In crafting a literature review for my PhD dissertation on the subject of learning, certain researchers and authors jumped out at me. I was fascinated to know about Frederick Winslow Taylor and his theory of ‘scientific management’ that girded the automation of modern education. ‘Taylorism’, as it was known, forged the way for standardized curricula, […]
In SelfDesign Learning Community – the innovative school I helped co-found in British Columbia in 2002 – our praxis is to support learning in all its shapes, forms and guises. And since we started we have come to recognize that learning is as varied as each learner. To educators and parents perhaps it comes as […]
Summer has given me a chance to catch up on various reading and PD projects, which have all been very worthwhile! I’ve posted a few quick insights below. First up, to match my growing interest in gamifying learning – that is, applying elements of gaming to learning and education processes – I read Actionable Gamification […]
I conceived and launched SURPASS, for teens, in 2007. What I initially wanted to create was an event for teens, including my daughter, that included some of the best ‘camp’ experiences I had had when I was a teen, and add some other components that I thought would make it richer. Those other components included […]
“Medieval“: pertaining to the Middle or Dark Ages, a period characterized by primitive practices shaped by ill-formed knowledge. Our society has evolved in remarkable ways in my lifetime, inspiring me to believe that human beings just might squeak through to survive another century or millennium. We have extended life expectancies, we have scientifically detailed the […]
I am now teed up to lead a workshop and breakout session at the ‘Soul of Education‘ conference, scheduled for Sept. 19th – 21st at Southern Oregon University, Ashland, Oregon. Subtitled ‘Nourishing the Soul of Education‘, the conference promises to provide many exciting insights into Holistic Learning. You can find out more about the conference […]
What do Einstein, Nobel prize-winning scientist Barbara McClintock and Sir Isaac Newton have in common, besides being extraordinary scientists? They were diligent daydreamers who intentionally dropped into a state of reverie to enhance their thinking and conceptualizing. And were they alive today, and attending a conventional school, they might be diagnosed with a newly-minted disorder: […]
It’s all the rage: Teachers from coast to coast are “flipping classrooms“. To wit, they are directing student to complete core learning via online resources (e.g. videos) at home or outside of class time. What’s happening during class time? That’s for reviewing assignments and homework before teeing up the next “flipped” assignment. According to proponents, […]
Following the resignation of (Curious) George Abbott last week British Columbia has a new Minister of Education: Don McRae. Let’s see, in the 22 years I’ve been a certified educator in BC we’ve had … about 15 Education Ministers! Alas, they don’t seem to have long shelf lives and if the polls for next spring’s […]
The year was 1956. Elvis Presley stokes teen and parental angst with his newly-released “Hound Dog”, Communist Russia invades Hungary and a gallon of gas costs .22 cents almost anywhere in North America. In education circles the earth quakes when a professor from Chicago, Dr. Benjamin Bloom publishes his “Taxonomy of Learning” that crystallizes a […]
Michael’s book, Learn Your Way! SelfDesigning the Life You Really Want, Starting Now is an ERAC-approved middle and high school textbook for career planning and health education courses (British Columbia), and it has received many endorsements. Contact Michael directly to obtain a pdf copy of the book.
