Published Friday, May 22, 2009 in Southeast Valley Opinions of the Arizona Republic as “Some ASU students becoming agents of change.”
“A great motto for all of us — find somebody to be successful for. Raise their hopes. Rise to their needs.” –President Barack Obama’s commencement address at Arizona State University, May 13, 2009.
One learning outcome of ASU’s “Foundations of Interdisciplinary Studies” course bridges students for what awaits them beyond ASU. They complete a passion puzzle (try it at passionpuzzle.com) where they identify their top 9 values, skills, interest and ambitions, and then look for their passion that pulls it all together.
President Barack Obama asked graduates to follow their passion, but to consider whether there might be a better way to measure success than self-centered materialistic gain.
Underlying this is a deeper message about what education should do. When educators design courses, we often pay too little heed to the kind of people we want students to become. Education focuses so much on standards and measurable achievement markers, that we frequently lose track of the larger mission of turning students into open, engaged, active citizens—the lifeblood of democracy and our communities. Read the rest of this entry »