As part of the British Library's new learning website, "Explorers"
(launching later this year) there will be a teachers' section. As well as
containing resources, this will host a few online discussions. To kick off
each discussion, two education practitioners give different, but informed
and considered views on a library/teaching issue and we then invite
contributions from our users.
We are looking for three practitioners who would like to contribute 600-800
words on the following questions:
1. Learning global or local?
Books can open up a whole world of unfamiliar meanings and perspectives, but
classroom philosophy is that we should start with the local and familiar.
David Short has already written in defence of local studies as the best
start. Would anybody be interested in arguing that the global view should
have priority?
2. Will children in 2010 ever pick up a book?
Does it matter how ideas are delivered to learners? I will be arguing that
the printed page is dying and that the strengths of digital forms make them
far superior as way of adapting and ordering wide arrays of knowledge. Would
anybody care to disagree?
3. Too much knowledge?
We are told that we live in a 'knowledge economy'. But what counts as
knowledge and what counts as thinking? Bridget McKenzie argues that we must
build a new curriculum based on the questioning of knowledge, based on
constructivist ideas. Would anyone (maybe from a science or similar "hard
subject" background) care to offer an alternative perspective?
Some people might feel these are three-cornered questions, in which case,
would be interested in hearing other perspectives.
I am also interested in hearing any additional ideas for discussions based
around pedagogy and "the DIY learning century" - although we want to keep it
relevant to (big) library/learning issues, and not about general teaching
topics already covered elsewhere.
Would be very grateful indeed for contributions from people passionate about
learning!
Tim Saward
Learning Resources Manager, The British Library
020 7412 7708
http://www.bl.uk/education
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