How Should Schools Incorporate Happiness Into Curricula?
In a previous piece, I discussed the role of happiness as one of the purposes of education and argued that we can learn how to improve our well being. Even though it is not possible to teach how to be happy in a prescriptive way, research has found patterns that show the influence on how we […]
To Raise Smart Citizens, We Must Nurture Curiosity & Flexibility
I find myself thinking about smart citizenship during interactions with the families, teachers, and children of Ecole Claire Fontaine; an art, language and nature school for young children. I believe that to raise smart citizens we must entertain all the senses and cultivate words for the social brain to form. We must also entrust […]
Environmental Education for a Changing World
When Sanchirmaa Altankhuyag and I first met during the WISE Learners’ Voice Program in 2014, little did we know that four years later we would be driving across Mongolia in a Land Cruiser, on a mission to teach students about climate change. In the intervening years, Sanchirmaa taught in schools in Ulaanbaatar and started a […]
Cities as a Powerful Resource for Knowledge
As the populations in urban centers rise, so too does their influence on the world stage. At the same time, cities across the globe are recognizing their power and potential as nodes in global networks of social, economic, and cultural influence, looking to each other to collaborate and learn, sometimes even bypassing national government […]
Building Lifelong Learning Communities for Smart Cities
54% of the world’s current population lives in urban areas, and it is within these cities where we confront social, environmental, and economic issues. Recently the proliferation of smart city projects around the world has led to an increase in discourse regarding the issue of smart citizenship. Rapid urbanization and industrialization have given rise […]
Should Happiness be the Aim of Education?
If you ask education experts what the purpose of education is, three main goals tend to stand out: 1) to prepare individuals to be active citizens in their communities and foster social cohesion; 2) to facilitate the acquisition of knowledge and skills necessary for the economy and, ultimately, to a society’s development; 3) to […]
Career Guidance: Empowering Those With Special Needs
It is necessary for modern societies to embrace and include their special needs citizens. In line with Qatar National Vision 2030, the empowerment and integration of people with special abilities in society are currently one of Qatar’s main socio-educational priorities. This is achieved through the development of specific programs that cater to their needs, protect their rights, […]
How Museums can Contribute to a Journey of Discovery and Learning
If men were angels, wrote James Madison, no government would be necessary. To which I would add: If schools were perfect, no museums would be necessary. Regrettably, our educational system is less than perfect, and museums play a crucial role in the education of the communities they serve. As you read this, construction continues […]
Imagine a World where Students are Taught to be Citizens First
lbert Einstein wrote, “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution.” In the early 1970’s, I joined my fellow Chicago educators in establishing a co-op school called Ujima for our children. The term ‘Ujima’ is a key principle of Kwanzaa, […]
Can Innovations Help Leapfrog Progress in Education?
Innovative is the new normal. Every sector, from banking to transportation is seeing rapid change as new technologies, connections, and ideas modernize and revolutionize our day-to-day lives. Education is no exception: the way we learn is changing, from collaborative multi-grade projects in elementary school to vocational training in high schools to online tutorial videos for […]