In physics a Reflection is the change in direction of a wavefront at an interface between two different media so that the wavefront returns into the medium from which it originated…
Last year I saw a bad Tim Robbin’s movie whose only redeeming quality was a line said by a woman to a man that went something like this: Everyone thinks their children are special. You wonder where all the ordinary grown ups come from.
But, WAIT! Don’t take it as an insult against anyone.
Ponder about this line in relationship to what Ken Robinson refers to in the video clip below: The inadequacy of industrialized educational systems that groups children by age and not by talents and abilities.
The law of reflection says that for specular reflection the angle at which the wave is incident on the surface equals the angle at which it is reflected. Mirrors exhibit specular reflection.
What if, for analogy purposes, we were to look at grown ups as a reflection of their childhoods and the educational system as the mirror that based on its quality determines how special the child’s reflection, the grown up, is? In this analogy, then, only great mirrors would result in good reflections…
One of the most exciting things happening right now is how parents and children themselves are actively reforming the process (mirror) by which kids get educated. It seems almost like a grassroots movement where technology has empowered parents and children to address systematic problems Robinson articulates so eloquently.
On one side of the reflection, we have the children.
Just to look at one of dozens of examples I have found across the world in the last couple of years, consider the efforts by Mountain Middle School. Their Mission and Vision try to directly address some of the issues Robinson points out. If you check out the MMS’ student portfolios you will notice that, although still grouped by age, the children are being empowered to recognize, embrace and express their, and each others, individuality and individual capabilities.
And when you try accessing the children portfolios section you might be required to have a Google account, which tells us that this empowerment is happening because how accessible free and open source technology has become, in this case Google’s.
Open source and free technology is being used all over the world to address real educational problems and MMS is just one of many examples that should encourage all of us to stop complaining about how bad institutionalized educational systems are and start supporting those who are working at returning grown ups into the medium from which they originated: Being special at what they were naturally good at as children.
On the other side of the reflection are the grown ups.
Today there are many innovative efforts helping grown ups be better teachers so future grown ups are spectacular reflections of their own natural talents. One of them is Tech Digital and The Center for 21st Century Skills. In Tech Digital About section, Mathew indicates that TeachDigital is for educators who use digital media to nurture creativity and individual expression. The more you learn about Tech Digital and its role with The Center, the more you might see that it is also a bridge between the teenagers and grown ups, where the efforts try to carry on what organizations like MMS are trying to achieve. And fortunately for us, Tech Digital isn’t alone on this effort. Again, I’m certain that you can list several examples in your immediate community and circle of friends.
So, today, I raise my cup (of cappuccino) to the parents and children at MMS and to Tech Digital and its students and teachers because they are actively and optimistically addressing real educational issues leveraging the empowerment technology offers.
Join me and raise your cups (of coffee) for those in your communities who are doing the same. If they succeed, in a few years their answers to the question “Where Do Ordinary Grown Ups Come From?” could be “What Ordinary Grown Ups?”
#educationreform #opensource # education
As Mountain Middle School’s 8th Grade Math & Science teacher, I would like to take the opportunity to share a link to Khan Academy (http://www.khanacademy.org), which we utilize to ensure each of our students moves forward at an appropriate pace while simultaneously ensuring mastery of each of the concepts being studied by that individual student. While hardly a stand-alone curriculum, it serves as an invaluable resource and data collection tool for each of Mountain Middle School’s students. It is programs like this that allow us to keep diverse classrooms (with students at significantly different ability levels) intact. We find that Khan Academy serves as an excellent supplement to the project based learning model practiced at Mountain Middle School. For more information on Khan Academy, I recommend a quick viewing of the TED talk that highlights it: http://www.ted.com/talks/salman_khan_let_s_use_video_to_reinvent_education.html
Hi Mark, thank you for the link. I actually follow Khan and you are correct. Thank you for sharing that and re-emphasizing the value of TED. Great job on your efforts!