Education Blogs

I have learned that giving a task to a student and forcing them to use the tools they have just discovered to build upon even more learning is a great way for that student to become confident in their ability.  Not that I am now overly confident, just that I am gaining more of a panoramic view rather than stumbling page by page.   In my quest to find Educator blogs, I have opened up a whole new world of resource and am encouraged by teachers having similar methods and philosophies as I have always held.   

Alfie Kohn has an interesting blog with all sorts of information that can really make you think about alternatives or possibilities.  His viewpoints are direct and very much in line with my own beliefs about the different aspects of learning.  The first post I was drawn to was ““Why the Best Teachers don’t Give Tests”  Being a firm believer in a test only measuring how well a student does under pressure, I concur with the author on all points as to why testing is not a good measure.  I use many alternatives to the traditional test in my classroom, but I do wonder how that would work in younger grades.  At the end of this particular blog is another link to an essay Mr. Kohn wrote entitled “Beware of the Standards, Not Just the Tests,”  In this essay he outlines the negative effects and roadblocks that can hinder student learning outcomes from subjecting our students to tests.  

I have been enlightened knowing others share my beliefs in this regard and I am most certain I have read and studied Mr. Kohn previously in a sociology course.  He has a very direct approach  and I enjoy his writing style.  He is the author of much that captures my interest, the plethora of books, articles, blogs and for the first time, I have discovered audio files!

The next blog I discovered by trying to find a great blog centered on Adult Education.I didn't find a great one, but I did find this  https://thelearningage.wordpress.com/tag/adult-education/   It is different from most blogs I have seen, in that it resembles more of a diary.  It is from the UK, yet I can agree on issues regarding adult education being extremely similar to ours in Canada.  One article in particular I found to be very interesting when contrasting it with the climate of adult education “The Crisis in Adult Education”  in our  country.  Attendance is way down in adult education in part due to more students graduating through student success programs in their high schools.  This is a good thing for the students, yet there are also great incentives for OSAP funds to enter post secondary after obtaining a GED through many colleges, whereas we offer upgrading and a chance to prepare for post secondary.

I did notice this site does not display a creative commons label and I would wonder if I am able to use this material in any way. Perhaps in the UK the regulations are different?

The final blog I feel is worth mentioning because the premise is based upon the unraveling of traditional ways of teaching.  The basis for learning stems from the interests of the group and the group can take ownership of that learning by connecting with one another.  Learning seems to take on a life of its own with the rhizome method that Dave Cormier raves about.  I was intrigued by the non-structured environment where the interests guide the learning.  The dictionary defines rhizome as a mass of roots or creeping rootstock. This definition suits the concept described by David in his blog.  Using the rhizome model, David describes Massive Open Online Courses or MOOC .  It is certainly worth a look if want to try something new for your own personal growth, although it does seem very daunting, for those who thrive on structure.  With regard to internet safety, I would wonder with such an open concept, if all participants were sincere in their academic goals or perhaps they may have ulterior motives?  For a career student like myself he sure has some terrific ideas for lifelong learning.