Change Begins with Questions and Discussions, Doesn't It?

Why are kids in school? How do kids learn? Why do kids learn?  What model(s) of education best fit the needs of our children?  Where is the future of education headed?  These are some of the questions that this stop-motion, claymation video called Technology and Education addresses.  It brings in ideas from Sir Ken Robinson and others.  

This video resonated with me due to discussions I watched unfold in my online course this past week.  This term, my class is composed of a great mix of preservice and practicing teachers ranging from those doing student teaching to those who have been in the field for many years.  I only bring this in because it is exciting to see this range of experience asking the same questions and supporting each other in their quest to make personal meaning. One of the topics of the week is what it means to be a “principled teacher” (Freeman and Freeman, 2011).  Part of the discussion took an interesting turn and surrounded the topic of teacher autonomy.  How much power does the teacher have in the class? How can we support and empower each other?  Where does the teacher fit into the mix of answering the questions posed in the video?  (Note another correlation of the week: scaffolding in lieu of direct instruction in this post ;-)

I really love my job thanks to the discussions of my students!