User Generated Education

One of my learners’ favorite things to do at my maker education summer camps is taking toys apart – breaking them and then putting back together in another form. This got me thinking that breaking things should be part of every teacher’s and learner’s education. These include:

• Breaking physical objects apart to see their components and how they work.
• Breaking apart how the physical classroom is set up and letting learners help create the setting where they will learn.
• Breaking down barriers of communication . .  between educators and learners; between learners and other learners; between the school and parents; between school and the community; between the community of learners and the rest of the world.
• Breaking apart and crushing stereotypes about different genders, ages, ethnicities, and sexual orientation when age appropriate.
• Breaking down walls that keep schools isolated from the world outside of those walls.
• Breaking attitudes that “we’ve always done it that way.”
• Breaking a system that believes children should be grouped by age and grade.
• Breaking (and throwing away forever) the current assessment systems and the related belief that standardized tests actually measure student performance and achievement.
• Breaking apart the idea and practice that children and youth cannot nor should not be teachers.
• And one big NOT . . . NOT breaking the natural passion and excitement that humans have to learn.

These are just my initial thoughts. What would you add to this list of breaking things as a form of education? I want to create an infographic on this list so please add to it!