95 Theses for New Millennium Learning

Contributors are invited to add to and edit the following list of theses, pertaining to the aforementioned declaration of intent and purpose.

1. ALL CAN LEARN: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all human beings are created with the capacity to learn, and the formal learning opportunities afforded to each person should by right be differentiated to meet their specific and unique needs and interests.
2. COMPLEXITY IS ACKNOWLEDGED: Learning and cognition are highly complex processes still not entirely understood by the brightest minds within the various fields of academic and medical science.
3. REJECT RIGOR: In order to provide differentiated learning experiences for all students enrolled in formal educational settings, a single, rigid curriculum, set of assessments, or other requirements for uniform study must not be imposed on either expert-learners or novice-learners.

(HOW DO YOU HAVE "HIGH EXPECTATIONS" WITHOUT "RIGOR")???????????????????????????

We need to establish high expectations through challenging coursework for every student in order to assist them in reaching their fullest individual potential.

1. NO PAYMENT FOR SEAT TIME: Public schools established and supported by the government shall be supported with citizen tax dollars based not on the duration of class attendance by pupils, but rather by a formula established by the respective state legislature which provides exemplary resources for the learning and assessment activities of expert-learners and novice-learners.
2. FLEXIBLE SCHEDULING: Flexible, differentiated schedules of formal and informal educational opportunities will be provided for all learners.
3. HIGH EXPECATIONS: High expectations for the learning potential and actual knowledge products created by learners will be ubiquitous.
4. DIGITAL LEARNING DEVICES: Wireless, portable electronic computers permitting the access, authorship and sharing of diverse media products by learners will be provided by the government.

(We'll have to get our infrastructure bandwidth up to speed quickly in order to accomodate learners.)

1. AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENTS: While other forms of assessments will likely always have a place in education, meaningful assessment that evaluates applied knowledge and creative thinking will be widely used. Grant Wiggins defines authentic assessments as: "...Engaging and worthy problems or questions of importance, in which students must use knowledge to fashion performances effectively and creatively. The tasks are either replicas of or analogous to the kinds of problems faced by adult citizens and consumers or professionals in the field." (p. 229) Wiggins, G. P. (1993). Assessing student performance. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

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