-07-23T09:50:15.986-04:00Ira,
Have you watched the Q and A of Sugata Mitra...Ira,<br /><br />Have you watched the Q and A of Sugata Mitra's lecture at TUDelft. My lecture of the year and at around 1 hour - he really supports your calls - calls for a big rethink of physical designs (and not just meaning space but the things in that space). http://bit.ly/hf9aFk<br /><br />But let's start with the walls...<br /><br />DavidDavid Deubelbeisshttp://ddeubel.edublogs.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-88375835064518216222011-07-23T06:17:15.854-04:002011-07-23T06:17:15.854-04:00For many students the physical space of school is ...For many students the physical space of school is their only safe haven. When I taught in an alternative high school program I had students who used to skip more school days than they attended until they got to our program. The place became a touchstone for them and this because the adults in the space respected that they needed this safe haven. <br /><br />Get rid of the physical space of schools and many students will be lost.TracyRosenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07658940870006558648noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-16751469830165032602011-07-16T02:43:18.324-04:002011-07-16T02:43:18.324-04:00Yes I totally agree with you. There are lots of le...Yes I totally agree with you. There are lots of learning style. Basically it an community library. Every library should consider this sort of things.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.careerwithonlinedegrees.com" rel="nofollow">Online Learning<br /></a>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-45787964498494581062011-07-15T23:21:17.548-04:002011-07-15T23:21:17.548-04:00Hi Ira
Loved this post. Resonates for so many re...Hi Ira<br /><br />Loved this post. Resonates for so many reasons. Okay with you if I reference it to the Board of education I work for next week? I am making a presentation about an alt to HS and want to discuss space.Mary Ann Reillyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14349201167828984708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-80959684671494557872011-07-15T16:28:40.772-04:002011-07-15T16:28:40.772-04:00Kaj,
School, to me, is the safe "home base&q...Kaj,<br /><br />School, to me, is the safe "home base" for processing the learning from everywhere else, which...<br /><br />Shifting,<br /><br />Can be libraries. I grew up surrounded by stories of the New York and Brooklyn Public Libraries being the most effective schools there were for the immigrant New York of the 20th Century. And, in 1984, I begged the City of New Rochelle (NY) to merge its public and school libraries, creating learning environments in every neighborhood (they didn't). But we've got a ways to go with libraries too. Not just because Republicans seem to hate them, but because too many are so limiting. My local one now is very pretty, but a highly filtered internet, a no wireless under age 18 policy, and 30 minute limits on using the installed computers, make it worthless for teens (even I stopped going because Social Media is blocked there). Our teens take their computers to the downtown coffee shops - where information is, essentially, free.<br /><br />So, I think we need to work on both spaces, community by community.<br /><br />Monika,<br /><br />Yes, the city is the school. I grew up that way. I just want a "softer" place where we can routinely see our kids, and help them.<br /><br />- Ira Socolirasocolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01412837280249622430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-45592330912957047752011-07-15T15:50:03.964-04:002011-07-15T15:50:03.964-04:00excellent post Ira. thank you. i absolutely love i...excellent post Ira. thank you. i absolutely love it.<br /><br />city as school. school as life.<br />have you read Colin Ward's The Child in the City? the child in the city with web access.. i'm thinking - dang. <br />:)monika hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17903730727359304285noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-78176297899225085482011-07-15T15:37:15.259-04:002011-07-15T15:37:15.259-04:00Ira, I agree all around. But this place already e...Ira, I agree all around. But this place already exists. It's a community library. (Yes, my local library encourages food and running around and groups congregating; there's a quiet room for those who need it.) Actually, it's a library with a community centre next door (gym, weight room, community kitchen, meeting rooms, daycare... that kind of community centre).<br /><br />We already have these places. They're desperately under-funded and under-staffed. They accomplish more in a single day that any 10 average classrooms. They're full of innovative programs and kids actually like going there. What if we redirected our money and our people-power into these excellent systems?<br /><br />Why call it a school?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-87123313304738266512011-07-15T15:10:19.771-04:002011-07-15T15:10:19.771-04:00As there are different kind of learning styles, so...As there are different kind of learning styles, some people or perhaps a lot will be better of in a psychical school, so they can hear people and discus things. I myself hate it to type long stories, I prefer talking to real people, so I can react on what I see and what I hear. I believe in schools as psychical places, but I don't believe in the school as he only place to learn.Kaj Rietberghttp://kajrietberg.nl/noreply@blogger.com