Dallas Petersen

If you haven’t subscribed to TED’s podcast, do it. It’s a great cross-section of talented leaders talking about everything from visualizing data to inner-city rejuvenation efforts. I can’t say I agree with everything TED’s presenters say, but it is always worth the listen.

A friend of my recently shared an article with me called, “Things You Really Need to Learn” by Stephen Downes. He makes some terrific points (ten in fact) about what a student should learn this year, “no matter what grade you’re in, no matter how old you are.”

As I go through this list of essential things to learn, I wonder how well my kids’ schools are at teaching these skills. Honestly, looking at their homework, it appears the public schools are more concerned with rote memorization/regurgitation of facts than with teaching life-long skills. Everyone’s talking about leaving no children behind, but where are we taking them? From my experience so far, not in the direction that Stephen Downes encourages.