AERO Conference Day 1

Today was the first day of the actual conference. We attended "Mini Talks" at the beginning of the day, which are similar to short Ted Talks. These were very interesting. One of them talked about what are some key principles in a learner-centered school presented by Judy Yero. Something that she mentioned that was quite intriguing, and something that we agree with, is that the first thing you must do is have perspective and respect for children as individuals. She also read us the mission of the United States Department of Education; "To promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access." Judy believed that the idea of global competition takes away from creativity.

We also learned about some habits of mind when practicing Robert's Rules of Order, which is a way to run democratic meetings. This session was run by Ted Weisgal. Some of the things that he said were, "You must listen with empathy." "Question and pose problems." "Strive for accuracy." "Create. Imagine. Innovate." "Be open to learning and taking risks."

We bought some books at the AERO bookstore as well. These included:

Robert's Rules for Kids and Big Kids: A Guide to Teaching Kids of All Ages the Basics of Parliamentary Procedure by Dr. Martha J. Huan, and Ted Weisgal

Fixing Public Education by Dr. Anthony Dallmann-Jones, Ryan Champeau, Angela Engel, Marcus Gentry, Frank Kros, Laura Lindberg, Steve Parese, William Spady, Lynn Stoddard, Sue Stoddard

Walk Out Walk On by Margaret Wheatley and Deborah Frieze

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Dragon? Why China Has the Best (and Worst) Education System in the World by Yong Zhao

We're so excited to continue the conference and prepare for our presentation. We will continue to blog and update you on our status and what we do. Thanks!