Democracy

#Blog4Reform Media Links

Posted by Paula White ⋅ November 21, 2010 ⋅ 4 Comments

Please add a link to your own post or to a favorite post that describes the Real Grassroots Education Reform that you believe America needs in the comments at this site. http://coopcatalyst.wordpress.com/2010/10/29/ideas/ Next, please share one or more links with politicians and America’s media and use #blog4reform. Our voices only matter if others hear us. … Continue reading »

Archive Post: Adam Burk’s Education for Sane Planetary Citizenship

Posted by dloitz ⋅ October 24, 2010 ⋅ 5 Comments

I have been thinking lately about how to revisit some of the older posts and discussions at the Cooperative Catalyst now that we have a wider readership and larger group of authors. My idea is that we would all take turns picking a post or two to revisit. The first post I choose came from … Continue reading »

Democracy Starts From The Bottom Up

Posted by Aaron Eyler ⋅ March 22, 2010 ⋅ 16 Comments

The population that makes up the structure we call “school” can be placed on a continuum to show the way in which each individual is contributing to the development (or hindrance) of democracy. Point blank: each individual needs to be knowledgeable of the fact that he or she can push schools further towards a democratic … Continue reading »

Do You Want Democratic Education?

Posted by Chad Sansing ⋅ March 22, 2010 ⋅ 5 Comments

Michael Josefowicz (@ToughLoveforX) frequently helps me sharpen my thinking via Twitter, especially in regards to marketing #edreform and making it easy for the public to say yes to big change. Consequently, I’ve been thinking about “yes” questions for students, teachers, parents, and administrators – questions like Do you want students to do more than test … Continue reading »

A Democracy of Learners

Posted by Chad Sansing ⋅ March 15, 2010 ⋅ 3 Comments

Our schools have adopted a capitalistic view of teachers as parts and students as products. At the policy level, very little #edreform discourse really suggests that we change that. Of course, when we talk abut #edreform, by and large, we’re talking about doing things to schools, students, and teachers. We’re not talking about changing the … Continue reading »

Rationale Thinking About A Democratic Structure of Schooling

Posted by Aaron Eyler ⋅ March 8, 2010 ⋅ 4 Comments

Schools have evolved in the United States over time from “restricted access for some” to “you must go” while increasing provisions for those that are in need, and offering a menu of activities in participatory culture. The problem is that, despite the participatory feeling of these additions, schools lack in their efforts to prompt a … Continue reading »

March to Democracy

Posted by Chad Sansing ⋅ March 8, 2010 ⋅ 2 Comments

The primary feature of democratic education is equal student and teacher participation in learning and school governance. Independent democratic schools – like Sudbury schools – typify the theory of democratic education in practice. At these schools Students and teachers participate as equals in a direct democracy responsible for all school governance decisions – including hiring … Continue reading »

The DNA of Democracy

Posted by Adam Burk ⋅ March 8, 2010 ⋅ 6 Comments

“Democracy. Every man was the master of his own soul. Although it was wisdom to cooperate, a person was not required to if he did not think it was right.”-Jean Craighead George, Water Sky, p. 132 My Top Ten Ways to Create Democracy in Schools 1. No Grades 2. Explain to students that it is … Continue reading »

Schools SHOULD BE Where We Learn Democracy

Posted by Paula White ⋅ March 1, 2010 ⋅ 2 Comments

I grew up, as probably many of us did, in a traditional school. It was a neighborhood school, where I walked or rode my bike to school, and often rode it home mid-day to have lunch with my Mom. We had between 250-300 students, with two teachers per grade. I don’t remember there being any … Continue reading »

Educated Decisions: The Role of Education in a Democracy

Posted by Aaron Eyler ⋅ March 1, 2010 ⋅ 3 Comments

The problem with answering this question is that most people have a limited scope and understanding as to the role and purpose of education in general never mind when we start to discuss its importance in a democracy. It’s the juxtaposition of articulating a clear role of education in a democracy as well as the … Continue reading »

Undemocratic classrooms of a Democratic Society

Posted by joebower ⋅ March 1, 2010 ⋅ 4 Comments

Democracy truly is something all Americans (and yes, even us Canadians) should truly cherish. We should cherish it so much that we should do whatever it takes to ensure that our children be guaranteed the same rights and freedoms that we have come to appreciate. So how do we do that? Public Education. Public education may … Continue reading »

Schools Must Become Democratic Institutions

Posted by Chad Sansing ⋅ March 1, 2010 ⋅ 8 Comments

In a democracy, public education should promote models and policies for schools that provide students direct, personal experience with democratic ideals of choice, equality, freedom, and shared power. As much as we want to “teach content” and “cover curriculum,” we can’t drop out of the sky into students’ pre-exisitng communities and the midst of their … Continue reading »

Education for Sane Planetary Citizenship

Posted by Adam Burk ⋅ March 1, 2010 ⋅ 9 Comments

Education needs to be for the development of profoundly sane personalities. It is nothing less that will bring about the environmental restoration and rejuvenation necessary to avoid the worst of possible scenarios. It is nothing less that will bring about an end to armed conflict. It is nothing less that will be able to confront the problems yet to be known. Continue reading »

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