Everyone is a genius

A lot of people assume that they know what the measure of intelligence is. But what if there are multiple intelligences, so that in the end, everyone is a genius? Each one of us has something that we do best, something that makes us unique. 

The key is not to find a better definition for intelligence, but to change our perspective on what qualifies as intelligence. It's all part of that larger theme within the education paradigm of making educational institutions (e.g. schools) suit the students' needs and abilities and not force them to conform to a one-size-fits-all system where only certain types of people qualify as intelligent.

In the United States, a woman diagnosed with Autism is now a successful abbatoir designer - because of her disability, she is able to identify better with the experience of animals in this environment so that abbatoirs can be designed that lessen the stress on the animals. What some would see as a disability (the particular view of the world as influenced by her Autism), in this instance is something more akin to genius. 

It's certainly something to think a little more about, and to realise that intelligence can be found in everyone - you just need to work harder to understand a person, and then you'll see how special they are.

What's all this about?

OK, so in typical-me-fashion, I have gotten things a little mixed around. I neglected to start out with a post that explains what it is that I'm trying to do here... oops :)

So, this blog documents my involvement with education from this point forward. Whether it's learning or teaching, I intend to make this my companion.

I have finally succumbed to my instincts to teach (and there have been many small forays into it!) and decided to become a high school teacher (English/History).

"What kind of idiot are you?', you ask.

I know what you're thinking, because those objections have been part of the reason why I've resisted going down this path before now. That and the fact that I was adamant that I wanted to arrive at teaching with a whole lot of experience that you don't have when you start a teaching degree straight out of high school. Not to criticise anyone who makes that choice, on the contrary, I admire people who have chosen that path! But it was just not right for me.

This is the first blog I've written, so I have no idea if anyone will ever read it, or find it in the least bit interesting. But amazingly, I actually don't care too much.

If nothing else, this blog can be something that I can look back at later on, to re-inspire myself or to acknowledge how far I have come (who knows?). If anyone else finds it interesting/helpful, then yay to that.

You've just read what should have been my first ever blog post :)

--Fawkes

ADHD & The need for educational change

It's always a good thing to be open to change, especially when it's possible that some major world problems are being caused by our inability to keep up with ourselves.

Could it be that the changes we're causing in some areas (e.g. economics, technology) are causing problems (e.g. ADHD) because the education system is largely failing to keep up (e.g. interactive education, taking into account decreasing attention spans etc)?

Something to ponder:

The current [education] system was designed and conceived and structured for a different age. It was conceived in the intellectual culture of the Enlightenment and in the economic circumstances of the Industrial Revolution...built into it are all sorts of assumptions about social structure and capacity.

It was driven by an economic imperative of the time, but running right through it was an intellectual model of the mind, which was essentially the Enlightenment view of intelligence: that real intelligence consists in the capacity for a certain type of deductive reasoning, and a knowledge of the classics (originally)...what we come to think of as academic ability. And this is deep in the gene pool of Public Education, that there are really two types of people: academic and non-academic; smart people and non-smart people. And the consequence of that is that many brilliant people, think they're not, because they've been judged against this particular view of the mind.

So, we have twin pillars: economic and intellectual. And my view is that this model has caused CHAOS in many people's lives. It's been great for some, there have been people who have benefitted wonderfully from it. But most people have not. Instead they suffer this: this is the modern epidemic and its as misplaced, and its as fictitious. This is the plague of ADHD.

 - Sir Ken Robinson

Check out the full speech, as an animated video, here:

RSA Animate: Changing Paradigms

Technology in the Classroom

It's only natural to assume, when embarking upon the process of becoming a teacher, that you are expected to be exactly like the teachers who taught you. 

But what if that's not what kids of today need? It's probably not even what my generation needed, but change can be slow in some institutions :)

Anyhoo, all prospective teachers should check this out for some inspiration:

Digital Natives: How Do These Students Learn?