God Particle & Education

Welcome back dear readers one or many.  It has been too long since I've put energy into this wild and crazy blog about my recipe for education.  Gotta love a blah blah blog for this!


Remember my proposal: "Variables Thinking" across K-12 and across disciplines.  Students routinely reflect, analyze, play and act on their understanding of the various moving parts in a situation.  They learn that all problems have aspects and elements that interact and that figuring the right balance is key.  They learn this skill is transferable between disciplines and types of challenges.

Great... but what else might be missing from schools?



I think it is the "GOD PARTICLE"  (or GOD DAMN PARTICLE if you prefer.)  The finding of the particle that attracts matter and is the beginning of everything seems an apt metaphor for what our schools are trying to find.  More than ever educators are redefining what matters in teaching and learning and doing their best to find meaning, define and build curriculum that "gets the job done."


At this stage, having a GOD PARTICLE to organize curricular vision is needed. 
And what should this GOD PARTICLE look like or be?

I think every school should take the time to define that vision in 3 words, and then make a promise to their community that they will make these three words real and realized.

Creativity, Communication, Curiosity
Reflective, Resourceful, Responsible
Innovative, Interconnected, Interesting
Leadership, Life Affirming, Persistant
Technological, Inclusive, Global


What I think is most interesting about this is the process teachers and administration (and possibly students too) would go through to reach consensus.  Herein perhaps lies the real "goods" of this proposal.

Thanks for reading!
-Lisa B

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/space/story/2012-07-05/Higgs-boson-explanation-particle-physics/56045722/1

Q: What does it do?

A: Simply put, the Higgs particle interacts with other subatomic particles that are building blocks of atoms in a way that slows them down. It's the reason that matter in the universe has mass. Mass gives the particles inertia, or resistance to being moved faster.

Q: What is a simple analogy that describes this effect?

A: Compare Higgs bosons to groupies mobbing a celebrity. The other particles are the celebrities, desperately trying to move but slowed by autograph-seekers. Higgs bosons don't have pens, but the attention they give to the other particles slows them, creating inertia.