Posted by Scraped from around the Interwebs in October mostly in the areas of education and technology/communication are my favorite short reads ….. I’ll divide this list between two posts this week, so look for part 2 on Thursday.
Today: Great articles in the field of Education
Absolutely the best thing I read all month is this piece by George Saunders about his writing education. The power of a good teacher cannot be underestimated.
My Writing Education: A Time Line (The New Yorker)
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Educators are writing a lot more these days about “student agency.” The discussion centers on how much power / authority a student should have individually over what he/she writes or reads or studies. Recognizing that internal motives are far more effective than external pressure or rewards, educators who push for student agency argue that students will gain much more from the process if teachers invite them into a learning partnership instead of seeing education as dispensing education or drilling skills.
As with all human-related questions, it’s a complex topic. But this essay written by a college student at Davidson makes a strong point:
“Student Agency” is not something you give or take
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The University of Michigan is doing some amazing work to revamp how they train new teachers. I was so encouraged by this article. I also recommend checking out the UofM “19 skills” that every teacher must master (link is in the article).
What core skills do teachers need to be effective? (Mind/Shift)
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If your education career doesn’t pan out, you can always become an artisanal wood maker. 😉
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And while you’re reading all these articles, don’t miss this fascinating piece by The Atlantic detailing the shift in America away from creative uses of leftovers as we got more wealthy. (I have to admit, I really really don’t enjoy leftovers. I usually eat them out of guilt rather than desire. Except for taking something to work for lunch the next day. Somehow that’s a redemptive use of leftovers.)
Just:Words 