Re: teaching for learning

[John Schinnerer <eco_living@yahoo.com>]

Aloha,

> So far as I know, in both Canada and Australia,
> where I've lived and grown up, there is no broad
> institutionalized primary or secondary curriculum
> of critical thinking, nor of observation or
> listening skills, nor guidance in formulating
> good questions or in differentiating between
> degrees of specificity and generality of
> statement.
> 
> I suspect that if children were taught this stuff
> in tandem with the usual content, the kids
> themselves would begin initiating change toward a
> more engaging, self-directed, dynamic atmosphere.

Gregory Bateson gives some suggestions for approaches to this; see the
chapter "Every schoolboy knows..." (chapter II) in his book "Mind and
Nature: a necessary unity."  Heck, read the whole book!

> > diffabilities (different abilities)
> 
> What a neologism! I love it! :D

I'll assume you meant

1 : a new word, usage, or expression

rather than

2 : a meaningless word coined by a psychotic

... ;-)

Credit where credit is due, it was coined (afaik) by my friend Bittin
Foster Duggan, herself a TBI (traumatic brain injury) survivor, artist
and whole sysetms designer who facilitates (among other things) art
workshops for people with diffabilities, especially but not limited to
the very diverse consequences of TBI.  More info at 
http://growingthroughit.org/


=====
John Schinnerer, MA
--------------------
- Eco-Living -
Cultural & Ecological Designing
Food - Shelter - Community
john@eco-living.net
http://eco-living.net

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