If standardized tests aren't the whole answer, what is?

I've yet to meet a teacher that believes existing standardized tests are a fully adequate measure of student performance. And I've yet to meet a business executive that hires (for careers that pay well) based on how well applicants do at rote memorization and linear thinking.

So, how should we spend time in schools and how do we measure student performance?

I've written about Whole Child Education. Still a great site, here.

And here's a three minute video at Edutopia (George Lucas' foundation) on assessment.

Enjoy Spring!!

I've been a big fan of TED talks. TED conferences happen all over the world and the brief talks/presentations are available for free at ted.com. Listening to them while in my car makes me immune to Chicago traffic. Why mention it here? There are a number of TED speakers with great insight into children and education. Three of my favorite:

Kiran Bir Sethi - empowering children

Aimee Mullins - the opportunity of adversity

Sir Ken Robinson - creativity

I was fortunate to see Sir Ken speak last week with old ski buddy and consultant Dani Stern who runs a Montessori school in Bozeman. We didn't get any photos with Ken, so here's one of Dani and I.

It's all good...biodiesel for Truck Farm & Green Teacher

Normally, I'm not a huge fan of Mondays. I look at my "Things to Do List" and feel overwhelmed. Well, not today. Sure, my "To Do List" is long and getting longer, but this morning I was lucky enough to meet five inspiring Whitney Young High School students. With Teacher Brian Sievers, they work in a lab at the University of IL-Chicago creating biodiesel from donated used oil, e.g. soy, canola.

Their fuel powers anything that runs on diesel, like the Truck Farm we'll be introducing next month (and Chicago's Fresh Moves Mobile Market). The benefits of re-using waste and burning biodiesel are, to start, reducing disposal/landfill fees (saving money) and lowering air pollution (and higher healthcare costs). For more, check out one of their websites.

Not only are they learning about solving problems and making a difference once they graduate, they are doing it today. As a team, utilizing their different strengths, they secured sponsors and donors and, of course, put the system together and got it working. Yes, Brian Sievers, the Whitney Young Teacher, is an expert, but he's clear about one thing: it's the kid's project. He's there giving his free time and providing support and guidance, but it's the students who are 'running the show.'

So, while CBS TV cancelled their appearance and Senator Durbin only sent an aide, it's neat seeing kids solve real problems and understand that the 21st century is the most exciting time in the world to be alive.

P.S. More to follow on Truck Farm Chicago (whose biodiesel will come from these students). Today was also a good day because Green Teacher, the magazine, gave An Environmental Guide from A to Z, a fantastic review :)

"I'm only trying to love my kids the best I can..."

A line I get from parents all the time:

"I'm just trying to love my kids. How do I have time to worry about the environment?"

And when the dinner needs to be made, Johnny needs help with homework, the car needs an oil change, Sarah's being bullied, the bills need to be paid and I may get laid off from work... then worrying about the environment falls pretty low on the list of "things to do right now." I understand that.

I also understand that we're living in crazy times. The 21st century is the most exciting time in the history of the world to be alive. Like it or not, change is upon us. Some say we're in an age of information. Bill McKibben prefers to say it's an age of distraction. Yes, we're bombarded with messages, but most is delivered in shallow sound bytes, and much comes from advertisers hawking goods and services for consumption. I'll argue we owe it to ourselves and our kids to dig deep and learn what's really going on. What kind of world are we giving our kids? What does the world look like past the Industrial Revolution?

If there's one book I'd recommend for parents ('green-minded' or not) looking for answers, it's The Ecology of Commerce (revised edition, 2010). Author Paul Hawken comes at it from both a business and environmentalist perspective and leaves us with hope. He makes sense of business, it's relationship to the environment and then articulates a plan of how doing business and doing good can become one in the same. In fact, we're already on the path. It's early and the powers of status quo are strong, but the opportunities are HUGE.

So, being an environmentalist won't add more to your to-do list. Rather, it'll be like falling off a log and improving your quality of life. And for most, that probably means spending more time with the kids they love so much. Hopefully, some of that time is spent playing outdoors. :)

OK, enough with adult books.

These days most of the books I read are for kids and as long as I refer to re-reading books, I picked up Maniac Magee from my shelf last week and didn't put it down 'til I finished it. It's a super entertaining story about a wunderkid and at the top of my recommendation book for any 5th or 6th grader. Or adult...

Quote of the day:

“Education is not filling a bucket but lighting a fire."

-William Butler Yeats

an alternative to improving a flawed and dated model?

Is it time to consider the Whole Child?

Not long ago, a friend and I were talking about different approaches to education. We, like nearly everyone, agree the current public educational system can do better. But is the movement to narrow curriculum, increase class time, heap on homework and focus on rote memorization for standardized tests the right answer (as promoted by programs like "Race to the Top")? Can we do better than merely try to improve a system created in the 19th century for the needs of the Industrial Revolution? What's best for the kids? What qualities do we want to encourage? Are there other approaches? Alternatives?

Consider: www.educatethewholechild.org

Bio on Green Sugar...

A recent story in Chicago Artists Resources on Green Sugar Press. Here's the start:

I was good at being a kid, mostly because my parents and grandparents were good at being parents and grandparents. Mom and Dad rarely allowed us kids to watch TV, but they gave us the freedom to wander the neighborhood unchaperoned. Our grandparents provided wild places to roam. I became a world-class frog catcher and a top-notch corn husker...

Read the rest of the story here.

Exercise is good for kids...

Whenever I visit a school I try to learn as much as possible, always making it a point to ask students how they spend their day. I'm interested for a few reasons, including discovering how much physical activity they get. While my "research" is anecdotal, there's plenty of evidence (besides our waistlines) that shows we get less exercise than we used to.

An

d while

we might "know" exercise is good for our bodies, and we may even "know" exercise improves our mood,

there's mounting evidence showing exercise as being good for brains, especially young, developing brains.

So, when I see kids, parents and teachers push back against

reducing gym time,

cutting recess,

narrowing curriculums,

increasing homework loads, I say keep pushing.

Less can be more when it means more time for play and getting our heart rates up. Less homework, less rote learning and fewer organized activities can lead to healthier and more creative kids, who also happen to test better.

Consider checking out

Spark, a book on the science of exercise and the brain. Dr. Ratey's blog

http://johnratey.typepad.com/blog/

See you outside,

Tim.

P.D. A recent article in Mother Nature Network about a study of high school teens who do better walking to school here.