Item from AERO E- News 30.01.2011. We brought Shikshantar http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/ to the attention of the CPE-PEN network a number of years ago. It’s great to see them at this AERO conference.

Nurturing Learning Ecologies, Building Learning Cities (Video)
Workshop by Shilpa Jain

A look at the experience of Shikshantar: The Peoples’ Movement for Rethinking Education and Development, in Udaipur, India, and their work in building a Learning City. How can the vast web of relationships, spaces, resources, etc. for learning be noticed, accessed, increased and imagined, to really build the world we want to see? Shikshantar has been working for 10 years; we have a lot of inspiring stories to share. Come and learn how you can get started too. A focus on appreciative interviewing and mapping your community.

Shilpa Jain spent the last ten years as a learning activist with Shikshantar: The Peoples’ Institute for Rethinking Education and Development, based in Udaipur, India. While there, Jain researched, wrote books and articles, facilitated workshops, and hosted gatherings on topics such as globalization, creative expressions, ecology, democratic living, innovative learning, and unlearning. Jain is currently working with Other Worlds Are Possible, a multi-media collaborative focused on grassroots alternatives, and with YES! (based in Santa Cruz, CA) as coordinator of the Global Youth Leadership Collaborative and of the Leveraging Privilege for Social Change Jam. All of her work seeks to uncover ways for people to free themselves from dominating, soul-crushing institutions, and to live in greater alignment with their hearts and deepest values, their local communities, and with nature. She is excited about growing new roots and new possibilities in the United States after many years away.

Find out more about this year’s AERO conference, “Transforming Education & Our World,” at www.educationrevolution.org/conference.html

 Watch the workshop video at: http://www.democraticeducation.com/2011/01/30/learningecologies/

Elise Bouldings’s Visions of a Peace-filled World. By Edith W. King,  Educational Sociologist

With thanks to Edith for sending us this piece she has written about Elise Boulding a figure who ought to be recognised more widely.

Elise Boulding, who passed away in 2010, should be held in our highest esteem for her vision of a world where all people of all nations abide in peace and security. This has been a utopian goal since biblical times.  Elise Boulding held that a culture of peace must be taught and learned. Education for a peaceful world is the direction and content of her many publications for teachers, social workers, and peace activists These groups have been involved in the study of child development on the learning of peaceful living, curriculum development for positive peace, training teachers and creating international schools dedicated to peace education. Read the rest of this entry »

Schooling The World: The White Man’s Last Burden by lost people films

With thanks to Prof Ian Cunningham Self Managed Learning College www.college.selfmanagedlearning.org for sending us this link. Not only does it flag up continuing educational colonisation it should remind us of the origins our own schooling systems.

Centre for Personalised Education – Personalised Education Now

W: http://personalisededucationnow.org.uk

B: http://blog.personalisededucationnow.org.uk/

Educational Heretics Press W: http://edheretics.gn.apc.org/

A Suitable Learning Environment (Article)

Students at a private school help design their curriculums. Scott Waldman, Times Union (January 24th)

ALBANY — Greg Henderson wanted to learn about astrophysics, so he told his teacher to design a class for him. The next week, he was talking string theory with his friends.

Henderson, 16, is a student at the Harriet Tubman Democratic High School, which is housed in a restored row home that is a rare bright spot on a South End street where many of the buildings were abandoned long ago. With just 17 students, Harriet Tubman is also an educational island that exists somewhere outside the public, charter and private school sphere.

The 4-year-old school offers perhaps the most unique educational experience in the region and is closer to home schooling than any traditional learning environment. Students jam on the house banjo or guitar and teach music theory in a basement classroom. The teens have a say in the hiring of staff and cleaning chores to perform at the end of every day. There are traditional classes, though none larger than 11 students, for those who want to pass the state’s Regents tests, and then there are other courses that students help design based on their own interests.

“I feel responsible for my own education,” said Henderson. “Instead of a teacher saying ‘read this,’ I feel compelled to learn.”

 Read more at: http://www.democraticeducation.com/2011/01/24/harriettubman/

Press Release, London, 25 January 2011

Solving the Gap Year Dilemma.

Work and Travel Ideas From BUNAC To Make The Most Of The 2011 Summer Break

In the light of the new ruling on university tuition fees, many young people will be facing a dilemma about whether they can afford to take a ‘work and travel’ gap year before entering higher education. And yet, the recently published High Fliers Graduate Market Report 2011 highlights the vital importance of work experience in the current economy: “Nearly two-thirds of recruiters warn that graduates who have had no previous work experience at all are unlikely to be successful during the selection process and have little or no chance of receiving a job offer for their organisations’ graduate programmes.”

But there is a way around the dilemma. According to Callum Kennedy, Director of BUNAC, the long-established not-for-profit work and travel abroad organization, there are plenty of cost-effective opportunities to gain a very worthwhile gap experience during the long summer holidays. Good planning and preparation are essential and January/February are ideal months to get the process underway. Read the rest of this entry »

RSA Animate – Changing Education Paradigms. Sir Ken Robinson dialogue, RSA animation… it works well. Take a view 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U

Studio Schools are small schools of less than 500 students focused on project-based learning and ‘real work’ with employers, with a radically transformed staffing structure. 

Studio Schools are a new state school model for 14 to 19 year olds of all abilities. They seek to address the growing gap between what young people require to succeed in life and the skills and knowledge that the current education system provides. Studio Schools will pioneer a bold new approach to learning involving enterprise projects and real work. This will root students’ learning in the real world and will help them to develop the skills they need to succeed.

This pamphlet (downloadable) from the Innovation Unit is well worth a read for CPE-PEN network members. There are key ideas that we have advocated for decades appearing throughout. It’s not the whole story but amongst the most encouraging material and projects appearing in mainstream.

Drawing on two years of work with over forty schools, ‘Engaging Schools’ takes Learning Futures’ focus on student engagement a step further. We’re looking at what happens when we stop asking “how do we get our students to engage?” and start asking “How do we engage – not just with our students, but with parents, the wider community, universities and other schools around the world?”http://tiny.cc/b2nqo

A new text by Edith W. King on Amazon: Kindle (U.S and U.K.)    2011

In Social Thought on Education the lens of eminent social thinkers’ writings are brought to bear on  education at all levels. After an introductory chapter the book is divided into three sections.  The first section contains sociological thought from the Pre-911 world. The theories of 20th century sociologists, Robert K. Merton, David Riesman, Erving Goffman, Elise Boulding and anthropologist, Margaret Mead are exemplified by anecdotes, stories, and accounts drawn from educational settings. The book continues with three of the classical social thinkers of the 19th century, Emile Durkheim, Max Weber, and Karl Marx applying their theories to schools, classrooms and higher education settings.  The final section presents a chapter on contemporary uses of social thought developed by Ray P. Cuzzort. An Epilogue concludes the book emphasizing social thought for contemporary educators.

THIS BOOK IS FOR sociologists, educators, school administrators,  social workers and all other people concerned with how society impacts schools and education in the Post-9/11 world.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Edith W. King, Professor of Educational Sociology, has contributed to the teaching of the sociology of education throughout a distinguished career spanning over forty-five years.  She is the author of more than eighteen texts, numerous articles, monographs, and multimedia materials on diversity, multi-ethnicity, gender issues, world awareness, global perspectives and peace building. Among her more recent texts is Meeting the Challenges of Teaching in an Era of Terrorism (Amazon:Kindle 2009)

William Booth Primary School Under Threat A description of a visit to William Booth by David Gribble, and a brief summary of the contested report by Ofsted in January 2011

Organic Intelligence, Toy Story and “What did you do in school today? Mark Bell. An article originally published in the Sudbury Valley School Journal, revealing surprising similarities between Sudbury Valley and Pixar.

Dhruba Ghimire Echo Zang. Dhruba Ghimire is working to improve the lives of Nepali woman through education.

Change the Future  Luke Flegg. A brief account of the work already done by Change the Future. a new attempt to make the voice of young people heard. Change the Future is looking for volunteers to help the scheme on its way.

The Ballard of Michael Gove A song for any child-friendly school condemned by Ofsted.

Book Review Dartington in Conisbrough, by Pat Kitto: review by Martin Mulkeen

News
Sudbury Valley School has an excellent new short film about the life of the school at www.sudval.org

On the 22-23rd January Anna Comino-James from the The Potential Trust and Prof Ian Cunningham from the Centre for Self Managed Learning http://www.selfmanagedlearning.org/ faciliated a learning event on Self Managed Learning at Hawkwood College, Stroud http://www.hawkwoodcollege.co.uk/

Colleagues from the Self Managed Learning College / South Downs Learning Centre http://www.college.selfmanagedlearning.org/  joined Prof Cunningham along with other participants from mainstream and alternative education sectors. The group looked at ways in which SML and alternative approaches to effective learning can be promoted and developed within all education sectors.

Self Managed Learning (SML) is about individuals managing their own learning. This includes people taking responsibility for decisions about: -

• what they learn

• how they learn

• when they learn

• where they learn

and most fundamentally

• why they learn.

Two new books on methods of researching and communicating with children.

•  Priscilla Alderson and Virginia Morrow (2011) The Ethics of Research with Children and Young People: A Practical Handbook. London: Sage – a much expanded and more international third edition.
• Karen Winter (2011) Building relationships and communicating with young children: a practical guide for social workers. Routledge.

 Prof Priscilla Alderson, Social Science Research Unit, Institute of Education, University of London.

Contents: 17.01.2011

1) Education Poster Sale (NEW)

2) Special Advertising Opportunities for Magazine & Website

3) A few complete archive sets of Education Revolution remain (Magazines)

4) TEDxDirigo: “The World Becomes What You Teach,” a talk by Zoe Weil (Video)

5) New Orleans School Sows Seeds in Lower 9th Ward (Article)

6) Brooklyn Free School Featured on “This American Life” (Audio)

7) 20 Clearance Books Available! (SALE)

Call for Proposals: “Transforming Education & Our World,” the 8th Annual AERO Conference (Event)

Contents: 18.01.2011

1) Watch: AERO Conference Documentary (VIDEO)

2) TWO WEEKS LEFT: Call for Proposals: “Transforming Education & Our World,” the 8th Annual AERO Conference (Event)

OPEN FOR ENROLMENT 

Continuous Professional Development courses on Research with Children and Young People at the University of Edinburgh

Interested in research on children and young people and want to share your ideas with others? Would like to know more about new approaches to research with children and young people? Want to explore issues in a participative and expert environment?

The Centre for Research on Families and Relationships (CRFR) offers 3 CPD courses on Research with Children and Young People. See our website for details http://www.crfr.ac.uk/cpd/cpdindex.html

Involving Children and Young People in Research and Consultation *NEW for 2011* – 24th and 25th March 2011

A new course which explores how children and young people can be meaningfully and ethically involved in research and consultation at an advanced level.

The course will give participants an opportunity to critically evaluate different ways of involving children and young people. It will look in detail at current ethical requirements and questions in involving children and young people in research and consultation. 

This new course builds on CRFR’s previous successful course, Listening to Children Research and Consultation.

Cost: £350. Includes access to wide range of online resources for 9 months after course.

Using Digital Media in Research with Children and Young People - 12th and 13th May 2011

In its 2nd year, this course looks at how digital media can be used in research with children and young people, giving participants a chance to explore in depth some of the important ethical issues around using online media

Cost: £295 (accredited option, additional cost: £75)

 Using Creative Methods in Research with Children and Young People *NEW for 2011* – 9th and 10th June 2011

 A new course which explores creative arts-based methods in research with children and young people. It will give participants the opportunity to evaluate critically a range of different creative methods with input from arts practitioners and researchers.

Cost: £250 (introductory offer)

See our website for details http://www.crfr.ac.uk/cpd/cpdindex.html

 Contact Kathryn Dunne for information at K.Dunne@ed.ac.uk

 Course delivery:

 * courses offered as ‘blended learning’ with 2 days face to face at the University of Edinburgh and an active social network website for communication before and after the 2 days with online resources

* courses are highly participative and aim to draw on participants’ experience

* convened by Professor Kay Tisdall and Dr Susan Elsley who have extensive experience in delivering education and training on research and consultation with children and young people

* each course includes case study presentations from expert speakers

 Who are courses for?

 All are advanced training courses designed for people who want to improve their skills.

Aimed at those with a grounding in social research who want to apply and develop skills in research and consultation methods to use with children and young people. Applicants with practical participation or academic backgrounds are welcomed.

 Take 1, 2 or 3 courses!

 Courses can be taken as stand alone courses or as a series of 2 or 3.

Accreditation option available for ‘Using Digital Media in Research for Children and Young People’.

Accreditation being sought for the 2011 courses ‘Involving Children and Young People in Research and Consultation’ and ‘Using Creative Methods in Research with Children and Young People’

Radical Education and the Common School: a Democratic Alternative – an important conference on March 18.

We are pleased to announce a day conference to be held at the Institute of Education in London on March 18. The Conference marks the publication of our new book Radical Education and the Common School: a Democratic Alternative. It will provide an opportunity to explore key themes in the book, including democracy as a fundamental value of education, education in its broadest sense, a human scale and person-centred ‘common school’, and the important role of local government and other community actors in a radical democratic education. The very affordable conference fee includes a copy of the new book.

The day will mix rich ideas and traditions, with rich examples past and present, presented by leading figures in the educational field, including Melissa Benn, Tim Brighouse, Catherine Burke, Leora Cruddas, Peter Cunningham, Mike Davies, Michael Fielding, Matthew Horne, Peter Mortimore, Peter Moss, Pat Petrie, Alison Peacock, Richard Pring and Peter Wilby.

A link to a flier giving more details about the conference and information about how to book is attached. Radical_education_conference_flier[1].12jan

Please contact one of us if you need more information or have any problems with booking.

Michael Fielding & Peter Moss, Institute of Education, University of London.

Professor Peter Moss, Thomas Coram Research Unit, Institute of Education University of London, 27 Woburn Square, London WC1H 0AA

Dear all,

We are delighted to inform you that the latest issue of Childhoods Today has just been published. Please do find five minutes to have a look at it if you can: http://www.childhoodstoday.org/index.php

We have also decided to offer a prize for the best article to be published in 2011. Therefore, we would like to encourage PhD students and those in the very early stages of their post-doctoral careers to submit their work to the journal.

If you are interested in reviewing for the journal please contact the editor, Afua Twum-Danso: editor@childhoodstoday.org

 Dr. Afua Twum-Danso, Lecturer in the Sociology of Childhood, Department of Sociological Studies, The University of Sheffield, Elmfield, Northumberland Road, Sheffield, S10 2TU, UK, Tel: (0114 22) 26444, Fax : (0114) 2768125, Email: a.twum-danso@sheffield.ac.uk

Greetings from KidsRights.

Please find attached the newsletter on the International Children’s Peace Prize 2010.

KidsRights ICPP Newsletter

The International Children’s Peace Prize is presented annually to an exceptional child, whose courageous or otherwise remarkable actions and thoughts have made a difference in countering problems, which affect children around the world. The motivation behind the prize is to give a platform to children to express their thoughts and personal involvement in their children’s rights. KidsRights feels that children should be recognized, awarded and motivated in their fierce efforts to improve their own situation and that of the children in their environment and even the world. 

The International Children’s Peace Prize 2010 was won by Francia Simon, who campaigns for the Right to a Name and Nationality. Francia is 16 years old and lives in the Dominican Republic. She was awarded the prize in the Hague, the Netherlands on 29^th November 2010.

 Ellen Vroonhof, Programme Manager, KidsRights Foundation, P.O. Box 283 – AC 6011, 1000 EA Amsterdam, The Netherlands, E: ellen@kidsrights.org , T: +31 (0)20 343 99 89, F: +31 (0)20 629 9860, www.kidsrights.org, www.childrenspeaceprize.org / , ww.kindervredesprijs.nl

http://www.lifelearningmagazine.com/1102/index.htm

Editorial
What would Nature do?

From Our Readers
Readers share ideas about learning and the magazine.

I Liked it! by Kate Fridkis
Insights about life and learning from a young woman who learned without school.

The Seasons by Jerritt Dayhoff
Playing, learning, and Nature Deficit Disorder.

Education Inspired by Nature by Wendy Priesnitz
Biomimicry emulates Nature’s best ideas to solve human problems, including education.

83 Things I Learned From Homeschooling by Kimberly Nichols
Humor and wisdom that we can all relate to, from a former life learning mom.

Whose Lives Are We Living? by Wendy Priesnitz
Kids need independent time to muddle, rather than meddling by their parents.

Over-involved Parents? by Kelly Hogaboom
Undoing the damage from the assumption that being home with kids is non-productive for women.

Ask Naomi by Naomi Aldort
Joining your child’s activities can stifle creativity and confidence.

Focus on Media
Reviews of books, films, DVDs, websites and other media about alternatives in learning and parenting.

Our good friend Dr Tim Rudd left Futurelab at the end of 2010 and has now launched Livelab http://www.livelab.org.uk/index.htm

Livelab: Research, Development and Innovations

 Livelab

All change at Futurelab

The new year marks a significant milestone in Futurelab’s journey. After nine years based in Bristol, the offices have closed in favour of a new headquarters in London. In tandem with this change of location comes a change in focus, too, with greater emphasis on supporting front-line educators in schools and colleges.

New services on offer from Futurelab include: Futurelab Hubs and Event Eye.

Past projects, reports and resources are still available on our archive website.

It is with great pleasure that we can report that Hollinsclough Primary in rural Stafforshire is developing flexi-time options for its pupils. This project has already received favourable media coverage on BBC Midlands Today and there is alo a link on the BBC Stoke and Staffordshire website here. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-12173283#

Home-based educators have reacted positively to the opportunities this development has provided and have substantially added to the school’s viability and long term sustainability. Headteacher Janette Mountford-Lees has been supported by the CfBT Education Trust charity, which has provided financial assistance and Olaf Hindmarsh
Elective Home Education Co-ordinator, Staffordshire County Council. Ms Mountford-Lees said: “All the children are different ages. They’re all on individual education plans. They’re all doing their own work.“So it’s a continuation of what we’d already started, that everybody was working at their own stage.”

Our very own Dr Roland Meighan (founding key figure and trustee of CPE-PEN) introduced the idea of Flexischooling in 1988 with his book Flexi-schooling, Education for Tomorrow, Starting Yesterday, Education Now Books. There have been many examples of Flexischooling operating throughout the country at various times but this is probably the first on such a scale.

We look to providing more updates about this project as it progresses.

2011 Tide~ CPD programme attached

This includes two more dates in our seminar series, more from the Cities project, and advance notice of the 2011-12 Gambia Study Visit Course

Further details are on the Tide~ website www.tidegloballearning.net

CPD Opportunities 2011

Tide~ global learning
Millennium Point
Curzon Street
Birmingham
B4 7XG

Tel 0121 292 3293 [direct line]

Follow Tide~ on facebook
www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Birmingham-United-Kingdom/Tide-global-learning-2/163773263637851