I was one of the books at the very successful Human Library held April 12th at Sir Wilfred Laurier Secondary School for its students and those of Colonel By Secondary School.
Following are the notes and links I said I would share with those who attended one of my sessions. I’m posting them here for others who might like to have an idea of what was discussed.
A Gap Year: I don’t recommend that all students take a Gap year, but I do encourage them all to consider it. The benefits are clear enough that Harvard University advises students to take a Gap year before starting their university studies. Jay Gosselin is an Ottawa expert on Gap years. He has a very informative TEDx Talk that you may find helpful. Following are links to his talk and to sites about how he is helping students.
Creativity was a topic in my sessions. Following are links to what credible people are saying about how schools kill it.
- https://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity/transcript#t-46459
- https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/04/education-systems-can-stifle-creative-thought-here-s-how-to-do-things-differently
- https://ideapod.com/born-creative-geniuses-education-system-dumbs-us-according-nasa-scientists/?utm_content=bufferb5a98&utm_medium=share&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=ptb
Two local initiatives, UCY and OPERI, are raising awareness of how to better meet the needs of children and youth. The following are links to them.
The OPERI Facebook group and the OPERI Recap may also be of interest to you.
In the following links LRNG’s video “The Evolution of Learning” and Peter Merry’s video give a glimpse of what education could become.
Check out:
- Compass Centre for Self-Directed Learning: http://www.compassteens.org/
- Blue Sky School: https://blueskyschool.ca/
- Revel Academy: https://www.revelacademy.ca/
This is an election year for the province and school boards of Ontario. Both UCY and OPERI are working to make innovative education an election issue. We believe in students having a voice and hope that you will join our efforts. We need mature students who believe in social justice, and who appreciate that parents and teachers want what is right for young people. We need them to realize that their voices matter. Please get in touch with me if you want to be involved and need more information.
Richard
richard@operi.ca