Stuart Shanker
A school education is meant to assist students in developing into active, productive members of the greater community. John Abbott explores the limitations of a classroom setting in preparing students for life in the greater world. We Are a Small Group SpeciesHuman beings are communal by nature and living together – in communities – is our most common and most natural state of life. John Abbott discusses the fact that communities must be created and sustained by the conscious intentions and actions of their members, and that we must attend to health and vitality of our communities in order to thrive – and to learn! – as a species. About this paper The Unfinished Revolution: Learning, Human Behavior, Community and Political ParadoxMon, 02/04/2008 - 15:29 -- admin John Abbott Re-envisions SchoolsThu, 01/31/2008 - 13:13 -- admin John Abbott describes some aspects (including class size) of what schools might look like, if we had a system of education that reflected what we now know about how humans learn and develop. Featured in this video: John Abbott is the President of the [[http://www.21learn.org/|21st Century Learning Initiative]], an initiative to facilitate the emergence of new approaches to learning in the United Kingdom. John Abbott on Educating for SustainabilityThu, 01/31/2008 - 13:09 -- admin John Abbott discusses the need for education to address the pressing issue of sustainability. Featured in this video: John Abbott is the President of the [[http://www.21learn.org/|21st Century Learning Initiative]], an initiative to facilitate the emergence of new approaches to learning in the United Kingdom. Heather MacTaggart and John Abbott Discuss the Need for CommunityThu, 01/31/2008 - 13:04 -- admin John Abbott and Heather MacTaggart discuss the fact that children need support and care from both family and the broader community. Featured in this video: John Abbott is the President of the [[http://www.21learn.org/|21st Century Learning Initiative]], an initiative to to facilitate the emergence of new approaches to learning in the United Kingdom. Heather MacTaggart is the Executive Director of [[http://classroomconnections.ca/|Classroom Connections]], a Canadian non-profit educational organization dedicated to optimizing student learning. John Abbott and Heather MacTaggart Discuss Why Children Concern Us AllThu, 01/31/2008 - 12:58 -- admin John Abbott and Heather MacTaggart discuss why the education of children is a concern of the whole society. Featured in this video: John Abbott is the President of the [[http://www.21learn.org/|21st Century Learning Initiative]], an initiative to to facilitate the emergence of new approaches to learning in the United Kingdom. Heather MacTaggart is the Executive Director of [[http://classroomconnections.ca/|Classroom Connections]], a Canadian non-profit educational organization dedicated to optimizing student learning. Learning About Learning: A Conversation with John Abbott and Heather MacTaggartThu, 01/31/2008 - 12:49 -- admin John Abbott and Heather MacTaggart discuss the need for people to take the time to examine the current research about learning in order to envision and create the best possible system of education. Featured in this video: Typical Education Reform Isn't the Answer: John Abbott on Transforming EducationThu, 01/31/2008 - 12:36 -- admin John Abbott speaks on the shortcomings and inadequacy of typical ‘back to basics’ educational reform. Featured in this video: John Abbott is the President of the [[http://www.21learn.org/|21st Century Learning Initiative]], an initiative to facilitate the emergence of new approaches to learning in the United Kingdom. John Abbott on Biological Adaptation vs. Cultural ChangeThu, 01/31/2008 - 12:31 -- admin John Abbott speaks on the ways that biological adaptation interacts with human culture. Featured in this video: John Abbott is the President of the [[http://www.21learn.org/|21st Century Learning Initiative]], an initiative to facilitate the emergence of new approaches to learning in the United Kingdom. The changelearning website project emerged from the collaboration of John Abbott and Heather MacTaggart, the Executive Director of [[http://classroomconnections.ca/|Classroom Connections]], a Canadian non-profit educational organization dedicated to optimizing student learning. Building Knowledge, Not Accumulating Facts: John Abbott SpeaksThu, 01/31/2008 - 12:25 -- admin John Abbott discusses the theory of constructivism in learning.Featured in this video: John Abbott is the President of the [[http://www.21learn.org/|21st Century Learning Initiative]], an initiative to facilitate the emergence of new approaches to learning in the United Kingdom. The changelearning website project emerged from the collaboration of John Abbott and Heather MacTaggart, the Executive Director of [[http://classroomconnections.ca/|Classroom Connections]], a Canadian non-profit educational organization dedicated to optimizing student learning. Let Me Do and I Understand: John Abbott on Cognitive ApprenticeshipThu, 01/31/2008 - 12:02 -- admin John Abbott speaks about how an expert can lead the novice (student) through the stages of learning. Featured in this video: John Abbott is the President of the [[http://www.21learn.org/|21st Century Learning Initiative]], an initiative to facilitate the emergence of new approaches to learning in the United Kingdom. Supporting or Breaking-in Our Youth? : John Abbott Looks at SchoolsWed, 01/30/2008 - 19:17 -- admin John Abbott explores the difference between an education that supports students or one that tries to make them fit the system.Featured in this video: John Abbott is the President of the [[http://www.21learn.org/|21st Century Learning Initiative]], an initiative to facilitate the emergence of new approaches to learning in the United Kingdom. Battery Hens or Free-range Chickens?: John Abbott on the Goals of EducationWed, 01/30/2008 - 19:11 -- admin John Abbott asks what kind of people our education system is aiming to produce. Featured in this video: John Abbott is the President of the [[http://www.21learn.org/|21st Century Learning Initiative]], an initiative to facilitate the emergence of new approaches to learning in the United Kingdom. The changelearning website project emerged from the collaboration of John Abbott and Heather MacTaggart, the Executive Director of [[http://classroomconnections.ca/|Classroom Connections]], a Canadian non-profit educational organization dedicated to optimizing student learning. Are Teenagers Key to Human Progress?: John Abbott Re-examines AdolescenceWed, 01/30/2008 - 18:54 -- admin John Abbott explores the idea that the stage of adolescence may be one of the core driving forces of human evolution. Featured in this video: John Abbott is the President of the [[http://www.21learn.org/|21st Century Learning Initiative]], an initiative to facilitate the emergence of new approaches to learning in the United Kingdom. Evolution and Learning in the Early Years: John Abbot SpeaksMon, 01/28/2008 - 19:30 -- admin John Abbott discusses human evolution and the incredible amount of brain development that takes place in our earliest years. Featured in this video: John Abbott is the President of the [[http://www.21learn.org/|21st Century Learning Initiative]], an initiative to facilitate the emergence of new approaches to learning in the United Kingdom. John Abbott on Critical Periods of Brain DevelopmentMon, 01/28/2008 - 19:23 -- admin John Abbott discusses the need for us to understand critical ‘windows of opportunity’ in human development in order to maximize learning. In particular, he discusses very key – and very different – opportunities afforded by the early years and the period of adolescence. Featured in this video: John Abbott is the President of the [[http://www.21learn.org/|21st Century Learning Initiative]], an initiative to facilitate the emergence of new approaches to learning in the United Kingdom. John Abbott on Brain Development: Windows of Opportunity for LearningMon, 01/28/2008 - 19:10 -- admin John Abbott speaks about the nature of the human brain and the existence of developmental ‘windows of opportunity’ for learning. Featured in this video: John Abbott is the President of the [[http://www.21learn.org/|21st Century Learning Initiative]], an initiative to facilitate the emergence of new approaches to learning in the United Kingdom. John Abbott on Learning With the Grain of the BrainMon, 01/28/2008 - 18:53 -- admin John Abbott discusses the nature of the human brain and critical periods for learning in a person’s development. Featured in this video: John Abbott is the President of the [[http://www.21learn.org/|21st Century Learning Initiative]], an initiative to facilitate the emergence of new approaches to learning in the United Kingdom. Why Is School Like It Is? : John Abbott on the History of EducationMon, 01/28/2008 - 17:50 -- admin John Abbott speaks about the influence of the industrial-age mindset on the development of schools. Featured in this video: John Abbott is the President of the [[http://www.21learn.org/|21st Century Learning Initiative]], an initiative to facilitate the emergence of new approaches to learning in the United Kingdom. How Did We Get Here? : John Abbott SpeaksMon, 01/28/2008 - 17:47 -- admin John Abbott discusses the history of western education and the loss of the apprenticeship model (learning by doing) to the current schooling structure. Featured in this video: John Abbott is the President of the [[http://www.21learn.org/|21st Century Learning Initiative]], an initiative to facilitate the emergence of new approaches to learning in the United Kingdom. Career Exploration Links Schools to Community: John Abbott SpeaksMon, 01/28/2008 - 17:43 -- admin John Abbott discusses a program in Sweden in which students spend a number of school days per year shadowing adults at their jobs. The program begins at the age of seven and continues until high school graduation. Featured in this video: John Abbott is the President of the [[http://www.21learn.org/|21st Century Learning Initiative]], an initiative to facilitate the emergence of new approaches to learning in the United Kingdom. A Community Puts Change into Action: John Abbott Shares a Success StoryMon, 01/28/2008 - 17:37 -- admin John Abbott speaks about the role of the community in supporting and improving schools. In particular, he discusses a project in Princeton, New Jersey, in which an entire community (90 000 people strong) was challenged to find a mission statement for their system of education. Featured in this video: John Abbott is the President of the [[http://www.21learn.org/|21st Century Learning Initiative]], an initiative to facilitate the emergence of new approaches to learning in the United Kingdom. Home Is Key Indicator in Student Success: John Abbott SpeaksMon, 01/28/2008 - 17:26 -- admin John Abbott speaks about the importance of the home in predicting educational success. Featured in this video: John Abbott is the President of the [[http://www.21learn.org/|21st Century Learning Initiative]], an initiative to facilitate the emergence of new approaches to learning in the United Kingdom. The changelearning website project emerged from the collaboration of John Abbott and Heather MacTaggart, the Executive Director of [[http://classroomconnections.ca/|Classroom Connections]], a Canadian non-profit educational organization dedicated to optimizing student learning. The Need for Human Interaction: John Abbott SpeaksMon, 01/28/2008 - 17:22 -- admin John Abbott speaks about the need for human interaction and the concept of social capital. Featured in this video: John Abbott is the President of the [[http://www.21learn.org/|21st Century Learning Initiative]], an initiative to facilitate the emergence of new approaches to learning in the United Kingdom. True Education Is a Three-legged Stool: John Abbott SpeaksMon, 01/28/2008 - 17:10 -- admin John Abbott speaks about how schools, communities and families must work together to educate children. Featured in this video: John Abbott is the President of the [[http://www.21learn.org/|21st Century Learning Initiative]], an initiative to facilitate the emergence of new approaches to learning in the United Kingdom. John Abbott Challenges Faulty Assumptions About KidsMon, 01/28/2008 - 17:02 -- admin John Abbott speaks about the fact that children are innately inquisitive and insists that schools need to capitalize on this fact. Featured in this video: John Abbott is the President of the [[http://www.21learn.org/|21st Century Learning Initiative]], an initiative to facilitate the emergence of new approaches to learning in the United Kingdom. modern society’s failure to understand adolescentsIn this paper John Abbott investigates the life of explorer of Peter Puget for clues as to how adolescents in the past learned the skills they need to survive and thrive in adult society. Learning with the Grain of the BrainIf young people are to be equipped effectively to meet the challenges of the 21st century it is surely prudent to seek out the very best understandings from current scientific research into the nature of how humans learn before considering further reform of the current system. This article by John Abbott and Terence Ryan appeared in the Spring, 1999 issue of Education Canada. Enriching Communities: Concepts of Communities in the Future“Enriching Communities” was the theme of the first International Baccalaureate Organization Worldwide Electronic Conference in 2004. John Abbott, as a contributor/leader, noted that the theme suggested that “right now, many people fear that communities are not what they once were, or indeed might be in the future, and that somehow they have to be enriched.” He contributed four papers to the conference, all on the topic of community (attached as one document, below). Constructing Knowledge, Reconstructing SchoolingRather than thinking of the brain as a computer, cognitive scientists now utilize a far more flexible, biological analogy, where the brain is seen as a unique, ever-changing organism that grows and reshapes itself in response to use. In this article, John Abbott and Terence Ryan discuss how emerging brain research that supports constructivist learning collides head-on with many of our institutional arrangements for learning. The article first appeared in the November 1999 issue ofEducational Leadership. can the learning species fit into schools?Education critic John Abbott quotes Bill Gates who states unequivocally; “High schools are obsolete… by that, I mean that even when they are working exactly as designed (they) cannot teach our kids what they need to know today”. Abbott explores what we know about our species that might help us understand better how humans learn and how to provide young people with the learning experiences they need. (This paper was delivered to The Campaign for Learning, 10th June 2005, Kensington Town Hall, UK.) Crazy By Design: Adolescence, a Critical Evolutionary AdaptationThe latest research and theories from evolutionary psychology, neurobiology and cognitive science demonstrate the various ways that humans have evolved over time to be extremely effective learners. John Abbott discusses what current research from various fields can tell us about how the adolescent brain works and how educators can work with adolescent learners to maximize their potential. battery hens or free-range chickens: what kind of education for what kind of world?There is more material now about the nature of human learning than at any previous time in history. Why, therefore, do we have a “crisis” in education? John Abbott, discusses what is known about how humans learn and develop from birth through adulthood and how our education systems have it “inside out and upside down”. Education is Inside Out, Upside Down: John Abbott SpeaksWed, 12/19/2007 - 18:33 -- admin John Abbott speaks about how schools have it wrong. Featured in this video: John Abbott is the President of the [[http://www.21learn.org/|21st Century Learning Initiative]], an initiative to facilitate the emergence of new approaches to learning in the United Kingdom. The changelearning website project emerged from the collaboration of John Abbott and Heather MacTaggart, the Executive Director of [[http://classroomconnections.ca/|Classroom Connections]], a Canadian non-profit educational organization dedicated to optimizing student learning. |
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