We are part of a group of teachers who have sought to understand learning on a social and cultural level. The key to success with this quest is NOT to find fault or singular reasons for learning not taking place; rather to confirm what is happening in each of our classrooms, in our specific contexts and from actual qualitative evidence, to understand why and then to improve our individual practice as a result. This is the only way a professional can seek to become an authority of their own practice. It is what professional people do: see, understand and modify practice to do better next time (think of other professions: medicine, law, engineering). Learning to learn is vital throughout people’s careers, not just for school. However, habits are predominantly set during formal education.
Our objective is to show that we need to think differently, particularly therefore in education, and understand how we can do this. Do our aims seem to you like a better way of doing things, and of achieving meaningful improvement? Do any of these ideas ring true with your experiences, either in education, other social sectors or in industry / business?
Also please look at other pages – might any of these be relevant to you?
What’s our purpose?
Openly examine actual events from individuals, classrooms, departments, schools and at macro-policy level.
Suggest, discuss and test possible changes and reorientations that may challenge the current system and the thinking behind it.
Teaching in schools has been subject to significant changes in what is taught and how it is taught, particularly recently. Yet, some aspects do not appear to have changed much for many decades, and now appear out-of-line with the needs of society more than ever, and potentially harming the people it is meant to benefit. Is it time to now look more deeply at the purpose of education, understanding it in a current context?
Does this ring any bells with you and your experience?
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