Can we believe in risky business?
When you play it too safe, you’re taking the biggest risk of your life. — Barbara Approaching my school today, I passed two children skateboarding on a small, flat area, not particularly exposed. As is...
View ArticleEducation in the real world
For years now, in schools I’ve heard people claiming that this new thing or that old thing is no good because it doesn’t prepare students for the real world. Since it seems to be such an enormous...
View ArticleThe inside is out, and the outside is in
In California, where I live, “alternative education” has a bad name. Somehow, it got the connotation of “schools for kids who can’t make it.” There also are many kids in mainstream schools who aren’t...
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Democratic education, with effort
I recently traveled to Boulder, Colo., and lived on the campus of the University of Colorado for the annual International Democratic Education Conference. Since returning, teachers have been asking me,...
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The Zen of attention
What is puzzling and fascinating about the field of teaching at present is that we must become masters in getting the attention of students, and yet little emphasis is placed on the techniques we can...
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And still we can wander
“We have all a better guide in ourselves, if we would attend to it, than any other person can be.” — Jane Austen, Mansfield Park October is ADHD Awareness Month. It’s also autumn and apple-picking...
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Play!
Children and adults alike use play to make sense of the world. Here are some things we develop through play: creativity, imagination, problem solving, resiliency and the ability to handle the...
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Happiness as a measurable educational outcome
A new vision for the global education race: Schools in South Korea have pursued high test scores with great success. They are clear leaders in the global-education competition. So, why did they fly me,...
View ArticleLessons from Sugata Mitra: Global education and democracy
The challenge of translating small forums and local relevance into small global networks can be both empowering and frustrating. During the summer of 2013, I attended the annual International...
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