The Cobb County Power to Learn laptop program, which was planned by Cobb County administrators and teachers, represented a totally new way that students could be educated. Imagine the possibilities for teachers and students. Education has slowly been moving away from plunking students down in front of a teacher—in fact it is becoming quaint. The internet and robust access to computers offers new ways to teach and learn. In some districts around the country, students can choose courses from a virtual school that are taught online by teachers perhaps 500 miles away. They can take the course on their time–anytime. In other cases, teachers plan hybrid-courses, in which part of the course is online, and the other is by means of face-to-face class sessions. Imagine school districts that reside within WI-FI (wireless networks) communities–in which the community is turned into a WI-FI netnetwork enabling anyone to turn on their computer anywhere in the community, and connect to the internet. It’s happening in Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Lexington, KY, and other cities around the nation. Imagine schools who have teachers who have revamped the curriculum in English, mathematics, social studies, science, or foreign languages to meet the challenge of teaching students—each of whom has a laptop which they bring home and to school. Or imagine science or social studies teachers using web-based learning environments to engage their students in collaborative projects with students and teachers in other states and countries. There are endless possibilites for new forms of learning and commication that are currently being tapped, but are ready to transform education. It was unfortunate that in Cobb County (which could afford the expense of the project, by-the-way), the idea was repressed by a local newspaper, and a small band of parents. Very few voices emerged from the educational community to support the project, and articulate the possibilities that would emerge. Thinking-out-of-the-Box is the haulmark of the outstanding teacher and adminstrator. We’ll talk more about examples of thinking-out-of-the box. A great article to read is “ESPN Thinks Outside the Box,” in the September 2005 issue of Wired Magazine. Take a look at it.
Beyond the Scientific Method by Charles R. Ault
The guest post by Dr. Charles Ault, an Emeritus Professor of science education, challenges the current scientific educational approach. He critiques the traditional “unity” view that suggests science processes are universally applicable across all scientific disciplines. Dr. Ault advocates for recognizing the diversity and uniqueness of methods within each scientific discipline. He demonstrates this using examples of how geology and physics operate uniquely. He also introduces his concept of “scientific diversity,” which emphasizes that the interpretation and implementation of core scientific ideas should be adaptable to the specific discipline they are applied to. Furthermore, he suggests rethinking the traditional scientific method and adapting it to the disciplinary contexts.
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