Measuring the Wealth of Networks
Education often seems to be becoming an occupation of measurement and standards.
I understand this; but I question the relevance of what is often measured and the understanding of the role of schools in society by those advocating measurement.
How do you measure the wealth of a network?
The last few days have been difficult for people living in Sao Paulo Brazil. Riots and danger have filled the streets of this massive city. People have been staying at home out of fear and many shops and schools have been closed. A difficult time.
Over the last few weeks, the kids in my class have made a connection with a class in this South American city. An exchange of posts and comments has begun. I have been speaking with the teacher of this class and we are both excited by this. Which is why, when I first heard about these difficulties, I was sure to email her and ask about her safety, and that of her students. Thankfully she quickly emailed me back telling me they were all safe. I wrote a post for the kids in my class asking them to check in with the kids in Brazil they have been talking to, and let them know we are thinking about them.
Quickly following this, several of the kids from Brazil began posting on their own blogs about their experiences over the last few days, about their fears and concerns; interesting reading from kids learning to develop a voice in a language that is not their first.
Invaluable for us to read. Invaluable for them to post. But can it be measured? Does it do absolutely any good to mark any of these posts for spelling and grammar? Should they be marked on sentence structure and their use of proper verbs?
Of course not. The value is simply in the experience that is gained from being a part of this network, from hearing the voices and having empathy for those living through this situation. But would proponents of a much more "basic" type of education recognize this as meaningful and powerful? Should allowing kids to have opportunities like these not be considered "basic" in our time?
Looking ahead to next year ( 5 weeks until the end of this year! ), one thing I am going to demand from kids is that they justify the blogs they subscribe to. Some of those blogs may be members of their network for learning new academic concepts and for pushing their academic thinking. But part of their network may exist for simply providing international understanding and perspective. This is vital learning and will most likely impact their understanding of the globe more then the provincially mandated curriculum will. I am planning on having monthly conferences with kids and requiring them to post on their blogs about their networks, what value they are getting from being a part of it, whether it has changed over the month and explaining how they have been a contributing member of this network.
Like most other meaningful things, the wealth of these connections cannot be measured.
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