Valiant, Etc.

The North Central Education Service District has developed a technology-based Native American Culture Curriculum as a resource for classroom teachers. The project has two major components. The first is a set of annotated web links to Native American resources on the Internet. An emphasis is placed on Plateau Indians of the Pacific Northwest, but other resources are included as well. The second component consists of sample unit plans that target certain Oregon 5th and 8th grade social science benchmarks. The components are used together to create active learning lessons for students in grades three through eight.

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Recent research on the human brain is providing new understanding of how we learn, information which is helping us to redefine intelligence. This new information, which is now being translated into classroom applications with the goal of increasing learning for all students, has broad implications for the design of learning environments since it is the facility which must support the educational program. As we explore facility designs for the 21st Century and beyond, we need to keep abreast of developments in the field of brain research, being mindful that their influence on the teaching/learning relationship will forever change the way we build and renovate school facilities.

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The debates rage on.

Nature versus Nurture. Phonics versus Whole Language. Reductionist versus Constructivist. Traditional versus Progressive. Once the conversation begins lines are quickly drawn and, as educators, we either withdraw or begin to espouse our current position. We have heard it all before. Parents and others in the public take sides as well, taking their cue from their own experience or from someone they believe and respect. Meanwhile, politicians use whichever position they believe will further their own agenda, whether in the best interest of children or not. After all, who are they to believe?

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