World Education Summit, What Makes a Good Workshop?

I enjoyed various workshops in the world education summit, making some useful connections and being reminded of our mission.

I am duly suspicious of folks who are selling an educational product. Moreso, I doubt folks who sell a product that underlines their institution.

I feel instead that those who have a less fiscal investment in what they do might have a more critically-aware agenda.

Selling something in education is not inherently evil: I sell my time and resources. The issue is selling is simple: when push comes to shove, the flaws of the product will be underplayed.

Whatever model of education we might believe in, it should surely involve making students think, and considering what might make them think. It should place ‘receptiveness’ in students above everything else. How often were the various workshops of the WES aimed at making students receptive? Perhaps enough, but not many.

If we focus only on what we can observe, in teacher action and in institutional ambitions, then we are limited to promoting the industry, and not the practice.