Comments on: I don’t want to change the system! – A KYHOI

By: Administrator

Administrator — Sun, 31 May 2009 14:29:13 +0000

What if we started including student learners in the “grassroots” movement you mention? In WL’s for instance, think if everyone in the “group” were trying to work with each other to learn as much as possible — as evidenced by everyone’s LinguaFolio. — including teachers and “students” — maybe for the teachers it could be their work in a new language. I think I see some real possibilities here — thoughts?

By: Adriana

Adriana — Fri, 29 May 2009 22:53:21 +0000

I like lots of these comments. Taking on the system is something that we’ve all unfortunately been too focused upon – we’ll all die trying. I like Janna’s comment about learning twice, and believe in a much more grassroots approach – if we all do what we know is right for and by children, things will change on a small scale, which is good enough if done en masse by enough teachers.

By: Administrator

Administrator — Thu, 28 May 2009 12:12:24 +0000

I always enjoy your soap box ideas, Janna! The scary thing in your analysis is your observation about school is made of people, and until people . . .
I think we would be waiting forever if we have to wait for everyone in the system to just “magically” begin to set goals, etc.
I also think that the people, the teachers in school, are their greatest asset — we’re just not asking them to do the right things, especially now in the NetAge. We need to ask them to do what they do best — form close relationships with learners and nurture the learning over time in the way that each individual learner needs, instead of being deliverers of content. The reason I was so successful as a teacher was I had the chance to develop those ties to kids over 3 and 4 years — they became “my” kids and they knew I cared about them. That makes me sad for the kids you have, because they only get you for few minutes a week and you can’t really forge those bonds to do the really important work of helping them learn Mandarin! I’d want my kids to have you all day long!
Sooo? We have to begin to think differently about how we make it happen. Come along!

By: Janna Chiang

Janna Chiang — Thu, 28 May 2009 02:36:15 +0000

This blog echos much with the David article to leverage on something different. You are right that school reform is may be too big of piece to chew on and the changes needs to start from the bottom, with the end goal in mind. One of the major self transformation that I have been through is the paradigm shift from a “teacher” (I-teach-you) to a “learner” (to teach is to learn twice). Each lesson that I deliver, I learn something new, about my students, about the topic and about myself. I often wonder how I can make that reflection transparent? The answer is quite simple, my students! I don’t have everything figure out and I never will, but I do know that every child deserve to learn, my job is find that child’s best learnign ability, and guide it through. So, to go back to school reform, school is made of people. Until people themselve can begin open to the ideas of change, or even be willing to start setting goals and see it through, we are just going in circles and putting on fancy words with pretty intent, but disappointing results. (sorry, my soap box is a bit long tonight)

By: Steve Brock

Steve Brock — Wed, 27 May 2009 16:52:23 +0000

Thanks for your comments, Tom. I, too, feel that frustration of pedaling as fast as I can only to run my 10-speed into the wall of the brick-and-mortar school. It can be very unforgiving as we work with educators (and especially administrators) on new paradigm. I’m now trying to move forward with more that interest me; for instance, I’m going to send monthly “Tech Tips for Teachers” and hold online chats with famous Jesuit prep school graduates. I have no doubt that those of us with insight into education will get there, but at times it seems slower than we wish.

Your post has also made me want to begin my blog again. I think I was seduced by the brevity of Twitter.

By: Mary Dean Barringer

Mary Dean Barringer — Wed, 27 May 2009 15:08:37 +0000

We can change our paradigm when we shift our thinking from changing teaching, schooling and education reform to one of re-inventing learning. Imagine the creative ideas that might flow if we were to imagine that US Secretary Arne Duncan held a press conference to announce that he was closing the US DOE and re-opening a new department called the United States Department of Learning. Imagine the creativity if we had a national learning agenda for all Americans instead of a national education agenda for all stakeholders. What else can we all imagine together?