Where is the classroom headed?

Having spent the past 20 some years around practitioners of the Montessori method (my wife runs a school) it has been interesting to observe how the ‘revolutionary’ advances in education today borrow heavily from the principles established by Maria Montessori.

So when I approached the topic for a long feature on how progressive educational institutions are planning to better engage students, I had this at the back of my mind. Moves to increase student engagement, and attempts to nudge the ‘sage off the stage,’ and student directed teaching appear to fit well with how Maria Montessori envisioned education. It’s also why some colleges and schools are quietly incorporating social media.

According to a 2010 survey from the Educause Center for Applied Research, 40 percent of undergraduates report updating wikis, and 25 percent use social bookmarking.

The article, titled “Messing around in class”  was published in Communication World magazine. I am truly grateful to three people I interviewed.

• Hans Aagard of Purdue University
• Michael Netzley of Singapore Management University
• Lisa Young of Scottsdale Community College

You can find a PDF of the article here. http://bit.ly/AFedu1