Saturday, September 15, 2012

The Defining Question

"The question I’d ask every administrator and school board is, 'Does the curriculum you teach now make our society stronger?'"-Seth Godin

Yes. 100%. We are stronger and more persistent because of what and how we study; we are better people because we are so very different from each other in fundamental ways, and we respect those differences. We are flexible and adapt; we are informed and we ask questions.

We don't produce dioramas and Powerpoints that regurgitate information accessed online.

We aren't awash in worksheets.

Students guide their learning, and their tasks are authentic. Right now, La Petite is working with another student on the design of her roof; she wants a house that is adult-sized but still fits under overpasses. The other student is studying engineering, and this is a perfect real-life application. They are working together to figure out how to get a 14' house under a 13'6" overhead limit, a skill that is sorely missing in our society today. That the task is real makes it that much more valuable.

So, yes, Seth Godin, we are. Thanks for asking!

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