Comments on: Caring across the curriculum

By: silvana_c

silvana_c — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 21:59:24 +0000

Hi Dave,
great post…as always and so thought provoking. I recently changed age groups and inherited an archaic curriculum…..my goal this year is to update my curriculum so it becomes creative, meaningful and relevant to the 21st century learner. Your post has certainly inspired the direction I would like to move in. I also have attended some conferences on promoting global sustainability in schools, which I beleive should also be a pertinent factor in education.
I enjoy reading your posts and the way being in China affects your digitallity…..and how you are responding to this. I hope you and your family continue to enjoy your China experience.
Ciao Silvana

By: datruss

datruss — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 15:06:59 +0000

Amalia,
Two great quotes... they both remind me of the Zoroastrian quote that I end all my emails with: "Think Good Thoughts, Say Good Words, Do Good Deeds." -A simple reminder to nurture all that is positive in this world.

Jeanne,
Wonderful to hear! I didn't dream up this post, I lived it, then I wrote about it. Being at an International school, I decided to start a staff meeting with these videos and share my views. I had to add the update with the dropio video files to accommodate my teachers since they can't get YouTube. I completely agree that global responsibility should be embedded into the curriculum. I'd love to hear about how you embed this into your 5 year tech plan!

By: Jeanne Procell

Jeanne Procell — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 13:23:02 +0000

Thank you for this wonderful post. We are currently working on the five year tech plan at our school and I truly feel, after reading/watching the videos here, that we have a responsibility to include global responsibility as one of our goals that should be embedded into the curriculum.

Thank you! I always get thought provoking ideas from your writings.

By: amaliacarmel

amaliacarmel — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 08:54:12 +0000

“Let deeds, not words, be your adorning,” is one of my mantras. You've hit the nail on the head. It is so easy to become overwhelmed by the decay of the world, to surrender to it because we can't stop it. We forget that we can nurture the growth of tiny seedlings. Our energy is put to much better use when we are supporting the latter instead of fighting the former.
“The betterment of the world can be accomplished through pure and goodly deeds, through commendable and seemly conduct.” -Baha'u'llah

By: datruss

datruss — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 23:20:51 +0000

Shelly,
I agree with what you, "Too many times I think that curricula lack these lessons," and yet I think that when they are taught, students exceed our expectations, and it's time for teachers to make the curriculum fit these bigger, selfless ideas rather than waiting for curricula to change.

Paul,
It really is amazing how long it takes to settle into things at the start of the year. As things settle I will be looking forward to seeing what you will do with your class! You have a great resource in being able to chat with Jenn... take advantage of that!

Bryan,
I think I've told you before that I actually wanted your job... working with those fantastic kids. I think you are doing amazing work and I look forward to seeing some of the great stuff your kids do online as well. Be sure to share that as well. Kids like those in TALONS will indeed change the world for the better!

By: Bryan Jackson

Bryan Jackson — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:16:04 +0000

And while we're blurring the lines between subjects to further bring the best potential out of our education systems, should not the primary focus of Western (or, industrialized?) education not be confronting the myriad problems tomorrow's generation will face?

No longer are humanitarian issues 'ornamental' side dishes, or local back-patting opportunities: they are The Issue. Teaching kids how to be employees at Fortune 500 companies seems somehow beside the point, given the world our graduates are poised to inherit.

Thanks for a great post with lots of great links to real-time projects! Will definitely be sharing with TALONS (you know, our interdisciplinary program trying to change the world...)

Bryan

By: paulaitken

paulaitken — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 01:48:35 +0000

I really agree with this Dave. I have talked with Jenn about her Kiva project (didn't know she had blogged about it so thanks for the link) and am thinking of having it set up in my class at some point in the near future once I can gather some things together. When I talked with her she said that it would probably work better with Grade 6/7's as many of the math concepts are embedded in the curriculum. I am just getting to grips with everything that has been thrown my way this year but hopefully now that I have things somewhat sorted out I will be able to start putting something together.

By: shellyterrell

shellyterrell — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:11:28 +0000

What a thought-provoking post! I agree that taking away real-life meaning from any subject would make it dull and meaningless. Above and beyond the real-life meaning is providing students with a view of what the world around them really experiences. Also, these lessons give students an opportunity to think about how they can better that world. Too many times I think that curricula lack these lessons, but part of a student's development is to discover their role in society and the world they live in.