Julie Walker, Executive Director, American Association of School Librarians (AASL) and Board member, Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21).
The school chosen for our visit in Denmark is built around the school library --- which the Danes called a “pedagogical center.” I again saw the “community” that I had seen (and felt) in Finland. Students --- who stay with one teacher/mentor from grade one through grade 9 --- move freely about the building thus allowing them maximum access to the “pedagogical center.” ICT use is a step beyond “office applications” and focuses on accessing and using information --- a step below complete infusion.
At the end of grade nine, every student completes a project that requires them to exhibit process, planning, presentation and product around a broad theme. What we call “project-based learning” begins in first grade. The notion of “grading” is foreign to both teachers and students. The only word that I can think of to describe the system is “transactional.” Teachers (and in the upper grades, teams of teachers) work with students to structure their learning. Assessment is achieved primarily through dialogue as is communication with parents about their child’s progress. The principal characterized the system as one of “dialogue and trust.” This is evident.
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