Dos possibles innovacions als centres de secundària: assignatures virtuals, intervals sense horaris

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He vist dos posts relacionats amb l’aprenentage dels estudiants que em semblen ben interessants. El primer fa referència a la formació en l’aprenentage dels estudiants preuniversitaris: Should High School Students Be Required to Take Online Classes?

More than a million K-12 students take online classes, studying everything from Chinese to AP English. Now, Virginia students will be required to complete at least one virtual course.

Els estudiants de High School de Virginia hauran de fer (encara no se sap pas com) una assignatura no presencial, si es volen graduar de forma estàndard o amb honors, ja que el governador d’aquest estat ha signat ja un decret perquè sigui així. De totes formes, no tindrà efecte fins que entri a 9è gru (3r ESO equivalent) la promoció de 2013-14. Segons el Washington Post, Florida i Idaho ja demanen una cosa com aquesta.

El problema és que l’estat de Virginia no té previst posar-hi diners… així que potser aquesta assignatura es convertirà en una “Maria”…

But nobody has specified how virtual classes will contribute toward that goal. The law also doesn’t give any guidance on which online course providers are eligible, and the state doesn’t intend to provide school districts a dime to help them implement the requirement. That could cause already cash-strapped districts to strike deals with lower-cost, less-reputable online course operators.

Sembla que a Colorado ha fracassat una iniciativa de Centres de Secundària Virtuals:

Colorado, for example, spent $100 million on virtual high schools last year even though half of students end up quitting and going back traditional schools because the quality of education was so low.

I un problema afegit és el de no tenir una forma d’avaluació senzilla que dificulti copiar i fer trampes.

Per una altra part, al gran blog GOOD Education s’hi parla sobre una certa revolució: eliminar els horaris de classe (una cosa que per aquí també se’n parla, especialment en escoles petites): Why It’s Time to Eliminate Class Schedules

If students spent their time producing authentic projects instead of driving toward test scores, it would provide tangible measurement of what they can do, and the tug-of-war over the meaning of grades would end. But as long as we keep the current way classes are scheduled, we will continue claiming that we just don’t have time for learning.

A aquest post de GOOD s’hi fan preguntes interessants, fins i tot agosarades:

What if we removed the passive course-to-course drudgery of the school day? What if there was no schedule? What if students were left with a list of coyly worded benchmarks targeted at creating quality humans, and we just waited to see what they could do? What if teachers were seen as mentors for projects designed to help students meet those benchmarks? What if the students initiated these projects and the teachers spent their time recording TED-style talks that would serve as inspiration and help students generate benchmark-related ideas?

I aquesta frase és una mica colpidora

If you’re a parent, I hope you’ll ask why your high school student just got credit for organizing her binder in government class instead of meeting foreign language and government benchmarks by designing a website that can educate immigrants about the constitution.

Perquè també cal treballar per al quart món: el tercer món de casa nostra.