[Localization] Empowering teachers

[Bastien]

Hi Edward,

"Edward Cherlin" <echerlin at gmail.com> writes:

> I think we need to engage English-speaking teachers first, on the
> Educators mailing list, and then have them take it to other
> communities whose languages they speak. 

I see it the other way around: teachers should locally be encouraged to
exchange ideas between themselves, build their own knowledge about the
XO and about the best way to integrate it to what they do and what they
want to do.

Of course, those who speak english could as well subscribe to this list,
but I guess that the information overload threshold can be very low for
teachers all over the world.

I would keep educators@ as a general mailing list for education with the
XO.  If people from this mailing list are able to translate the material
that teachers slowly gather in their own language, that's great.  

> Please invite teachers to join this list. We will see what sort of
> discussion is appropriate with the first arrivals, and work our way in
> from there.

Mh...  I'm really a bit skeptical about such an option: let the teachers
build their own communities (with support of the people helping for the
deployment in the countries.)  We try to make them understand there is
something hitchy in their educational habits, let's not scratch them
before they scratch themselves !

(Of course, I'd be glad if many teachers from all the country prove me
wrong by actively involving in educational discussions on this list!)

> It will be vitally important not to think that we simply want to teach
> them. We want to provide the appropriate guidance for them to discover
> the potential of the XO and Sugar, so that they understand what it
> means to guide their students in discovery.

And let's not forget *content*.  Building teachers communities is a way
for them to build content for the XO - activities are not enough.

> Being able to go behind the question asked is one of the greatest arts
> of great teachers.

What do you mean? 

(Ok, joking.)

-- 
Bastien