Rumination + Illustration = Illumination

Free online courses offered by leading universities, most of which offer certificates or statements of completion.

TED has started Ted-Ed; along with the Khan Academy, MIT Open Courseware, Lore (formerly Coursekit) and others, they are revolutionising education. So long as the satellites keep on ticking.

Two links I love today:

* Confessions of a bad teacher

* 50 fabulous fonts (some of them free)

Plan your free online education for Spring 2012 via Lifehacker

This fascinating project, Imagination: Creating the Future of Education and Work, is a ‘report’ in the form of a website, which is ‘hyperlinked to hundreds of articles written from many perspectives and includes mixed media and moderated comments in each section. This information was designed to be shared, discussed and implemented.’

While its introduction is not actually very clear about the overall aim, I guess the project’s title says it all. While it is designed to help American students become prepared for future jobs that can’t even be imagined yet, I’d say it has much of interest for anyone, anywhere, who is interested in education.

“Since we can’t know what knowledge will be most needed in the future, it is senseless to try to teach it in advance. Instead, we should try to turn out people who love learning so much and learn so well that they will be able to learn whatever needs to be learned.”

* John Holt

Teaching has sometimes made me look back at teachers I had, memories I have of them, the things I can learn from them. Things to do, what not to do. Mrs Nangle: patient, excited when she saw a flare spark or intuition at work in a little one’s mind. Mrs Mooney, impatient and humourless. Kathleen Houlton, so inspiring, loved magic and mystery, loved passing on the feeling for them. Mr Council, ridiculously well-named: physically imposing and inflicted much pain on little hands with his very large one. Mr Bonaventura: vicious, sadistic, had no right to even consider being a teacher. For the rest who spring to mind, Wilma Patterson, Mr Sheen, Mrs Peach, Mr McGuire …. I recall their faces, and their kindness. It’s the best and the worst that are remembered. I must remember that.