Stuff we're reading / watching / listening to

[Indefinite Integral]

There is a wide spectrum when it comes from education from I schooling, very free, to strict watch me do and the jump through all the exact same thing. I think being so far on either end of the spectrum is a bad thing. If you are teaching and require students to do exactly the same thing as you exactly the same way there is no opportunity to be creative and develop their own tools for solving problems. On the other hand, while unschooling gives students the freedom to choose and create their own ideas it seems very directionless.

I am a proponent of a more balanced model for education which is somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. There should always be structure - a big idea you are working towards. However, I believe students should be given the opportunity to create and reason for themselves without being told how to do something. However, striking that balance and doing it well is EXTREMELY difficult, especially In math where students are used to being told exactly what to do. I'm not even entirely following my own educational philosophy right now because I am just trying to stay sane.

[Portia]

There are a lot of hippies and socialists where I live right now. (Real ones, not bogeyman ones.) The former Mormons especially lap this stuff up. Reacting to their strict upbringing, I guess. They name their kids odd, androgynous names/word names, and go vegan, and embrace this unschooling idea.

Needless to say, people think I'm something of a fascist. We've been through all this with Emile by Rousseau or Heloise and Abelard son's Astrolabe. I think what annoys me most is how original they think they are ...

[Whistler]

I think there are a few educators here if I'm not mistaken. What do you think of this let-the-kids-teach-themselves model?

I really like the idea, especially after I read the memoir Totto-chan, which is about a girl who transfers to a school where they have less directed learning (although they do have field trips and directed physical play). I think if I were homeschooling and I wanted to incorporate "unschooling," I'd probably just make time for non-fiction reading/learning activities along with regular schoolwork... although I guess the whole idea is that you're in charge of you're own learning, which is somewhat diluted by adult intervention.

[UffishThought]

I know that people tend to learn best when they're interested in the subject matter and when they understand the whole, not just the formula or rule or whatever, and when they do the thinking themselves, not just hear a lecture. So I'm sure it has great merit, when done properly.

But for myself, I can't figure out how you could implement something like that effectively. If I told my students "today is self-directed learning! figure out what you want to learn about, and then teach yourselves," I think one or two kids would try to make it happen, but the rest would play phone games or take naps or talk. I don't know how to motivate students to work, if I'm supposed to be mostly hands-off.

[Whistler]

I think in a school situation, kids already have the mindset of "what is the least I can do and still get [whatever] grade," whereas the hope with "unschooled" kids is that they... won't have that mindset? But I definitely think some kids would rather play videogames or play outside all day. Most of my learning is self-directed now, and it takes some discipline.

[Emiliana]

I think Unschooling is a cool concept, but that it can't be used for everything, all the time. Like math algorithms... they're not gonna figure that out on their own. Letting kids learn to read by picking what they want to read works for a lot of kids, but not all of them (especially dyslexic kids).

On the other hand, I recently had to teach my kiddos how to re-take a state test that a lot of them failed--the opposite of Unschooling. The ones that didn't fail, got to go to the library and read whatever they wanted--THAT was fun. I'm a big believer in self-directed research projects when possible.

[Portia]

On the other hand, I recently had to teach my kiddos how to re-take a state test that a lot of them failed--the opposite of Unschooling. The ones that didn't fail, got to go to the library and read whatever they wanted--THAT was fun.

This, mes amis, is why I think our standardized test-oriented education system of the last decade is a complete crock. How is this benefiting anyone?! Argh!

That was something I enjoyed about private school in the '90s. We learned at the track that made sense for us, and besides a cursory Stanford Aptitude Test in the middle school years, it wasn't test-driven.

[Digit]

I've heard that the school system over in Germany, if not also in other places in Europe, is basically that there's elementary school for small children, then at about the age where American kids would be going into junior high school, there's a test, and depending on how one scores on that test, they either go to a secondary school which preps them for university, or they go to a more vocationally oriented school. So the opportunity to one day become a doctor, lawyer, or professor or something like that versus becoming a plumber or mechanic or something like that winds back to how you did on a test when you were a tween.

[Dragon Lady]

A) I think we should make an unschooling thread. Mods?
B) I follower a blogger that unschools her daughter. Basically, when her daughter shows interest in something, mom helps her pursue it. She isn't a standby observer. She's an active participant. But she let's the child lead where the learning is headed. She's also part of a homeschooling program where a local school actually pays for her to take various classes. So she's taking a lego engineering class. Which I think is awesome. In general, I think that kids that are raised to love learning would do much better with this model. Whereas kids who are raised in the current educational model have been taught to do what they're told and learn the material that is presented long enough to take the test on it, then move on to the next section. To suddenly switch them over to the unschooling model would, I think, end poorly with lots of naps and cell phone play.

[Emiliana]

Basically, when her daughter shows interest in something, mom helps her pursue it. She isn't a standby observer. She's an active participant. But she let's the child lead where the learning is headed.

Yes. This. I don't know how you could do this in a traditional school with 22+ kids in a classroom, but for homeschooling I think it would be awesome.

Actually, I think the Montessori system is kind of like that but with a whole classroom of kids at a time. I've never actually seen Montessori in action; I should do that some day.

[Digit]

The "Door to Hell," a large natural gas fire in Turkmenistan, was lit in 1971 by Soviet scientists and has been and still is burning 42 years later. Thing of how much energy that is.

[Digit]

Watching a football game right now, Vikings vs Ravens. Football is rough enough but it's got to be horrible for your health to be playing football in freezing temperature with snow falling all over the place. Some of those guys don't have long sleeves on (what good that does).

[mic0]

Alanis Morissette's version of the classic Cole Porter song "Let's Do It." Pretty good!

By the way, this seems like a good place to ask, any recommendations for an upbeat band/CD on iTunes? Especially for listening to while running?

[UffishThought]

How do you feel about Bollywood?

[Whistler]

I like the soundtrack to the LittleBigPlanet game... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Sa1_Qo5 ... 573891300C

[mic0]

I don't know much about Bollywood at all! I'll definitely check out that soundtrack, thanks.

[Portia]

This Jack London story made me feel warm, by comparison.

[UffishThought]

I just sold another person on Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. Yessssssssss. I love that movie so much.

[Emiliana]

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/a ... et/281601/

English has a new preposition, because internet. I think this forum was the first place I ran across this phenomenon.

[Whistler]

I just sold another person on Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. Yessssssssss. I love that movie so much.

yaay