In Canada there is a long tradition of learning on the road. For generations young people have developed leadership skills from the hull of a canoe as they explore the country's lakes, rivers and forests. Education on the move has led to wonderful progressive programs like Class Afloat and the Expedition Education Institute that just re-opened in the United States. At the re-launch gathering many of the alumni present spoke of their transformative experiences spending multiple semesters travelling on converted school buses to every corner of North America learning from the land and people they visited. Increasingly, the advances in digital media are freeing us to allow mobile connectivity at all times. Rather than seeing less of these programs, I would expect to see more.
I recently read an article by Richard Sagor who used skateboarders as an example of an independently motivated group collaboratively seeking mastery through focused repetition and failure. Sagor claimed that the culture of the group made it okay to fail, an attitude that is not currently pervasive in our schools. It is however, an approach that seems to be accepted across sport, Michael Jordan's famous quotation comes to mind:"I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career, I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty six times I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over in my life. And that's why I succeed!"
Nexgen is a group of Ultimate Frisbee players from around the United States. These players have been brought together on a bus to learn by playing against the best teams in North America. As they travel, players work with experts in the cities on their tour and seek to teach youth by running clinics as they traverse the continent. NexGen provides yet another example of a design system in sport that strives to get better by investigating alternative learning strategies. As the group travels, they are aided both in funding and reflection by compiling videos and progress on their webpage nexgentour and on vimeo.
In Seattle, NexGen worked with Ben Wiggins, an Ultimate coach and player who has for years helped push the Ultimate community through his blog The Huddle. Here he speaks about his experience working with NexGen at the
beginning of their tour:
Training camp recap with Ben Wiggins from NexGen Ultimate on Vimeo.
Wiggins comments about prioritizing the importance of collaboration and group problem-solving. His view of teambuilding and creative resolve over learning plays and specific skill development mirrors the values we claim to revere in traditional classroom teaching. Wiggins clearly has a plan, is an expert in his field and is, one imagines, an excellent educator.
I recently read an article by Richard Sagor who used skateboarders as an example of an independently motivated group collaboratively seeking mastery through focused repetition and failure. Sagor claimed that the culture of the group made it okay to fail, an attitude that is not currently pervasive in our schools. It is however, an approach that seems to be accepted across sport, Michael Jordan's famous quotation comes to mind:"I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career, I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty six times I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over in my life. And that's why I succeed!"
Nexgen is a group of Ultimate Frisbee players from around the United States. These players have been brought together on a bus to learn by playing against the best teams in North America. As they travel, players work with experts in the cities on their tour and seek to teach youth by running clinics as they traverse the continent. NexGen provides yet another example of a design system in sport that strives to get better by investigating alternative learning strategies. As the group travels, they are aided both in funding and reflection by compiling videos and progress on their webpage nexgentour and on vimeo.
In Seattle, NexGen worked with Ben Wiggins, an Ultimate coach and player who has for years helped push the Ultimate community through his blog The Huddle. Here he speaks about his experience working with NexGen at the
beginning of their tour:
Training camp recap with Ben Wiggins from NexGen Ultimate on Vimeo.
Wiggins comments about prioritizing the importance of collaboration and group problem-solving. His view of teambuilding and creative resolve over learning plays and specific skill development mirrors the values we claim to revere in traditional classroom teaching. Wiggins clearly has a plan, is an expert in his field and is, one imagines, an excellent educator.
Models for education are everywhere, as are great teachers. We should be looking in all the places we learn and investigating how we can incorporate these structures into public education systems. NexGen takes the expedition education model, adds digital technology and student teaching to their curriculum to embark on a valuable experiment.
How is NexGen doing? Well, in their first game they pushed Vancouver's Furious George - former World Champions - to he brink. Here are the highlights:
NexGen vs Furious George - Game Summary from NexGen Ultimate on Vimeo.
Teamwork and the freedom to fail -- in fact, the encouragement to fail -- are two things we don't see enough of in our schools. I really like your reminder of these important ideas.
ReplyDelete9 Reasons Why Failure Is Not Fatal.
ReplyDeletehttp://the99percent.com/articles/7057/9-Reasons-Why-Failure-Is-Not-Fatall