Empowering Education

A PARENT’S WISHES FOR HIS CHILD’S TEACHERS

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The speaker is Chris Kennedy who has the dual role of being the Superintendent of Schools in West Vancouver and a parent to 4 elementary aged children. In this talk Chris takes the perspective of a parent and explains his wishes for his children's teachers. Listen to what Chris has to say, especially his take on homework, giving space during our day to explore student passions, and concern with ranking and sorting students based on grades.

PARENTING THE WHOLE CHILD: NURTURING THE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN EMOTION, INTELLECT, BODY AND SPIRIT

The foundation of whole-child parenting is understanding that our children are bundles of energy in the form of thoughts, physical activity, emotional expression and inner spirit. Rather than thinking about managing our children, think about managing their energy.

The energy of the body needs food, touch, air and water. The energy of the emotions needs positive input like optimism, smiles and support. The energy of thought needs inspiration and imagination, or it gets bored. The energy of the spirit needs connection, faith, compassion and quiet. It needs calm moments of awareness.

Thinking of a child as an “energy bundle” helps us take our parenting less personally when a child screams, “I hate you.” What we want to take to heart is that this soul is living with us in a child’s body. We are responsible for helping this child to develop in the best, most fulfilling way possible.

Parenting is really about educating the mind and body so our children are happy, successful and healthy in body and soul. Working with the mind-body connection is the foundation for parenting the whole child.

TURNING LEARNING RIGHT SIDE-UP: PUTTING EDUCATION BACK ON TRACK ~ By Russell L. Ackoff and Daniel Greenberg

The objective of education is learning, not teaching

…Today, there are two worlds that use the word education with opposite meanings: one world consists of the schools and colleges (and even graduate schools) of our education complex, in which standardization prevails. In that world, an industrial training mega-structure strives to turn out identical replicas of a product called “people educated for the twenty-first century”; the second is the world of information, knowledge, and wisdom, in which the real population of the world resides when not incarcerated in schools. In that world, learning takes place like it always did, and teaching consists of imparting one’s wisdom, among other things, to voluntary listeners.

EDUCATION AND LEARNING: CAN THEY COEXIST? ~ By Marilyn Price-Mitchell, PhD

.... most of what is taught in schools is left-brain focused. We now know that learning occurs in both sides of the brain and the body. By limiting the way we teach, we also limit development. We miss the importance of psychological literacy — emotional intelligence, kinesthetic and interpersonal abilities, spirituality, moral reasoning, and critical thinking — that characterize the many areas of positive development.

Traditional education teaches knowledge through subject or categorized areas. Our kids study literature, mathematics, and biology. But in fact, life presents itself to us as a whole, a system of interconnected knowledge. This fragmented view of knowledge is antithetical to systems-thinking and the kinds of skills needed in the 21st century.

IS YOUR CHILD PREPARED FOR LIFELONG LEARNING? ~ By Marilyn Price-Mitchell, PhD

Three Ways to Prepare Children for Lifelong Learning

1. Ask Questions

....Rather than giving answers, adults help children become lifelong learners by helping them identify questions that pique their curiosity. When we help young people make associations between what they are studying at school and the world outside of the classroom, they learn that everything in the universe is connected, that lifelong learning is an endless process.....

2. Let Them Fail

....With caring and encouragement, adults can help young people use mistakes and failures to facilitate lifelong learning. Like Aristotle believed, there is often pain involved. And that’s a good thing.....

3. Give them Learning Experiences

.....Learning through experience, not just from books, is one of the best ways to give youth the skills they need for lifelong learning, living, and working in the 21st century. Particularly in the teen years, service-learning provides experiences that nurture critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and the ability to see the world as an interconnected community.....

KEN ROBINSON: CHANGING EDUCATION PARADIGMS

In this talk from RSA Animate, Sir Ken Robinson lays out the link between 3 troubling trends:

rising drop-out rates,
schools' dwindling stake in the arts, and
ADHD.

KEN ROBINSON: DO SCHOOL KILL CREATIVITY?

Another TED Talk by Sir Ken Robinson. He makes an entertaining and profoundly moving case for creating an education system that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity.

Read>> http://www.gvhomelearners.com/

SELF DESIGN LEARNING COMMUNITY

The SelfDesign Learning Community is among the largest distance/distributed learning schools and personalized learning programs in British Columbia, Canada. Completely funded by the BC Ministry of Education, SelfDesign enables learners to complete K-12 by exploring their interests and taking the lead in their own learning and life.

With personalized guidance and ongoing support from BC-certified educators, learning unfolds at home and within local and online communities.

EdX Free Online Courses

Brief description:

edX is a nonprofit MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) that gives students from any country the opportunity to take free online courses offered by premier Universities around the world. Online learners can earn a certificate of completion after completing the course.

Host Institution(s):

There are about 60+ participating Universities which include Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), University of California Berkeley, McGill University, Australian National University, Wellesley University, Georgetown University, University of Toronto, TU Delft, and The University of Texas System.

Field(s) of study:

There are currently about 800 courses in a wide variety of disciplines: biology, business, chemistry, computer science, economics, finance, electronics, engineering, food and nutrition, history, humanities, law, literature, math, medicine, music, philosophy, physics, science, statistics

Target group:

The course are available to anyone in the world – from any demographic – who has interest in advancing their own knowledge.

Scholarship value/inclusions:

With the exception of professional education courses, edX courses are free for everyone. Some courses have a fee for verified certificates but are free to audit.

Eligibility:

EdX courses are open to everyone. All you need is access to a computer with a current browser, an Internet connection, and, of course, a desire to learn.

Application instructions:

To sign up, create an edX account and then register for the course of your choice. ChooseRegister Now to get started. Unless you choose a verified certificate, registration is free! Deadline varies per course.

It is important to visit the official website (link found below) for detailed information on how to apply for this scholarship.

Website:

Official Scholarship Website: https://www.edx.org/

"Empowering The Next Generation"

Believe In Your Child Foundation

(BIYC)