Montessori and Macintosh

Another Alan Kay comment about Montessori education. This one before congress: "The Macintosh user-interface used Montessori's ideas..."

Does student engagement matter?

Two readings this morning:

first this: "What is college for?" which includes this acknowledgement:
"...university curriculum leaves students disengaged from the material they are supposed to be learning. They see most of their courses as intrinsically 'boring.'"

then this: "Teaching innovation key to propelling economy." Here's a sample:

"While we often think of creativity as the domain of music and art classes, most educators know that it’s what brings students alive in every class. Writing a play about a historical event. Designing and creating a certified Wildlife Habitat on campus. Developing a new application for a concept in math. That’s the kind of learning that really stays with kids—when they create something of their own, drawing upon different disciplines, often in a hands-on project. What doesn’t stick is preparation for standardized tests."

Does student engagement matter?

not acquired behind a desk

Great college essay by a Montessori alum.

LEARN

Great tourist video. Not all tourists are learners, and not all learners are tourists.

But this is fun, maybe even inspiring.

Here's the question at the end of the chapter: What does this video tell us about the nature of learning?

Be the best possible version of yourself

A note from Post Oak parent Rakesh Agrawal.





John:

A blog reading...
from the guy who created gmail at google and then started another company which he sold to Facebook. A good response, I think, to Amy Chua's Tiger Mother book that's been getting a lot of attention (I read it a few weeks back and have enjoyed using it as a springboard for discussing parenting with Shonali and friends).

Rakesh