(2010-08-29) Paterson Pei Education Reform

Robert Paterson says we need Education Reform at PEI and elsewhere. He's Framing in terms of the Pioneering Spirit and skills that the founders of PEI had to display - appropriate to big change (Economic Transition) we're going through now.

Aug30: he thinks that a total Fo Cus on getting everyone Reading is the first step, and getting lots of teacher-with-small-group attention is a key practice. (I Commented that there's some evidence that kids have their own schedule for learning to read, and pushing too early for the individual may be counter-productive. Sudbury School is very relaxed about this apparently...)

Aug30 again: he sees MIT's Open Courseware and the Khan Academy of what can replace the overpriced Text-Book.

Aug31: he considers models tailored to gifted (TAG) and "concrete thinkers" (Vo-Tech), neither group being well-served by current model, and both being valuable.

Sept01:

• he looks at the Tribalism associated with the House system at Harrow School (80 boys/house - Ecosystem Of Networks).

• he also looks at Englewood's attempts at improving their Culture to avoid "the Culture of Cool Mediocrity" - create small groups of cross-age kids to build social cohesion.

Sept02: he suggests building on the School Bus as a tribe.