Curriculum 21 Chapter6/7

Hi all...Although these chapters were interesting they were not as exciting to me as others. One thing that is drilled into my head from chapter 6 is the importance of culture and language and the importance of all students having a diverse knowledge of them.

It scares me to think of the pressure that must be on young people these days. Although the schools they attend will guide them, as the readings have pointed out, they are still behind in many ways.
One quote seemed to grab me in these readings: "Gone is the day when education was synonymous with a building housing a teacher and a blackboard." It scares and excites me. This quote made me realize how small my view of what education can be is. I envisioned schools going back to smaller sizes but had not thought of the technology opening up the world to the students.
Another thing that caught my attention is something that I have grappled with myself, and still do. "How do educators move students from this low-level mind-set of just making good grades-or, worse yet, from not even valuing their academic 'graded' experiences at all-to personally experiencing the excitement that is the very essence of learning?"

Curriculum 21-Chapter 6 and 7

The child-driven education by Sugata Mitra

I hope this link works! What an amazing talk about children and learning!

http://www.ted.com/talks/sugata_mitra_the_child_driven_education.html

My Experience with Curriculum Development

I teach at the university level so I have had a bit of experience with my own classes as well as working with a research team changing the curriculum for pre-service teachers. This is exciting work because we are equals with First Nations communities in this! Recognizing that we need to work in partnership and no longer say "I can do this for you better than you can", it is exciting times here and long in coming.

EDC 533

Well...I am starting my first class at UMaine, it is a curriculum design class. I am both excited and nervous all at the same time. My previous doctoral work was in Higher Educational Leadership so I have not worked with curriculum in a while. I used to worry about the grade of a class, part of me still does. I have realized that it is the connection with the material, manipulating what I have learned that matters most. Should be an adventure if nothing else!!! Happy blogging!

Researching Again!

It is spring, that beautiful time of year that Mother Earth comes to 'life' again. For me, it is the time of year I get excited about research. I love digging through the stacks of books and sitting outside with a pencil and highlighter. I know, geek! But hey! Someone's gotta be! Indigenous geek? Native geek? First Nations geek? Indian geek? HMMM..what name to choose? Anyway, it is the time of year for stories around the campfire with the old ones and enjoying the company of those who have stayed close to home for the cold months. Happy Blogging all!