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You can find more conversations like this one at Doorways to Learning with Donna
Today we’re taking a side road in our educational journey toward the post graduate years and an enlightening conversation with 24-year-old PhD candidate Alana Richards. We want to know how public education supported her in her professional endeavors as she’s just starting out, how being schooled in a Spanish immersion program changed the course of her life, and how the I.B. program in high school was a revelation for her as it gave her the opportunity to develop critical thinking and analytic skills.
You’ll be fascinated and perhaps surprised by Alana’ retrospective evaluation of the American curriculum compared to what is emphasised in Europe – and the implications of these differences for American students wanting to move in global communities.
Be ready, because as the conversation progresses we touch on gender fluidity and her suggestion that there be more transparent conversations of topics like these at very young ages in order to create a strong affective domain. You’ll hear that Alana is adamant that if students don’t feel seen and accepted – and nowadays that can be as deceptively innocuous as making sure each child has the opportunity to establish the gender identification that feels authentic – she says learning just can’t happen.
I think you’re going to be enlightened by Alana’s perspective as a budding professional, having studied in diverse curriculums all over the world, on her take on what is helpful and what teachers could address more closely.
Try out this scaffolding activity to promote analytic thinking:
Note: Alana, who did her Masters on Gender Studies, is horrified by my use of the term ‘transsexual’. She would like it to be known that I mean to say ‘transgender’. Thank you for understanding that I am not an expert on the subject though I’m always willing to be corrected whenever it might offend someone unintentionally.
Scaffoldingmagic.com is your entryway into DYNAMIC bilingual learning methodologies, such as Phenomenon-Based Learning, CLIL, EMI, and ESL. You’ll find ways to implement critical thinking tools (DOK) to promote higher level thinking, the growth mindset, instill an ethic of excellence, deep reflection on learning, and all through multi-cultural, interdisciplinary activities. We have the keys to turning competences into action and to creating collective efficacy in your school so you move ahead as a unified, enthusiastic team.
