Greetings again from IRA! I had the privilege of hearing Al Gore speak to the General Assembly this morning. He gave an impressive overview of the history of the written word in relation to critical literacy. "Children need to be able to read in order to think critically to make decisions that affect their own lives," he said. Powerful words and an even more powerful charge to the teachers who were his audience.This Nobel Prize winner and former Vice President of the United States believes that the classroom teacher is integral to the process of providing our children with the tools needed to communicate through the written and spoken word. He supported our thinking and practice of 21st Century Learning; that it involves more than consuming information. Information should flow both to and from our students.
This was echoed in the term "Search-Based Curriculum." Mr. Gore believes that students will, and should, search and discover, then interact with information. Critical Literacy. Finally, "Empowered with the knowledge about the truth...children can change the world."
What a great post! I find him so interesting because he is still changing... and the mainstream media is allowing him to do that without much resistance. He went from a career in politics to devoting time to a cause he felt passionately about while still elucidating himself on other topics. Now, with his marriage coming to an end, maybe he will become a vegan so he can support his interest (the planet!) in a new way. We are never just one thing and we must allow others to be complex as well.
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