So many things to think about - the current school system.
Is it serving our children for their future?
Here is my first post in a while, and there is so much to write about. I’m just going to dot point out what I am currently interested in & write more about each one later on.
The overall theme here is the current school system. It’s not working, and it doesn’t look like it will change any time soon - but it needs to.
How can teachers and schools be more for children in the age of AI?
We move away from big tests, we move away from age based grouping & we get them out into the world exploring natural spaces, becoming involved in their community & building lifelong skills, not always sitting in classrooms listening to content they know or can’t understand, behind screens or doing work because the curriculum states it. Check out this great podcast:
Ready made resources: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01596306.2024.2398648#abstract
This is a great article. From my experience, The rise of ready made teacher units and lessons can actually lead to poorer teachings, overwhelm and lack of differentiation. It can lead time poor teachers into thinking this will solve all their problems, when in fact it doesn’t.
I think having better quality resources we can share, (including better stocked and valued libraries!) that align with the curriculum, would be much more helpful than prescriptive units of work.
We need to embed critical thinking - not just fact regurgitation.
https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/our-kids-are-missing-out-on-critical-thinking
I’d love to see our students being asked to think critically about everything they are doing and learning at school. I’d also like to see teachers & leaders do the same when considering new curriculum, pedagogy and diversity of students.
The importance of critical thinking has never been greater, yet our understanding of it has never been so limited. This creates a perfect storm – a situation where the need for critical thinking is rising, but our capacity to foster it is in serious question
Beyond the books
https://www.gettingsmart.com/2024/09/30/reimagining-schools-in-a-climate-challenged-world/
Book learning isn’t enough in a climate-changed world. We must prioritize the development of schools explicitly designed to cultivate people who can thrive in a world undergoing transformative change.
That’s enough for now - I’ll elaborate soon in other posts - would love to hear what you think too.