I had a conversation with Hugh (the associate dean of the Institute of Design) today about his son Morley’s high school which sounds completely amazing and reminded me of this article in Wired I read recently, called “Making Geeks Cool Could Reform Education”
I’ve worked on various education related projects in the past. During my undergrad at UMich, my senior design project and an Undergraduate research project were focused on K12 education (One of my projects, Motivation in Collaborative Learning Groups), fits with my work on BettrAt very closely). One thing I’ve realized during some of these projects is that adults often have a skewed view of what is “cool” for kids. It takes a particularly hip adult to be able to connect contextually with an adolescent–particularly teenagers, in order to inspire and motivate them.
From the article:
“The driving force in the life of a child, starting much earlier than it used to be, is to be cool, to fit in,” Grodd told the group. “And pretty universally, it’s cool to rebel.” In other words, prepare for you and your netbook to be jeered out of the room. “The best schools,” Grodd told me later, “are able to make learning cool, so the cool kids are the ones who get As. That’s an art.”
I sort of believe in this wholeheartedly. There’s a cultural shift that needs to take place, and in my opinion (based upon some research, some observation, and some common sense), this extends from using informal interests as a Trojan Horse — and gives richer access to understand what people really value. Understanding what people (notice I didn’t use the word students) truly care about is a way to connect, inspire, and help them engage with content and experiences in a much more compelling way.
Other great nuggets from this article that make sense:
Rosenstock keeps the students surrounded by adults. There are no teachers’ bathrooms or lounges. Parents roam the halls. And the students are required to present their work to outsiders. This, it turns out, is the key to geekifying education. “A big chunk of the school experience is having them hang out with the adults they could imagine becoming.”
This speaks to two fundamental needs, ones that we hope to deliver using the BettrAt platform:
- Connecting a user’s work to the outside world to get feedback, collect inspiration, and help propel someone forward.
- Previsualizing an experience. We believe that one mentor or peer’s hindsight could be another user’s foresight. In initial testing, we’re finding people are compelled by the notion of adopting from another’s playlist.
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I am the mother of two awesome adult “children” (which they will always be for me!), both of whom had the blessing of a private, independent, community-focused education. It unfortunately cost a fortune, but money well spent, even for a middle class family. An education that recognizes the individual and allows that person to exploit their natural talents and proclivities in a supportive educational community is priceless and supports a confident learning approach to life. When everyone is treated as valuable, awesome member of the community, and are incouraged to contribute in the ways that best suite their skills and interest, incredible things happen. In a progressive environment, the “best and the brightest” are not segregated from those who don't perform as well academically…they are in the same soup each adding their individual spice to the recipe, whether they are putting on the Greek Play in 6th grade, or composing and performing Haiku in 2nd grade. The artist, the musician, the set designer, the math wiz, the writers, comedians, and directors all find their place naturally and exquisitely. Collaboration, student-directed activities, and thoughtful, inclusive teacher mentoring saves the intellectual lives of children who might otherwise be shuffled to the bottom of the deck, and helps “the gifted” to realize that their abilities are just a small part of being successful in a community of learners. Passions are allowed to flourish and be put on display, grades and standardized tests recede to the background where they can do little harm. These wonderful models exist for genuine, deep education…it's not brain surgery. Big Ed, teacher's unions, and politicians who know nothing about children just need to get out of the way. Bettr At can help everyone feel experience the power of collaborative learning and the beginner's mind that is key to all new experiences!
I am the mother of two awesome adult “children” (which they will always be for me!), both of whom had the blessing of a private, independent, community-focused education. It unfortunately cost a fortune, but money well spent, even for a middle class family. An education that recognizes the individual and allows that person to exploit their natural talents and proclivities in a supportive educational community is priceless and supports a confident learning approach to life. When everyone is treated as valuable, awesome member of the community, and are incouraged to contribute in the ways that best suite their skills and interest, incredible things happen. In a progressive environment, the “best and the brightest” are not segregated from those who don't perform as well academically…they are in the same soup each adding their individual spice to the recipe, whether they are putting on the Greek Play in 6th grade, or composing and performing Haiku in 2nd grade. The artist, the musician, the set designer, the math wiz, the writers, comedians, and directors all find their place naturally and exquisitely. Collaboration, student-directed activities, and thoughtful, inclusive teacher mentoring saves the intellectual lives of children who might otherwise be shuffled to the bottom of the deck, and helps “the gifted” to realize that their abilities are just a small part of being successful in a community of learners. Passions are allowed to flourish and be put on display, grades and standardized tests recede to the background where they can do little harm. These wonderful models exist for genuine, deep education…it's not brain surgery. Big Ed, teacher's unions, and politicians who know nothing about children just need to get out of the way. Bettr At can help everyone feel experience the power of collaborative learning and the beginner's mind that is key to all new experiences!