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problem solving

This tag is associated with 14 posts

Creating a Generation of Solutionaries

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For my blog post, I wanted to share a recent article I wrote for Educational Horizons Magazine. Here’s an excerpt from “Creating a Generation of Solutionaries”: “In June, approximately three million students will graduate from public U.S. high schools, and even though they will have all passed their No Child Left Behind tests year after … Continue reading »

Making It Real…and Making a Difference!

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Why did any of us go into education? I would suspect that for many of us it was all about making a difference in the world…the thought of making learning irresistible to kids and having the opportunity to change a life through inciting a love of learning certainly enticed me to the field. I’m in … Continue reading »

Cooperative Catalyst Presents: Dream School Commons

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Jaime R. Wood is founder of Dream School Commons, a nonprofit organization with the mission of starting innovative low-cost or no-cost schools that serve populations in need. She is also the author of Living Voices: Multicultural Poetry in the Middle School Classroom (NCTE 2006). She started her teaching career working with middle school students in an alternative charter school … Continue reading »

Coincidences, Patterns, Beliefs and Baloney-Detection: A Call for Humane Education

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As readers of my blog posts know, I’m a skeptic. To the best of my ability I base my beliefs on scientific, rather than anecdotal evidence, and I am fairly demanding of substantiation when people make unvalidated claims and assumptions or present belief systems as facts. I’m particularly uncomfortable with some of the overarching generalizations … Continue reading »

The Hope That Lies at the Root of Humane Education

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I wanted to share a recent post I wrote for Care2.com, an online community for people passionate about creating a better world. Here’s an excerpt from The Hope That Lies at the Root of Humane Education: As Joan Baez put it, “Action is the antidote to despair.” So when I feel hopeless, I harness my … Continue reading »

What’s high school for?

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I don’t always agree with Seth Godin, but I usually find his thoughts valuable beyond the world of marketing and entrepreneurship he usually writes about. I was so glad he decided to venture into the question of “what value could (or should) high school bring?” in today’s blog post, he suggests we should teach the future generations … Continue reading »

Educator Arnold Greenberg: Counting What Can’t Be Counted

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Arnold Greenberg, founder of Miquon Upper School in Philadelphia, Deep Run School of Homesteading, and Liberty School – A Democratic Learning Community, lives in an off-the-grid cabin in East Blue Hill, Maine. He wrote this essay, “Towards a Different Standard: Counting What Can’t Be Counted,” which I wanted to share with readers of Cooperative Catalyst. … Continue reading »

The World Becomes What We Teach

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I wanted to share an essay I wrote that was published on Common Dreams.org, a progressive news site. Here’s a short excerpt: “Rather than offer unconnected academic disciplines, imagine if each year of high school covered a single overarching issue, such as Sustenance, Energy, Production, or Protection. Teachers with expertise in different subjects could provide … Continue reading »

Empathy’s Role in Education

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Check out this TEDx talk by Sam Richards, a sociology professor and co-director of Race Relations at Penn State: At the Institute for Humane Education, we identify four elements as key to providing quality humane education. They include: Providing accurate information about pressing issues and challenges of our time. Fostering the 3 Cs of curiosity, … Continue reading »

Learning is (supposed to be) fun, no?

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My older daughter is a grade 1 student in a French Immersion school and this year the school emphasizes reading and writing basic sight words as one of the goals for the kids. While the first four months she brought no homework, starting this month, her class will do a regular dictation exercise at the … Continue reading »

Ken Robinson’s New Talk on Education Paradigms

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Take a look at Ken Robinson’s new talk on education paradigms through RSA Animate: Ken Robinson is so brilliant about identifying the systemic problems in education that perpetuate and escalate ennui, lack of creativity, and the failure of wisdom to take root (that Barry Schwartz discusses in his recent TED talk). What are the solutions … Continue reading »

To All People, But Especially Educators: Please Think Critically

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About 17 years ago, I went to see a chiropractor who came highly recommended to help alleviate back pain I’d been experiencing. I was surprised when the chiropractor chose to use “applied kinesiology” with me rather than traditional spinal manipulation. I had never heard of applied kinesiology and was open to anything that might help … Continue reading »

An Open Letter to Educators

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Take a look at this YouTube video from Dan Brown: “An Open Letter to Educators”: Dan dropped out of college because, as he said, “my schooling was interfering with my education.” As he describes a typical college class and makes a passionate and positive plea for real education for the 21st century, do you find … Continue reading »

Thinking in School?

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In a recent Huffington Post essay, Eric Maisel presents an argument for adding thinking to school . His idea is simple. Carve out 45 minutes each day for students to ponder big (age-appropriate) questions, write down their thoughts, and present them if they wish. I like this idea, and I would take it further. Readers … Continue reading »

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