Posts from — March 2008

When I first started working with schools on a more regular basis (back in the early 90s) I understood from the people I worked with that graduation rates in the US were about 70% (or said in the negative, dropout rates were around 30%). 

Here’s an example of a University doing the very thing that will inhibit their students from taking risks and thinking. Toronto’s Ryerson University has threatened to expel a student for setting up a study group on Facebook. Can you imagine? I’m almost at a loss for words. This is so silly and short sighted. Actually it is a perfect example of the administrations ‘theory of business’ (which in this case also betrays their theory of learning and their theory of knowledge). Schools are based on control and compliance and use fear to motivate. That is exactly what the culture created by high stakes testing does. It is the exact opposite of what I would want in a culture and in a learning environment. 

Canadian university faces off with digital generation
By Natasha Elkington
Thu Mar 20, 3:02 PM ET
TORONTO (Reuters) – A Canadian university has instilled a culture of fear by threatening to expel a student for cheating because he set up an online study group on Facebook, critics said this week.

At least someone in this world appears to be thinking different about schools and schooling. Here’s a great short video that might give some traditional educators something to think about (I would imagine there are some educators that would be quite scared by seeing something like this):