informedu

Fuji Kindergarten

Leah — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 03:10:29 +0000

A 2007 Kindergarten in Tokyo focuses on the child’s experience and play. The structure is scaled to children’s size with ceilings maxing at 2.1m. Two circular spaces provide recreational and exploratory space for children. The central garden is located within the “hole” of the building’s donut design. The roof of the circular building also serves as another platform for activity.

Main functions of the kindergarten are found underneath the oval roof (where children frequently run around in the hundreds). To promote social skills and the removal of hierarchical structures, the kindergarten’s interior environment is devoid of walls. Rooms are divided casually by light-weighted stacked furniture that children can easily reconfigure. Noteworthy is the decision to make use of naked light bulbs. Although not as proficient relative to fluorescent, this choice teaches children about the way light is produced. Strings attached to each light – used to switch on and off – demonstrate the nature of cause and effect.

Each classroom is fitted with individual skylights, allowing for the natural sun to seep in, and the curious addition of rope ladders. Pupils playfully use these ladders to access the rooftop. Likewise, three large existing zelkova trees have been cleverly incorporated to serve a trio of purposes: foster respect for nature; provide yet another option for ascending the facility; and eliminate psychological barriers between inside and out. Physically, the existing barriers are composed of glass panels that run along the inner and outer perimeter. The panels swing open for the better part of the year, and again, eases the transition between classroom to outer grounds.

Watch a short clip to learn more about the project at Monocle.

Tagged: Architecture, Japan, Landscape, Play, School, Social skills

I know you’re probably all in middle of…

einatk — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 19:48:19 +0000

I know you’re probably all in middle of finals and don’t think you have 20 minutes to look at this video, but it’s one of my favorite TED talks out there about school and creativity. Ken Robinson is hugely inspirational (and funny) and very much in line with all that we’ve spoken about in our community of learners.

I promise, it’s a valuable study break.

http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html

Hope all is going well for you all!
Einat

Hello Co-Learners!

Leah — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 06:00:12 +0000

After leaving class today thinking about how we could all keep in touch and keep learning together, this format occurred to me and made a lot of sense. We can all have access to it, just register for a username with wordpress by accepting my invitation via the link above. Here we can share all of the great verbocentric and visuocentric materials sent via e-mail in the past and also comment easily on one another’s contributions. The possibility for continued conversation is endless. We can do a lot with this, though it will never adequately replace the true visceral exchange of our classroom. I hope this “away from the table” learning is accessible for you all.

-Leah

December 8

Leah — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 20:22:07 +0000

This one is near & dear to my heart being on astronomy. I like the ending of this article, and the first part of it reminds me of Artful Science a lot – how images can be “vibrant shapers of knowledge” but also can be in danger of becoming “contextless commodities for consumption” where they require no conscious effort on behalf of the beholder. I wonder particularly of the online “telepresence” issue contributing to that, where the images and the science they impart are distanced from the viewer and not brought into the “orbit of the self”. Anyway, enjoy

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/30/AR2009113003590.html?hpid=features1&hpv=national

December 7

Leah — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 20:11:27 +0000

My kids actually love the “Dinosaur Train” show on PBS and have told me a lot of things about dinosaurs that I’d never heard of:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=121146862

Kim

November 25

Leah — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 20:10:59 +0000

I enjoyed this article (particularly as a parent who tries not to hover), and thought you might like the discussion of play: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1940395-1,00.html …. Other studies reinforce the importance of play as an essential protein in a child’s emotional diet; were it not, argue some scientists, it would not have persisted across species and millenniums, perhaps as a way to practice for adulthood, to build leadership, sociability, flexibility, resilience — even as a means of literally shaping the brain and its pathways. Dr. Stuart Brown, a psychiatrist and the founder of the National Institute for Play — who has a treehouse above his office — recalls in a recent book how managers at Caltech’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) noticed the younger engineers lacked problem-solving skills, though they had top grades and test scores. Realizing the older engineers had more play experience as kids — they’d taken apart clocks, built stereos, made models — JPL eventually incorporated questions about job applicants’ play backgrounds into interviews. “If you look at what produces learning and memory and well-being” in life, Brown has argued, “play is as fundamental as any other aspect.” The American Academy of Pediatrics warns that the decrease in free playtime could carry health risks: “For some children, this hurried lifestyle is a source of stress and anxiety and may even contribute to depression.” Not to mention the epidemic of childhood obesity in a generation of kids who never just go out and play. … Happy Thanksgiving, Kim

November 23

Leah — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:09:25 +0000

An article in the NYTimes, in case you’re interested:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/23/education/23educ.html?_r=1&ref=education

To improve science and mathematics education for American children, the White House is recruiting Elmo and Big Bird, video game programmers and thousands of scientists.

President Obama will announce a campaign Monday to enlist companies and nonprofit groups to spend money, time and volunteer effort to encourage students, especially in middle and high school, to pursue science, technology, engineering and math, officials say.

The campaign, called Educate to Innovate, will focus mainly on activities outside the classroom…

Cheers,

Kim

November 10

Leah — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:07:52 +0000

I stumbled across this article about the intersection of class, income, and informal education. I thought it was worth bearing in mind as we continued discussing educational opportunities.

http://www.utne.com/Spirituality/Blue-Collar-Brilliance-Intelligence.aspx

See you in class today!
Mariah

November 5

Leah — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:06:58 +0000

http://providencechildrensmuseum.blogspot.com/2009/10/join-conversation.html

Have a great day!

Lucia

November 4

Leah — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:01:19 +0000

In light of our conversation about curiosity cabinets, visuospatial learning, museums and curatorial decision-making…a beautiful photo essay of the archives and back-rooms of the American Museum of Natural History: http://seedmagazine.com/Saved_By_Science/sbs_slideshow.html