Just a few additional comments related to the school visits. Schools take great pride in school accomplishments and share such information in ways that I would not have expected. For example, I would not have assumed that middle or high schools would develop elaborate glossy pamphlets to promote the special qualities of that school.
On those special occasions when visitors are present, the commitment to teaching and the skills of both students and teachers are showcased. Visualize a demonstration classroom with ample room around the walls so that chairs could be added for visitors. A special camera focused on the teacher’s work surface displays this surface on a large monitor so that vistors could get a good view of the lesson materials the teacher is using (the visiting teachers who saw this described it as something like watching a cooking demonstration using technology so viewers could get a close look at what the chef was doing – I am guessing it was a document camera).
Visualize the last time you were in a middle school for some type of open house. You would likely have viewed samples of student work and perhaps special musical performances offered by the students. The teachers may have introduced or directed the presentations of the students. How about a ballroom dancing exhibition provided by the teachers? How about a runway fashion show set to music presented by the male teachers?
It is the last example that gets me. Can you imagine a building administrator addressing the staff and explaining that it would be really great if the male teachers would put together a fashion show and that they might want to start early so they could select some cool music and practice their cat walk routines? I would love to see the looks on people’s faces.
I have been trying to figure out what this type of approach is about. Perhaps it has something to do with valuing learners and showing a commitment to the content. We might promote dancing as a form of physical education, but what about getting in there to develop and then demonstrate a commitment to the same skills. Perhaps it is also about sharing something personal about yourself with your students and their parents. I think it is an interesting idea, but under no circumstances that I can imagine could I see myself in a fashion show.
We visited the Temple of Heaven today. These special areas appear to serve as gathering places for the elderly who meet and engage in a wide variety of recreational activities – etc. cards, Tai Chi, dancing. The activity that caught my attention was the group of individuals practicing the writing (calligraphy) of the formal Chinese “characters”. They use water to write these characters on the concrete. The guide told us how many characters there are (10,000 of which most know about 4000 if I remember correctly). I love the following image and have been attempting to generate a suitable title (e.g., Life long learning, No one cares if I peak at the answers now).
