I believe that a successful educational experience will include the following elements:
· A deep respect for every individual in the experience; not only from me as the guide, but from each student for the others.
· A significant student-centered focus, as students take responsibility for their own learning, given the means and freedom to pursue personal learning goals.
· The teacher as facilitator and guide, not the guardian of sacred information to be dispensed as seen fit.
· A significant focus on the creative process: thinking, research, experimentation, discourse, more thinking, identifying a desired product, and so forth.
· Most importantly, a search for relevancy. This, to me, means how is every aspect of the educational experience meaningful to people? People who experience the same needs, frailties, desires, shortcomings, uncertainties, successes, and failures as I.
This is, after all, about the human experience and how we can make ours…and other’s…better.