"I Believe..." (What's Your Pedagogic Creed?)

"THE isolation of the teacher is a thing of the past. The processes of education have come to be recognized as fundamental and vital in any attempt to improve human conditions and elevate society."

Although this quote may seem to apply to our world today, it was written over 110 years ago by Samuel T. Dutton in the preface of John Dewey's My Pedagogic Creed, (Google book link; PDF of the book) an essay on the role of education in society during the late 1800s. How much has changed?

In this short piece, Dewey states his beliefs on education, schools, subject matter, nature of method, and finally, schools and social progress--starting every paragraph with, "I believe..."

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What do you believe about education today? What do you think your students believe about learning?... Click on the COMMENTS link below to get started!

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Academia 2.0 - What Do You Think?

Below is another YouTube video from Kansas State University on learning in higher education -- today and tomorrow. It is a condensed version of a full documentary, edited to just under 10 minutes to meet YouTube's time limit.

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As an educator or student, what do you think? What's most accurate? What's missing or misstated?

Click on the COMMENTS link below the video to get started!

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Got Music? If not, check out Omnimusic from WBGU

WBGU provides BGSU Faculty with a wide variety of music that can be used for education projects. Visit http://music.wbgu.org/ to get started. Music is offered in numerous genres and multiple file types. While this is an extremely powerful resource it should be stated that:

THIS MUSIC IS FOR BGSU EDUCATIONAL PROJECTS ONLY.

This music can be used in iMovies, PowerPoint presentations, background music for live presentations and many other uses. If you wish to use this music for purposes other than BGSU educational projects, contact Denise Kisabeth.

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How do you use music in your teaching or presentations? Have you used music in your for presentations at conferences? How else could you use this music?

Click on the COMMENTS link below to post your thoughts!

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AAC&U's LEAP Principles & College Learning for the New Global Century

According to the Association of American Colleges and Universities' website:

Liberal Education and America’s Promise (LEAP): Excellence for Everyone as a Nation Goes to College is a ten-year campaign to champion the value of a liberal education—for individual students and for a nation dependent on economic creativity and democratic vitality. The campaign seeks to expand public and student understanding of what really matters in college—the kinds of learning that will truly empower them to succeed and make a difference in the 21st century.

The recently released LEAP Report, College Learning for the New Global Century (pdf), "highlights 16 schools or educational systems whose innovative educational practices and programs embody the report's recommendations and Principles of Excellence," including BGSU's BGeXperience program. A clear recommendation from the report concludes:

The LEAP National Leadership Council recommends, in sum, an education that intentionally fosters, across multiple fields of study,wide-ranging knowledge of science, cultures, and society; high-level intellectual and practical skills; an active commitment to personal and social responsibility; and the demonstrated ability to apply learning to complex problems and challenges.

The council further calls on educators to help students become “intentional learners” who focus, across ascending levels of study and diverse academic programs, on achieving the essential learning outcomes.

The following are the Principles in Practice identified in the LEAP Report (click each link for more details):

Aim High -- and Make Excellence Inclusive
Give Students a Compass
Teach the Arts of Inquiry and Innovation
Engage the Big Questions
Connect Knowledge with Choices and Action
Foster Civic, Intercultural, and Ethical Learning
Assess Students' Ability to Apply Learning to Complex Problems

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What types of learning experiences are your students doing that support some of these principles?... Click on the COMMENTS link below to get started!

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