First, a few distinctions.
1.
Resources. Resources are not an education.
Often the two are erroneously conflated. As many have learned –and some still
haven’t—throwing money at the “problem” of education does not necessarily
result in better educated people. Resources are tools (eidetic and empirical) and
materials that will help students learn to thrive in the coming decades. Some
resources are essential. Others remnants of a bygone era and less than efficient
teaching tools. To what degree are people resources? And what qualities or
knowledge must a person possess to be an effective teacher?
2. Purpose: What is the goal of a good
public education? What are we trying to accomplish? What is our “finished product”?
This is the most important issue because it drives the whole process.
3.
Curriculum: Given a well-defined and
agreed upon Purpose, we must examine what information will be shared with
students. What must they learn to fulfill their purpose? What does an “educated”
person need to know?
4.
Means of delivery: How can we most effectively
get a diverse student body to internalize the curriculum? To what role can
technology supplant people in the learning process? And to what degree can tech
NOT supplant people in the process
5.
Standards: The ideal and acceptable
levels of curriculum internalization. What percentage of mastery will
constitute success? Will grades (A B C D F) be used, or some different
paradigm?
6.
Testing: the means of measuring student’s
internalization of a given concept(s)
7.
Assessment: Examining the degree to which
the educational process is working, reinforcing success and eliminating any
degree of failure in the process itself. Are our students internalizing the
curriculum? Where are we coming up short and what can we do to fix those areas
to achieve better results.
With these terms understood, we are ready to start to answer
all those questions listed above. Future blog entries will attempt to do just that, and more. Stop back soon.
