I Followed a link from Stephen Downes’ OLDaily email yesterday and came across this great list of principles for schools by Liz B. Davis.

Liz’s list (2009)

1. Build Community
2. Encourage Critical Thinking
3. Reward Risk Taking
4. Focus on all Learners
5. Value Diversity
6. Nurture all learners
7. Pursue Innovation
8. Teach Empathy
9. Break down the walls

It’s based on a list by Ted Sizer (2006) – here and see table right). On reading though I can’t help but reflect on the changes in emphasis in the language over 4 years. In particular I like the addition of innovation!

However, it is sobering when I look at the grounds on which our children and their teachers, students and educators (myself included) are most frequently assessed and the list looks very different. Liz asks if anything is missing. As my two lists look very different I am called to ask if we are throwing out what is good about what we already do? Should we be including any knowledge, skill or understanding based principles on here? How about: ‘The school should enable students to come to a place where they are able to embody an understanding of the arts?’

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