Category: News

On February 12 -13, for over 30 continuous hours, about 200 innovators, change-makers, learner-centered advocates, and education revolutionaries from all around the world.   Gathered virtually at the AEROx conference to exchange ideas, create plans, and network.  
We began with a session from Longview School and Little River School students. This session was unique as it was a combination of a prerecorded session along with the live session, where students answered questions about different aspects of their democratic schools. 

We then all gathered for an official welcome and overview from Peter and Jerry.  Some stories were shared as we made brief introductions and went about what the next 30 plus would look like. 
Crystal Byrd Farmer launched into her keynote on how schools have been responding to COVID 19.  The ways in which they have been  resourceful and how COVID has shone a spotlight on inequities that still exist. 
After a break for networking and food. James Ford, Aixa Rodriguez, Heather Kostell, and Peter Rawtisch gave their keynote panel on how vital and critical relationships are to bringing about the education revolution.  After that is was time for our two workshop blocks which you can view here .  
That brought us to Je’anna Clements Keynote on “What do we mean by Structure in Education?
Thanks to our friend Kristy Cheng and members of the Sri Aria school in Malaysia we were able to have scheduled “overnight” (for the Northern Hemisphere) programming for the first time ever, which you can view here.   We would have never been able to do this without their support and guidance. 
Dr. Putri from the Sri Aria school was kind enough to take time out of her day to deliver her keynote at 7 am Eastern Time.  We didn’t stop as we went right into a keynote/ panel discussion from Lea Jovy – Ford, Hannah Miller and Jenn Sutherland on going beyond the one size fits all model of education. 
Then it was time for another round of workshops, which led right into our two mini – talk sessions.  Jo Symes started the mini – talk sessions with her presentation on the progressive education site – resource collection she has created.  Zineb Mouhi continued the mini-talk sessions with her presentation on why young people should design the future of education.  
After another break and networking time Ndindi Kitonga delivered her keynote on anti – oppressive praxis in education.  From there our afternoon workshops kicked into gear.  
There was a buzz and anticipation as we were moving into our last few sessions.  Naim Sanders delivered on a sacred place for learning and the soul of education.  Heather MacTaggart followed Naim with her presentation on unschooling school .  Jerry and Peter wrapped up the conference with an informal evaluation and feedback session and a session on putting on more local events. 
Throughout the whole conference there was plenty of networking, laughs, stories and even some music.   As with all AERO events I came away exhausted but recharged at the same time.   We look forward to doing more events like this in the future. Stay tuned for June :)  !   Thank you so much to all who participated and made this another amazing event. 

New Information About the AEROx from Peter Hi All!  We hope you are safe and well. The AEROX Virtual Conference is just 17 days away!  We have an amazing lineup of speakers from all over the world.   This year’s speakers probably represent the widest array of perspectives we’ve ever had.  For example, we have presentations on Race & Covid, Teaching Challenges in Africa, A Family’s Story about their Journey to Self – Directed Education, Why Young People Should Design the Future of Education, and How to Put on Local Events to get the word out about learner-centered alternatives, and much more!   We have recently added two student panels to the agenda and new workshops, which will be added to the website soon.  There will also be plenty of time for networking and impromptu sessions.   This year especially we can really use your help spreading the word.   We put together this Press Kit to help you get started.  Please share this with your networks. If finances are a barrier, please contact us, as we do not want this to keep people from this important event.   Below are some frequently asked questions.  Please reach out to us if you have any questions.   Are you still accepting workshop proposals?We only have a few spots left for workshops only. The only times we have left are:  12 :30 AM – 1:45 AM  & 3:30 AM – 4:45 AM – Eastern Time – USA   What is the AEROx Virtual Conference? The AEROx was started in response to the demand for more AERO events. About five years ago we decided to do a completely virtual event so that as many people as possible could attend. Literally, anyone can attend from just about anywhere in the world that has an internet connection.   What’s different about the AEROx Virtual Event? AERO events are unique in that they bring together anyone who is interested in learner – centered alternatives under one roof. There are no other events like it anywhere in the world. The AEROx is shorter in duration and is designed to be a more intimate gathering than the larger AERO events.    What time zone is the AEROx Conference scheduled in?  Eastern Standard Time – USA – Time Zone Converter   Will there be overnight (Eastern Time) programming? There will be over 30 hours of continuous programming beginning Friday 2/12 at 3 pm Eastern time and ending Saturday 2/13 at 10 pm Eastern time.   Will the overnight (Eastern Time) sessions be monitored? Yes, our friend Kristy Cheng and other members of the Sri Aria school in Malaysia have generously donated their time. They will be monitoring the overnight sessions.   Will the sessions be recorded? We are planning to record all sessions. They will be available to conference participants sometime after the conference.   What platform will the conference take place on? The conference will take place on the Zoom platform. Please make sure that you have a stable internet connection and functioning equipment.    How will I be able to get into the sessions? All participants will receive a link the day before or the morning of 2/12/21 (Eastern Time Zone). This link will have the sessions with clickable links. All you will need to do is click the link to the session you want to go to.   Will there be time for networking? There are built-in break times for networking. Of course, participants are welcome to network whenever they like. We will also have a discord server where participants can network.  How will the discord server work? Participants will receive the link to the discord server soon. Once you create a login you will have access to the discord server, and you can participate as you like.   Will there be a main room where participants can gather? Yes, the main room will remain open during the entire conference. Keynote sessions will be in the main room.    How will popup (impromptu) sessions work? Anyone can schedule a popup session. They will be responsible for setting up the session using whatever platform they wish. They can be promoted on the discord server.   What do I do if I have questions during the conference?The main room will be open and monitored throughout the entire conference. That is your go to place for questions.   Are there group and student rates?  Please contact us for group rates.  peter@educationrevolution.org ; jerryaero@aol.com  We are offering student rates at $10 per student.   How can I help promote the conference? You can help by sharing the information far and wide. www.aeroconference.org . Here is a press kit to help you with that.  Register HERE

Dear Friends of AERO,

 The AEROx virtual conference is just a few weeks away.  There are exciting new updates and more will be added very soon.   
This is truly an event like no other.  Thanks to our friends from the Sri Aria School in Malaysia, we will have over 30 hours of continuous programming!  Presenters span 6 different continents and are a mixture of youth and adults.  So far we have participants from a few different countries already registered. 
Please do not wait too long to register as we will close registration once we hit our cap. Here are some FAQ’s about the AEROx Virtual Conferenc

Frequently Asked Questions 

What is the AEROx Virtual Conference? The AEROx was started in response to the demand for more AERO events.  About five years ago we decided to do a completely virtual event so that as many people as possible could attend.  Literally anyone can attend from just about anywhere in the world that has internet connections.

 What’s different about the AEROx Virtual Event? AERO events are unique in that they bring together anyone who is interested in learner – centered alternatives together under one roof.  There are no other events like it anywhere in the world. 
The AEROx is shorter in duration, and is designed to be a more intimate gathering than the larger AERO events. 

 
What Time Zone is the AEROx conference scheduled in?  Eastern Standard Time – USA  – Time Zone Converter

 Will there be overnight (Eastern Time) programming? There will be over 30 hours of continuous programming beginning Friday 2/12 at 3 pm Eastern time and ending Saturday 2/13 at 10 pm Eastern time. 

Will the overnight (Eastern Time) sessions be monitored? Yes, our friend Kristy Cheng and other members of the Sri Aria school in Malaysia have generously donated their time.  They will be monitoring the overnight sessions. 

Will the sessions be recorded? We are planning to record all sessions.  They will be available to conference participants sometime after the conference. 

What platform will the conference take place on? The conference will take place on the Zoom platform.  Please make sure that you have a stable internet connection and functioning equipment.  

How will I be able to get into the sessions? All participants will receive a link the day before or the morning of 2/12/21 (Eastern Time Zone).  This link will have the sessions with clickable links.  All you will need to do is click the link to the session you want to go to. 

Will there be time for networking? There are built-in break times for networking.  Of course, participants are welcome to network whenever they like. We will also have a discord server where participants can network.

How will the discord server work? Participants will receive the link to the discord server soon. Once you create a login you will have access to the discord server and you can participate as you like. 

Will there be a main room where participants can gather? Yes, the main room will remain open during the entire conference.  Keynote sessions will be in the main room.  

How will popup (impromptu) sessions work? Anyone can schedule a popup session.  They will be responsible for setting up the session using whatever platform they wish.  They can be promoted on the discord server. 

What do I do if I have questions during the conference?The main room will be open and monitored throughout the entire conference.  That is your go to place for questions. 

Are there group and student rates?  Please contact us for group rates.  peter@educationrevolution.org ; jerryaero@aol.com
We are offering student rates at $10 per student.  

How can I help promote the conference? You can help by sharing the information far and wide. www.aeroconference.org .  Here is a press kit to help you with that. 

Facebook

 Instagram

LinkeIn

AERO Office – (800) 769-4171

Respectfully, 
Peter Berg Ed.D., AERO Representative peter@educationrevolution.org http://www.educationrevolution.org/store/about/

The Attempted Coup

On Wednesday, January 6^th, we were witness to an unimaginable insurrection, at attack on the United States Capitol, the center of our democracy.

How could this have happened? To understand it, it is important to understand the history of public education. In his book, the Underground History of American Education, John Gatto finds the smoking gun that showed that some of the founders of the current education system were clear about their intent to create a process to control and manipulate students, rather than to foster creativity and empowerment.

We’ve often said that the best way to prepare children to participate in a democracy is for them to grow up in one. Conversely, it makes no sense to have children spend 12 years in an authoritarian school system if we want them to become good citizens in a democracy.

In the current system, students are rewarded for following orders, doing what the teacher says, respecting the teacher’s and the principal’s authority, not for being entrepreneurial or independent.

This is perfect training to prepare students to be part of an authoritarian, dictatorial society. This, then would naturally lead to training people to follow orders, be competitive, climb over others to be the top ones, and crave authoritarian leaders.

I was witness to this process when I visited the USSR and Russia, just as the coup happened. There was an explosion of creativity and innovation, especially in education. But as time went on, many of the people felt uneasy about their freedom and craved the system in which there was an authoritarian leader who would tell everyone what to do. Now they have it.

And in the past four years, many of the authoritarian oriented people in the United States began to follow a very authoritarian president. Those people tended to follow him in a cult-like fashion, even if he often promoted capricious and prejudiced ideas. No matter how bad it got, the “base” (a well-chosen word) believed and followed everything he said, the way an abused and unloved child might still worship their father, no matter what he did.

Therefore, is it no surprise that this process may have led to January 6^th? Yes, it was a minority of people. Most of us were appalled at this attack. But when that authority called upon his followers to attack the heart of our democracy to keep him in power, they gleefully complied. Father had spoken.

A significant number of American people are authoritarian in orientation, enough to almost reelect him (over 70 Million). We are not the only country in which this process is taking place. This general approach to education is world-wide.

If we hope to move humanity away from this dangerous precipice, we need to change our education system NOW. It must become one that respects and empowers students, helps them become cooperative not competitive. It needs to encourage creativity, entrepreneurialism, tolerance and initiative. It needs to be democratic!