TEDxDirigo - Alan Lishness - Indigenous Innovation: How Small Places can Change the World

As chief innovation officer at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, Alan Lishness designs and leads science education programming for Maine middle school students, reaching 60,000 students and counting. His vision is for all citizens to be skilled at critical thinking, collaboration, learning, and developing innovative solutions. His thinking is informed by current educational practice in Finland, where teachers are well prepared to teach, held in high professional esteem, and granted autonomy in their classrooms.

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  People & Blogs

[Johnny Doe]

You spent 40 years teaching yet you type in all uppercase with many grammatical mistakes. What does this say to us about the system of education. Hm....

[Don Peterson]

HARD TO DO ?????? DID YOU EVER..EVER TEACH IN PUBLIC SKROOL CLASSROOM OF GANG BANGERS OR IN THE GHETTO HERE IN THE USA OR HAVE UNIONS THAT WONT LET YOU FIRE ANYONE OR A GOVERNMENT THAT WANTS TO DUMB DOWN STUDENTS INTO SHEEPLE CAUSE FOLKS WHO THINK ARE TOO HARD TO CONTROL/MANIPULATE_SORRY BUD WE MUST BE ON DIFFERENT PLANETS...I LIVE ON THAT SOON TO BECOME PRISON PLANET CALLED EARTH_END GOVERNMENT MONOPOLY OF SKROOLS PERIOD THEN MAYBE WE CAN TALK ABOUT AN ALTERNATIVE TO MASS PROGRAMING OF SHEEP

[Ikarr0s]

YEAH! IT'S HARD TO DO, SO LET'S JUST DON'T DO IT!!!

[Don Peterson]

I WANT TO KNOW HOW MUCH REAL TIME HE SPENT IN SCHOOLS AND TAUGHT REAL CHILDREN ? MY GUESS IS 'O'_I SPENT 40 + YEARs IN PUBLIC SKROOLS ALL OVER THE USA AND IN SWEDEN...AS WELL_IN PRIVATE SCHOOLS AND PUBLIC AS WELL AS SPECIAL EDUCATIONS PROGRAMS...TRY TAKING ALL THE NUMBERS AND DIVERSITY OF OUR GOVERNMENT SKROOLS AND THE MELTING AND POLITICAL CESSPOOL OF THE USA....THIS IS JUST WHAT I WOULD EXPECT FROM AN ACADEMIC PINHEAD_WHO HAS SPENT LITTLE IF ANY TIME ON THE FRONT LINES OF 'SCHOOL WARS'

[Athena Melville]

Wonderful talk.. I have posted this to the Education Now! Facebook page and my own Facebook wall.. Thank you so much...

[jaycolliermedia]

Thank you for sharing these observations, Alan. You mentioned there are only 2 standardized national tests. I'm also interested in the many ways students are assessed along the way.

[americanwomanFL]

I agree with all but the top 10% of university students only allowed to be teachers as it takes more than "smarts" to be one. The time has come to totally dismantle the educational system of the United States and to begin anew.