[Academics] Streams-pathways-themes-disciplines -boundaries-years-departments...

Define educational pathway?
"An Educational Pathway describes the organization and coordination of various individual/departmental/disciplinary/age level/level appropriate/stream-or-theme related learning resources into a coherent plan so that they become a meaningful learning activity for a specific user group (e.g. teachers, students, other users etc.) in a specific context of use. Further, Educational Pathways directly serve the priority assigned by the overall long term project to the integration of resources for now and to its end…" Taken from somewhere and altered for us to understand. So if we have three pathways and under them themes and under them subthemes that departments that also ensure that disciplinary boundaries will remain, albeit being porous and permeable, will run as courses, projects, seminars, conferences, workshops, symposia, discussions, lectures etc…what are the benefits that may accrue to the students?
What are the demerits?
My thoughts on the subject are as follows:
Point number one – we educate for an uncertain future job market Our job is not to provide certainty, rather; the most important things we can provide is confidence and flexibility and adaptability and the fitness to survive and creativity, along with skills, aptitude, theory, knowledge, application, and extended practice… In the sense that when students emerge from any institution of higher education they should
a. Be able to support themselves
b. Do what they like
c. Get a job if they like it and be satisfied and do it well.
d. Have a brand new start up if they want.
e. Freelance if need be
f. Work in a group
g. Do nothing, if possible
h. Change track completely, if so inclined
My two bits for what it’s worth –themes may help…

Koshy

Back to education

I agree with Saumitri Varadarajan that practitioners need to look at pedagogy, methods of teaching and learning etc’, so for all and sundry here are some helpful links to start you off with.

http://www.infed.org/thinkers/gardner.htm

Howard Gardner's work forms a good base to start thinking from.

http://www.caroltomlinson.com/

I love the above stuff on differentiating instruction.

Bloom's taxonomy - http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/bloom.html

While a bit outdated Bloom may be good for new teachers.

As may this next one on Maslow.

http://www.businessballs.com/maslow.htm

Old hat but may be interesting for new teachers - Bono's six thinking hat exercise

http://www.beefcrc.com.au/Assets/297/1/Step_6_3.pdf

For introducing me to this next guy I have to thank Geetha Narayanan profusely.

http://fno.org/mar09/dozen.html

Some valid politics from Paulo Friere

http://www.laconstituciondelperu.org/FreirePedagogyoftheOppressed.pdf

And more from Ivan Illich.

http://www.infed.org/thinkers/et-illic.htm

http://www.funderstanding.com/v2/theory/constructivism/ - is the last one for now.