Dear Carol,
I missed your post earlier when going through my mail. IMHO you are
right about measuring. There is also another method being used more and
more, "Mind Mapping" which allows the teacher to see graphically the
increase of not just knowledge but useable connections a child is making.
Along with portfolios this gives a much better picture of development. A
"memory test" may not work on any given day for every child. This same
method of mind mapping can easily be applied to any organizational
learning helping the instructor not only track the connections of their
work, but how the ideas are connecting for the participants.
For an adult to learn they must be able to make viable connections to
their "perceived reality." And we know that the individual reality can
change with each passing hour. Adults like children need an emphasis on
"how" not "what" to think. Every possible situation can not be covered in
any given class or instruction. Waldorf Schools (inspired by Rudolf
Steiner) the Country School in Manhattan (NYC) all use the methods pointed
out by Carol to great success. Their students are readily accepted by
other schools, because of their "creativity in thought" and ability to
think and solve problems. Reality based education as opposed to
memory/theory always brings about practical and immediate application.
(This is concept also applies to oral teaching as opposed to "book
learning.")
Suzanne Deakins, Ph.D.
sdeakins@teleport.com
--"C. Suzanne Deakins" <sdeakins@teleport.com>
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>