The Right to Learn: Identifying Precedents for Sustainable Change
24 Pages Posted: 16 Jul 2014
Date Written: June 15, 2011
Abstract
While much has been written about the use of computers in schools over the past three decades, there has, at best, been only minimal incremental impact on the way young people learn. What is needed is a shift in thinking from a goal that focuses on the delivery of something — a primary education — to a goal or empowering young people to leverage their innate and natural curiosity to learn whatever and whenever they need. In this paper, the authors identify five key elements for initiating this change:
1) Embrace a New Perspective 2) Re-frame the Conversation
3) Identify and Build on Passions and Talent
4) Shift the Locus of Assessment Control
5) Refocus Educator Preparation
This paper focuses on each child’s Right to Learn, and, within that context, a child’s right to have the freedom to learn; to have no impediment to learning within the modern world in which he or she lives. This is a profound and immutable right; one which carries with it, by implication, universal access for every child to contemporary learning media, resources and knowledge.
Keywords: education
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