Comments on Education Alternatives: The Blog for PathsOfLearning.net: Is the pendulum swinging back?

Hi Ron,The last few months have been rough and I h...

2007-06-20T06:58:00.000-07:00

Hi Ron,

The last few months have been rough and I haven't been around to keep up with your blog... but I'll catch up now.

It's really nice to hear this from you, who have been following these trends for 25 years at least. Sometimes I think something new and exciting is happening, that people seem to be "waking up" more than ever in some ways, but I wonder if there's a tendency to ALWAYS think there's something happening. Maybe I would have thought the same thing 20 years ago. It's encouraging in a sense to realise that collaboration hasn't been happening, that broadening and appealing to the mainstream (and other movements for change) hasn't been happening, and to think how great the potential might be if we were to start doing these things!

Sharing the DATA on the results of educational alternatives is something that I've been thinking a lot about the last few months. And sharing more stories, definitely helpful. And, in fact, I think we should focus more on empirical research, to dispell unfounded claims that other styles of education just don't "get results." I'm not sure what that kind of research would entail but I'm thinking about it. Though I'm not sure how relevant it is in terms of advocacy, but I'm very interested in dreams, and I've thought for a while that I'd love to do a quantitative/qualitative analysis of dreams of students who have different sorts of educational experiences...

There's an organisation called Wiser Earth (www.wiserearth.org). Have you heard of it? It's a user-generated directory (promoted by Paul Hawken) of people and organisations working for social change user-generated content which connects people and organisations working on social and environmental issues. Now, people can choose areas of focus, and some of them include "rights of the child" and "democracy education" (not democratic education, which seems to imply that we still think in terms of teaching ABOUT democracy as opposed to teaching THROUGH democracy). But there's still no "alternative education" or "democratic education" focus. I think a crucial would be to get such a category added to Wiser Earth, and then, to get as many groups as possible working for educational alternatives connected through this resource. I'm going to see what I can do about getting the a category listed -- any suggestions on what such a category could be? "Alternative education" or "alternative educational models"?

I added you to my blogroll on my blog Sacred Awe. (sacredawe.wordpress.com)

-- Jason

Hi Ron,I, like Didi, am working in the field of Ne...

2007-04-12T03:43:00.000-07:00

Hi Ron,
I, like Didi, am working in the field of Neo-Humanistic Education. Although I am in the very early stages of my 'career', as I am currently in my initial teacher training.

I am very happy to have found your website, as it looks to be a rich source of inspiration and ideas.

I feel a surge of energy and excitement at the possibility of active collaboration between different areas of alternative education.
After all, if we cannot learn to work together, how can we teach the future generations to do so?!

Best wishes,
Roshnii

Hi Ron, Nice to read your thoughts here on your we...

2007-03-21T14:09:00.000-07:00

Hi Ron,
Nice to read your thoughts here on your website. I'm glad to connect with you again in this way.

In our Neohumanist Education movement we are moving on, and on gathering more and more momentum...

I am now based in Cairo, Egypt and we have a big school project in planning stages.

If you or anyone else is planning to come to Egypt let me know so we can organize an event around your coming.
All the best,
Regards,
Didi Anandarama

Hey Ron,I love reading the blog. Great passionate...

2007-02-26T19:34:00.000-08:00

Hey Ron,

I love reading the blog. Great passionate writing from you all. I think you're right, the pendulum is beginning to swing back. I am so grateful to folks like you, Jerry Mintz, Dave Marshak and others who are making such a concerted and explicit effort to realize the potential of uniting the alternative educational community. There are so many shared core beliefs, if we can just remain open to one another's perspectives and "truths."

The forming of alliances between Montessori and Partnership educators for example, Democratic Schoolers and Unschoolers, makes so much sense, and makes me so hopeful.

One strategy that I think is critical is to bring the dialoge to those tons of parents and students who know something isn't right but can't quite articulate a critical analysis or organize a resistance. It's pretty hard to get any perspective when you're so enmeshed in the dominant paradigm.

I think that sometimes we tend to write to and speak with one another, I love the idea of "widening the circle."

I have had a wonderful experience leading a parent discussion group at my little independent school. We are using many wonderful texts directed mostly toward a parent audience. These have included Alfie Kohn's Unconditional Parenting, Lucy Caulkins' Raising Lifelong Learners, Bill Crain's Reclaiming Childhood and Richard Louv's Last Child in the Woods. All of these books speak with a language which parents can grasp, yet still embody the revolutionary nature of various aspects of the movement.

The parents I work with seem to be primed and ready to embrace the humanistic, holistic and transformational values they are reading about.

Anyway, Ron and friends, thank you for the amazing work you are all doing. I am eager to see what's to come!

Paul