Reinventing Education

EP 34 : Do "Traditional" Schools Even Fit in Today's World?

Join us as we delve further into the world of the "traditional" school. As we try to answer the question of what the healthiest version of a school that prides itself on self discipline and duty might look like. What can we learn from a place where adherence to authority and tradition are top dog?

EP 33 : What Even is a "Traditional" School?

Season Four! In this episode, we pay a virtual visit to a "traditional" school. We look at how a school community that operates with ideas of tradition, common sense and hierarchy of trust at its core might operate in its ideal context.  

EP 32 : Creating Healthy Educational Communities

How do we know if our school community is healthy? In this episode, we argue that school health comes through aligning the key aspects of community culture, individual beliefs, resources & systems with our values.

EP 31 : What is a Value and Why are they Important to Understanding how to Reinvent Education?

We have talked many times on the show about our "values". But what do we mean by that? On today's episode we dig into what a value is and how the values that we hold determine much of what we perceive, how we think and the actions we take. Important stuff! Enjoy!

EP 30 : What Makes a Healthy Education System?

What does it mean to say someone is healthy?
According to the World Health Organisation it no longer merely means that they aren’t sick or impaired.

Health is more about one’s ability to handle and adapt to different challenges.

What does it mean to say that a community is healthy?
Well, this has more to do with it having the resources it needs to meet its needs and wants.

And….why are we discussing health on this education podcast?

Moving forward we will discuss how each of the values driving educational communities (security, achievement, inclusion and integration) has healthy aspects that we wish to keep and unhealthy aspects we wish to consciously set aside.

EP 29 : The Reinventing Education Map : Understanding Each Other through the Integral Quadrants Tool

We’ve built a map. A map that points out the territory that anyone or anything in education finds itself a part of. The map highlights why education looks different depending on what you value.

The 4 values we see impacting what education looks like are security, achievement, inclusion and integration.

Imagine 4 people and that each holds one of the 4 values.If you asked them about what education should look like in the following quadrants:

Activities & Resources; Environment & Systems; Community & Culture; Beliefs & Reactions

...each person would provide different answers. We look into how acknowledging these aims, values and perspectives allows us to get the conversation moving in the right direction for us.

EP 28 : School Sports Days / Track & Field Days - Traditional, Mainstream & Progressive Perspectives

Sports Day (Or Track & Field day for you North Americans) is a tradition in schools worldwide.

These events come in a wide range of forms from the competitive Canadian events, to the egg and spoon races of the Brits and the highly stylised dance troupes found in Japanese elementary schools.

In this special episode, we dig into the idea that a Sports Day holds up a mirror to the values of the school community.

In particular we look at the role of rewards in these kind of events and discuss a school that has moved away from medals & certificates entirely.

 

EP 27 : The ReinventingEducation Map : Analysing Schools using the Integral Quadrants Tool

We talk about education, but where do we find education? In this episode we use the quadrants to help identify where you go to find education.

Education is defined as the giving or receiving of systematic instruction, especially at school. In this episode we explore how the giving or receiving of systematic instruction can be found in the:

• activities & resources used for systematic instruction  
• environment where & the systems through which systematic instruction is given
• culture and communities of people connected to the systematic instruction
• reactions and beliefs of the individuals involved

How each of these is carried out is impacted by the 4 values influencing what education looks like. These values are the belief that the systematic instruction should be organized in one of the following ways. Either with an adherence to security, achievement, inclusion or integration.

EP 26 : The ReinventingEducation Map - Aims & Values : A Model for Discussing Educational Development

In order to find how to get to where we want to go we need to know where we are. In this episode we begin to construct our map to navigate the reinvention of education.

We clarify:
- the difference between reinventing and improving education
- what the 3 aims of school are
- what the 4 values influencing education at this time

Some of this is a recap of our earlier episodes but is a necessary synthesis to build up our thesis on healthy schools which we will explore over the next handful of episodes.

EP 25 : Is the Sensory Corridor the Answer to our School Blues? - Traditional, Mainstream & Progressive Perspectives

A school hallway is transformed into a space that encourages physical activity.

This supports student’s physical health, stress management and ability to focus. How could someone criticize this?

Well, we play devil’s advocate to raise concerns and praise that would come from the 4 different values that inform what education looks like.

We also address the perceived relationship between mind and body from each of the 4 values. What role do the mind and body play in one’s education?

Article:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/physical-activity-guidelines-children-1.4932070

Youtube clip:

https://youtu.be/P4q8dNwsR3E