I am (very) supportive of the idea of empowering children. This is more controversial than it seems. Every once in a while we'll see school children protesting and the reaction seems always to be "they should be in heir classrooms learning" as though the classroom were a sort of prison, or as if they were being irresponsible by using their voice. But if my own experience is any guide, they probably learn more though these self-motivated actions than in any class they could be attending over the same period of time. My only criticism of this article: 'choice' is not a valid proxy for empowerment. When you present students choices, you've already determined the outcome and the context. Look at the examples in the article (complete a task, present information, eat vegitables) and you can easily see what I mean.
Today: 0 Total: 19 [Direct link] [Share]
