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Taylor Kendal

Teaching with Primary Sources

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How do we reform education?

I recently witnessed a TEDx event in Colorado and heard Ramona Pierson discuss her philosophy on education - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5aHL2qd_08.

She believes there's an equation (ok, actually an algorithm) that can be used to prescribe a unique education path for every student. This idea comes in the wake of a near nationwide adoption of the Common Core Standards. Where do the resources in the United States currently need to be focused to assure positive progress in education?

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Topics: education education revolution
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    Denny Morales

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    Sep 7 2011: The challenges we face today in our current school system is we don't teach the basics. Like how to deal with a mortgage or credit card bills, or teach how to read a fininacial statement. Now let's take it to a deeper level. Building the spiritual foundation. I would like to have courses that build the spiritual foundation then moves onto the physical real world systems.

    Spiritual Foundation Courses 1-6

    -understanding power

    -peaceful conflict resolution

    -elements of loving relationships

    -personhood and self creation

    -body,mind and spirit: how they function

    -engaging creativity

    -celebrating self, valuing others

    -joyous sexual expression

    -fairness

    -tolerance

    -diversities and similarities

    -ethical economics

    -creative consciousness and mind power

    -awareness and wakefulness

    -honesty and responsibility

    -visibility and transparency

    science and spirituality

    Then 6-12 can be learning the basics. And really digging to see what each student wants to do in the world, finding there talent.
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      Taylor Kendal

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      Sep 8 2011: Denny,
      I agree that the foundation and scaffolding is currently misaligned, but I also believe that we have to be very careful with topics such as spirituality. A child who comes from a family where spirituality is less than emphasized, or perhaps even absent (my own in this case) will have a much different approach to creativity and learning. This isn't to say one is favorable, I just think education should be a pursuit of ones innate skills with as little prescription of the unknown as possible.

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