Rita J. King has a recent post up on the Science House blog about a salon on learning and the transformation of the economy, science and and educational system:
Cheap, Easy Recognition
Educator Dan Menelly teaches a philosophical curriculum to students from 119 countries at the United Nations School and serves as an Albert Einstein Fellow at the National Science Foundation, working to shape emerging STEM policy.
Since much of education policy is created by people with kids in private schools, the policies that result tend to be “just good enough for the neighbor’s kid.”
“Teaching should be approached creatively,” Menelly said, “and risks taken in your teaching. The sands are shifting.”
As more schools shift to online models or virtual components of education, Menelly noted that the “dirty little secret” is the mainstreaming of mediocre technology largely because it’s unclear what the best options are for education.
“Teachers can get cheap, easy recognition for badly engineered, decorative learning,” Menelly said.
[Science House: "How to Destroy Young Minds with Decorative Learning"]
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