If I carried the magic wand of education in my school……
Curriculum: It would be real world, with relationships
between business and education, every day. Teachers could be anyone that had “ something”
to relate to the given learning topic. “Teachers” as we think of them now would
become facilitators of learning. They might verify learning progress, or
develop specific questions to help clarify learning situations. Students would
be pared together to facilitate a specific assignment or collaborative
approach. This could happen in real time, or it could be digitally. I would
allow students the choice of curriculum with the ability to move back and forth
depending on interest. For example, students may start in Hospitality but
decide Food Science was more appealing.
Teachers: I think I answered that already …..but just to
reiterate….teachers would be the facilitator, a coach, a mentor that asks the
tough questions of each student……stretching each one in the direction they need
to go. “Teachers” could be anyone to someone in a retirement home….to a local
mechanic.
Students: Some questions you really don’t understand until
you are in a career setting. So, in this high school they would go out and “work”
with a companion to get a feel for the job, situation, or problems they are
working on. Students could be anyone…..from around the world, age, background,
or race. In other words education could be ongoing throughout our lives. Don’t
we all want to learn….something? There may be a specific set of requirements to
obtaining a high school diploma, and another for college, etc.
Assessment: I expect there would be a set of criteria that
students would need to master…..you need to understand Algebra and be apply to
apply it before you can work on a space shuttle, but there may be a variety of
ways that appeal to different people in how that is done. Some students may do
it musically and others in a kitchen. True assessment should be validated by
the “teachers” (whomever they may be) and the Instructor or Coach. This may not
be just 2 people, but for each child could be several. Students could schedule
assessments for whenever they were ready, and reflection afterwards might also
include peers.
Technology: Technology would be something that would help to
assist each student to their goals….so if you lived in a remote area your level
of education could be as first rate as someone in a great school district. I
suppose this would also mean that districts would be eliminated, and classes
could be coordinated through the ISD’s or through the state.
Another way technology might be used is that grants may be
given to companies, who then take the use the funds not only to advance their
own company, but also support and commit to helping to develop student
objectives.
Technology would simply be a tool that would help to support
the entire learning process.
