Practical Theory

The students and faculty of the Science Leadership Academy -- and all the amazing folks who give of their time and energy and ideas -- are again hosting EduCon! This year's EduCon 2.2 is now open for registration and for the call for conversations!

This conference only happens because so many people are excited to come together and share their ideas and passion. We have some amazing events lining up for this year, but the sessions -- the things that the community creates and imbues with meaning -- will always be the heart of the conference. So please, consider coming, and considering submitting a proposal to facilitate a conversation.

About EduCon 2.2:

And it is not a technology conference. It is an education conference. It is, hopefully, an innovation conference where we can come together, both in person and virtually, to discuss the future of schools. Every session will be an opportunity to discuss and debate ideas -- from the very practical to the big dreams.

The Axioms

Guiding Principles of EduCon 2.2:

1) Our schools must be inquiry-driven, thoughtful and empowering for all members
2) Our schools must be about co-creating -- together with our students -- the 21st Century Citizen
3) Technology must serve pedagogy, not the other way around.
4) Technology must enable students to research, create, communicate and collaborate
5) Learning can -- and must -- be networked.<


Now, perhaps more than ever, it is important that a community of educators come together to share a vision of what our schools can be. Proposals are due November 1st. Registration will be open without late fee until mid-January.

Anna Deveare Smith is one of my favorite American artists (and not just because she was on The West Wing.) She is a gifted actress, author and playwright, but even more importantly, her "documentary theater" style of writing and performing displays a respect for the diversity of voice and opinion that makes up the American mosaic. (See her TEDTalk which is a piece from her show "On the Road: A Search for American Character for an example.)

So it should come as no surprise that she has the ability to capture the range of the debate on health care in this country in an OpEd piece in today's New York Times. Here is her introduction:

Over the last few years, in preparation for a new play, I interviewed doctors, patients and healers about the human body, its resilience and its vulnerability. Although our conversations were not primarily about the health care debate, they do reveal many of the feelings and thoughts of the people in the audience President Obama will address tonight.

At a time when civility and rational discourse seem to be at an all-time low, her ability to listen so intently and bring across the myriad voices of the debate without irony and without judgment is so important. We all can learn from her ability to listen for the humanity in our voices.

Go read.

Tags: anna_deveare_smith, health_care

[I'm teaching a twice-a-week class on Modern Educational Theory this year to a (mostly) senior class. Here's my intro letter....]

To the students of Modern Educational Theory,

The American student spends approximately 16,000 hours in compulsory schooling from Kindergarten to 12th Grade, and while students can learn an incredible amount about the subjects we study, there is very little learned about the institution of school itself. So this class, then, is an attempt to turn the lens inward and study the societal construct that is school itself.

We will look at the educational movements of the 20th Century and early 21st Century in an attempt both to understand how we have gotten to this moment in time and how we may move forward to create the schools our society needs -- whatever we may decide that to be.

The class will feature a fair amount of shared readings of educational theory, and we will also look at the mass media portrayal of the American high school as well as following how the blogosphere has changed the way students, parents and educators talk about school. I'm hoping to line up guest speakers from a variety of educational perspectives to talk to us about their ideas as well. My expectations for you are that you do the pre-readings so that our discussions can be lively and spirited, and that you come to class willing to engage with the ideas of the other members of class, even when (especially when?) they challenge your own ideas. My goals for this course are for us to challenge the assumptions we come to school with and for all of us to deepen our understanding of what school can be.

Yours truly,

Mr. Lehmann