Damn you, PLN!
Uncategorized September 6th, 2008
This coming Tuesday will be my 3 year-old son’s first day of preschool. I’m as excited as I am petrified. I feel REALLY good about the school we chose, and I hope he likes it as much as my wife and I do. That said, this is not a post about separation anxiety or even about the immediate issues of preschool. Rather, the first day of preschool has me thinking beyond these next two years to the point in time at which he is scheduled to begin his formal K-12 schooling experience.
Like every other parent I know, I want the best for my child(ren). And, as a professor in the field of education, I feel comfortable that I can navigate the schooling possibilities and provide opportunities for my child(ren) that are at least acceptable. That I am a learner in the field of education, however, is causing me problems.
You see, as I’ve spent time with the folks that comprise my personal learning network (i.e. those that I follow on Twitter, those who feed my aggregator, and even those that I’m privileged to learn with as students in the programs in which I teach), I’ve come to see what IS possible. I’ve come to see many examples of extraordinary, creative, learning-first educators and the incredible learning experiences they have facilitated for their students. As a result…
I want my child(ren) to play and learn with Logo and Gary Stager.
I want my child(ren) to explore literature with Christian Long and do it “beyond school” with Clay Burell.
I want my child(ren) to have teachers that play guitar and sing, and connect their students to others around the world like Paul Bogush.
I want my child(ren) to work with Clarence Fisher to explore and re-examine what it means to be literate.
I want my child(ren) to do math differently with Dan Meyer.
I could go on. The examples are plenty. Thus, clearly, the bar of my expectations is through the roof. Damn you, PLN!
If Clayton Christensen and his co-authors are right and/or if I become enterprising enough, I suppose there may be a way for me to develop such an individualized distance learning program for my child(ren) with the very best and most creative educators. But, for now, my only hope is that the educators my child(ren) do get to work with become learners as I have so that they too can learn from the incredible folks I’ve mentioned above.
I’m sure my current spate of posts have already damned me, but thanks for the hot compliment
I’d give anything to have every kid study with the folks you mention, by the way - present ex-teacher excluded.
My 5 y.o. daughter starting ‘big school’ last week has raised similar concerns in my mind.
Fortunately she is at a school that teaches the IB PYP so emphasis is on the process of enquiry not content.
As far as future curriculum development I am always less concerned by primary colleague – the nature of being generalists has meant they are usually very collaborative in their planning and always see cross-curricular opportunities, usually revolving around competencies rather than content.
Hopefully that buys all us new school parents some time!
Secondary really worries me – actually tertiary worries me more, as it all rolls down from there. As long as tertiary courses demand exam based criteria, the quality mark (whether students even finish high school) secondary will still emphasizes content based curricula – that means middle years will be spent as exam factories in training.
So these wonderful generalists who are already making lateral connections turn up at the steps of secondary to be ‘production lined’ into subjects. Until the exams go or are at least culled there is no space to worry about learning. Many brave practitioners are trying to develop the curriculum, but hitting your head on exams exits, mean these efforts are inconsistent and not sustainable.
What will change this? I think smaller on-line commercial interests or one-off independent schools will out pace geberal secondary education? While your PLN may infuriate with the distance from your own child’s education; I am heartened to know that they get closer everyday.
@Clay - wondering why you refer to yourself as an ex-teacher. I learn from you. Heck, I knew nothing of Gilgamesh before now. Keep being my teacher, please.
@Gilbert - like the optimistic outlook. However, I’m not ready to conclude that elem. teachers, by their generalist nature, see cross-curricular opportunities. I’ve seen elementary schools become more departmental-like, where students have one teacher or one pair of teachers who team up for say math and science, and then another teacher or pair for English and Social Studies. I hate those distinctions at that level. I even shuddered at writing this post when I had to specify a “subject” for each of the folks I mentioned.
Don’t worry Jon
My optimism has lived at the cold coal face of implementing curriculum reform and technology too long to believe in generalization about generalization!
Equally I have seen many of my secondary colleagues who despite entrenched subjects are inspiring in their trans-disciplinary outlook.
As we know with reform in schools it is not just the pipes, it is the water (or sewerage) that runs through them that make the real difference. I do think primary teachers and their schools are more predisposed to a student centered curricula
I sure hope you’re right, Gilbert!
But, what if the pipes are in such bad shape that they will necessarily ruin whatever good water tries to pass through them?