Interesting comic strip comparing Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden approach to education spending priorities and reasoning to our apparent priorities.
I couldn’t figure out how to embed or copy the actual comic image, so you’ll have to go to Silhouette Man to see and enjoy this one,
A wonderful and important refresher course in U. S. History.
Introduction by Morgan Freeman – 14:24 minute video
HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA! Keep the faith; hold on to the “American idea” of liberty for all.
lib·er·ty n
1. the freedom to think or act without being constrained by necessity or force
2. freedom from captivity or slavery
3. any of the political, social, and economic rights that belong to the citizens of a state or to all people (often used in the plural)
See also civil liberties
civ·il lib·er·ties npl
the basic rights guaranteed to individual citizens by law, for example, freedom of speech and action
A Teacher Makes Her 3rd-Grade Kids Hate Each Other For The Best Reason Imaginable
The payoff at the end is brilliant and a perfect metaphor for what we deal with and face every day in our society.
“I had plenty of great resources and educators,” said Zak Malamed of his Long Island high school. “My dissatisfaction came from the lack of ability to be an individual.”
Zak noticed how #EdChat had quickly become a community that gave teachers a voice. He thought students needed the same and launched #StuVoice Twitter chats last May. During Teacher Appreciation Week, the first chat was “What makes a great teacher?”
His #StuVoice Twitter chats (Mondays, 8:30 EDT) grew quickly, “A few months after launching I was connecting with renowned educators.” He knew he was onto something and has started the process for Student Voice (Check it out!) to become a nonprofit.
During his freshman year at the University of Maryland, Zak said he probably spent more time on Student Voice than his school work but he “learned more from that than anything.” Zak said, “I learned how to work with and manage people, formed relationships, and had an incredible experience.”
Student Voice has expanded beyond Twitter to bimonthly Google hangouts. “We recognized the value of face-to-face interaction–it’s often less about the topics and more about the relationships formed.”
Lisa Nielsen (The Innovative Educator) introduced us to Zak. She noted that “He recently put together their first conference (sponsored by Dell) which was a terrific success.”
An added benefit of promoting student voice is that it “helps develop entrepreneurial mindset,” said Zak. He was frustrated with the limitation of his political science major
so he created his own major in social engagements–a study of social, media, business, civic engagement.
The young organization is supported by dozens of volunteer students like Zak. Like Zak, they are convinced that the “idea of student voice, as individual and organizational level, needs to be promoted.” He noted that “plenty of teachers inspired me, but I recognize how much work needs to be done.”
I found this article on http://gettingsmart.com/
This thought provoking question and the comments that follow are almost an education in themselves. You certainly don’t have to be a rising high school senior to enjoy the real-life insights, appreciation. and wisdom from these sharings.
You might even want to pass this link along.
In the last few weeks and days, I’ve come across a number of articles expressing pro’s and con’s about Common Core State Standards (CCSS), with critics mounting a flurry of attacks and proponents working hard to shore up support. One pretty good overview article is Common Core Under Fire: How Strong Is Support for New State Standards? You can get as many details as you want by clicking on various links.
My Prezi presentation on New Mexico’s use of CCSS gives a pretty good overview of what they are, what their intent is, and how they are planned to be used in New Mexico.
The Common Core evolved from a 2009-2010 drive by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers to delineate world-class skills students should possess. The standards, created with funding from, among others, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, set detailed goals, such as first graders should understand place values in math and eighth graders should know the Pythagorean Theorem.
“We brought the best minds in the country together to create international benchmarks that, once mastered, would make our students more competitive, globally,” said Gene Wilhoit, executive director of the Council of Chief State School Officers. He said his group has no plans to create national science standards.
Here is a brief summary of some of the pro and con positions:
Pro
Con
So, what do YOU say?