Ben Kestner
Thoughts on Education
Category: Uncategorized
Why Schools Need to Provide Children an Environment in Which to Flourish
A recent article in the British newspaper The Guardian entitled, “Schools Not Preparing Children to Succeed in an A.I. Future” highlights a British bipartisan education report that said, ‘Most of what people learn in schools and colleges today will probably be irrelevant by the… Continue Reading “Why Schools Need to Provide Children an Environment in Which to Flourish”
How it feels to Send Your Child to a “Democratic/Free School”
by Mimsy Sadofsky, Co-Founder, Sudbury Valley School by kind permission from Sudbury Valley School Journal, Volume 25, no. 4, March 1996, pages 6 – 12, published by the Sudbury Valley School Press, Framingham, MA Over the years, we have found that the parents who choose to… Continue Reading “How it feels to Send Your Child to a “Democratic/Free School””
Does Your School work for your Child?
Through my years of teaching and school administration I have spent hours and hours trying to make the curriculum and content I was responsible for delivering fit the children under my care, desperately trying to differentiate my lesson plans so that they could access the learning at their level.
How It Feels To Send Your Kid To a “Free” School
(edited from a presentation to the Cascade Valley School Assembly) by Mimsy Sadofsky, Co-Founder, Sudbury Valley School Over the years, we have found that the parents who choose to send their children to Sudbury Valley School have very few things in common. They don’t… Continue Reading “How It Feels To Send Your Kid To a “Free” School”
What Did You Learn Today?
Having been involved in schools for many years now, I came to wonder what they were actually for. Compulsory schooling is a relatively new phenomenon in the history of people on this planet. Mozart, for example never went to school, yet his achievements were… Continue Reading “What Did You Learn Today?”
The decline of free, unstructured play and the rise of depression amongst our teens
Below, is an article published in the Missoulian newspaper on October the 5th by Ben Kestner in response to an earlier editorial. I read the editorial section of the Missoulian this Wednesday with particular interest as a parent and as a teacher/administrator of some… Continue Reading “The decline of free, unstructured play and the rise of depression amongst our teens”
The 6 Essential Features of a 21st century Education
In his introduction to John Gatto’s book “Dumbing us Down-The Hidden Curriculum of compulsory Schooling”, David Albert lists Dan Greenberg’s six consensus points which he says leading educators, business leaders and government officials agree are the essential features of an education that would meet… Continue Reading “The 6 Essential Features of a 21st century Education”
What the Tests Don’t Measure
Originally posted on Diane Ravitch's blog:
Just received from a friend, Joan Baratz Snowden: My daughter’s new elementary school principal sent this to all the students as they received their state standardized testing scores this week: “We are concerned that these tests do…
Fixed versus Growth Mindset
Professor Carol Dweck on how students’ mindsets shape their motivation and learning. – “15 years of research show that praising children’s intelligence harms them”
