Today’s post was written by Cindy (Daisy), a twenty year veteran teacher who has taught on four continents and many of our continental states. She is discussing Angela Maiers and her new book, Classroom Habitudes, a text articulating the endless possibilities laying in wait for our 21st century learners; pondering the fundamentals of a progressive education: How do we get our children to ask relevant questions rather than simply memorize the same sets of answers (laminated lesson plans anyone)?
Angela understands the world we’re living in, and the world we are fearlessly marching toward. Children today are living in a world where cutting edge technology is as normal for them as peanut butter and jelly. It is in the air we breathe and must be the breath of their thought.
On Monday I posted a video detailing the differences between a tired yesterday and an eager tomorrow. On Tuesday I wanted to look at the dual immersion program our daughter attends, where the majority of her day is spent soaking up the syllables of a second language; a rarity in public education that should be as common as the parking lot. On Wednesday I shared the smudged ink of my own fingerprint.
This is a subject I could expound upon for eons, but for now I’d like to start with a single week. I’ve sprinkled a nutshell with a few of the more obvious problems. Today I’m handing the keyboard to Cindy so she can discuss someone who is offering solutions.
Reading Classroom Habitudes was like watching an epic episode of “Lost.” As with that show, I felt not only gratified by the delivery, but found myself begging the important questions: what if, I wonder who, and is that even possible? Angela’s book has a genuine matter of fact tone that can benefit any learner, from early to confident across any continent.
Angela’s message screams loud, clear and simple – if we do not rethink how we teach our 21st century learners their daily habits and lifetime attitudes, and imbue them with a technologically savvy mind and proper tool set to accompany the most effective learning process, we are headed for a massive train wreck that will take untold time to recover from.
Our nation’s schools may be filled with dedicated teachers, but those teachers do not share equality across the fifty states. The absence of widely available technology, accessible to anyone and at a reasonable cost, or the needed expertise to deliver cutting edge, engaging content seems to me like malpractice when you know the engines of our world are roaring ahead at the speed of broadband.
It’s like we’re trying to merge onto the freeway in a Model T.
Establishing a work ethic that celebrates imagination, curiosity, self awareness, perseverence and adaptability is what makes learning a verb. It is the missing link and essential ingredient absent in today’s curriculum. Angela is authentic, articulate and keeps her message direct. Classroom Habitudes is the kind of book you can open to any page and something inspirational will either grab you, captivate you, or make you stop and contemplate.
Stop, think, take action.
Classroom Habitudes serves as a much needed roadmap to an inevitable tomorrow; a vehicle to drive our new world’s curriculum. At the end of the day we must ask ourselves if we are giving equal weight to our questions and answers.
If we aren’t merging Model T’s onto the freeway, then why do we expect our learners to navigate through an archaic world with antique tools that do little to promote critical thought? If you want to carve a life style from learning, you must acquire the habits needed to absorb information at a new pace the world has only recently come to know. Angela’s Classroom Habitudes is a book that could become the daily bible to keep us mindful of our must do’s and may do’s, while never forgetting its most essential audience: 21st Century Learners.
