Do we need a slow school movement?

The other day I read a thoughtful response to one of my blog entries on 21st Century Learning (http://www.paulhillsdon.com/2011/01/12/in-defense-of-21st-century-learning/). In it was a comment about the speed of technological change and how that is impacting the world.

The author is not alone. A common adage in the 21st Century literature is the "pace of change" and the need for students to be able to adapt to that pace. But perhaps, just like the need for a "slow food" movement, we will have a need for a "slow school" movement.

A few years back it was all the rage to discuss how children were sent to so many activities, so many after school lessons, so many weekend classes, that no time was left for simple play. I read recently about a parent group trying to win back recess time at their school. Some argue that the prevalence of ADHD is related to the amount and speed of stimuli in their environments - that children become acclimatized to an incredibly fast response time. The introduction of new technologies - texting, twitter, hand-held computers - is only increasing the amount of multi-tasking children do.

Maybe we have it backwards, and what is needed is not the ability to adapt to very fast change, but rather the ability to attend to and enjoy slow activities.

Evidently I am not the first educator to have these thoughts. A web site on "slow schools and slow education" describes the movement this way:

"Slow schools and slow education can refer to different aspects of education. Some people use the term slow schools to refer to schools that are attempting to bring slow food to the cafeteria or dining room.

For others it has far more implications and includes aspects of connection to knowledge, tradition, moral purpose and all that is important in life. In this sense it refers to the curriculum, the way it is delivered, the process of learning, management of the school, and even if school is the best vehicle through which to educate our children. So in this sense, it refers to bringing the slow movement into education....

Slow education is also about connection to knowledge and to learning – real learning. It is about leading a skilful life – doing no harm – and having respect for all living and non-living things. Slow education is a concept of 'ecological literacy'." (http://www.slowmovement.com/slow_schools.php)