Concerned about education? Observe children. They can lead the way.
More and more educators are taking the approach Sugata Mitra tried when he put computers in the slums of India and watched children teach themselves.
Joshua Davis writes at Wired about another success story in an impoverished part of Mexico.
For 12-year-old Paloma Noyola Bueno, who grew up next to a garbage dump where her father scavenged for a living, school was a bright spot, even when it was all rote memorization. …
“As she headed into fifth grade,” writes Davis, “she assumed she was in for more of the same—lectures, memorization, and busy work. Sergio Juárez Correa was used to teaching that kind of class. …
“On August 21, 2011—the start of the school year — he walked into his classroom and pulled the battered wooden desks into small groups. When Paloma and the other students filed in, they looked confused. Juárez Correa invited them to take a seat and then sat down with them. …
” ‘You do have one thing that makes you the equal of any kid in the world,’ Juárez Correa said. ‘Potential. … And from now on,’ he told them, ‘we’re going to use that potential to make you the best students in the world.’ ”
And so began his effort to teach differently, to help children discover they could think for themselves.
It’s a long article but worth reading to understand the approach that led to a transformed class — with exceptional test results as a sort of minor spinoff.
Photo: Peter Yang
These students in Matamoros, Mexico, didn’t have reliable Internet access, steady electricity, or much hope—until a radical new teaching method unlocked their potential.
Suzanne's Mom's Blog 
Bookmarked for further study.
It’s kind of a long article. I admire the Mexican teacher so much and feel his pain that the administration just blows off what he did, doesn’t think it’s necessary, assumes some kids are bright and that’s that.
I wanted to be a teacher. I was young and believed nothing is impossible and everyone has something special to give, all we need to do is connect to each child’s curiosity, learning style and motivation. All kinds of exciting things were happening with my students because I believed it has to be possible to do individualized education even with a class of 25.
I quickly figured out that there was no way I would survive as a teacher in any kind of “normal” school system. My choice was to conform, or find something else to do. I found something else.
Have you seen Orozco’s mural at Dartmouth’s Baker Library? His view of institutionalized education?
(I haven’t given up on teaching/learning; but I have given up on trying to reform institutionalized education. I prefer to connect with young people–of all ages– through other venues–art centers, community orginazations, summer camps…)
Those ways are equally important, I think — whatever sparks a kid’s imagination, whatever helps the kid feel creative and clever in his/her own way.
Thanks for this post. I loved the article and I’m a big fan of Mitra. I have to say though that there are factors at play in these success stories that slip by unnoticed. As much as I admire and endorse the student centered approach I am very cautious of the School in the cloud concept.
You sound like you know what you are talking about. I was once a teacher (decades ago) and have an interest but no expertise. I do feel that with children in general, the more you give them leeway to pursue their interests and feel competent, the better. Children have so little control over anything, and everyone needs a little control in their lives. But as regards school, in the end, there are some things you do have to learn.
As far as knowing what I’m talking about … you and me both! My feeling is that children usually, as you say, have no control over their education. They are treated as empty vessels that muct be filled. This is not strictly speaking true. God bless him, Mitra has proved this. Significantly though, natural talent needs constant guidance and even prompting on occasion. No one has a problem with 10 kids in a sandpit … but if that sandpit is next to a mjor road way noone is happy with CCTV supervision are they?