Things (projects) kids should know how to do or know about (inspired by Seth Godin’s list)…
1. How to type.
2. How to speak in front of a group.
3. How to write clear prose that other people actually want to read.
4. How to manage a project.
5. The most important lessons from world history.
6. What the world’s religions have in common.
7. Evolution and Big Bang theory.
8. Formal logic.
9. The 15,000 most common English words.
10. Conversational Spanish.
11. How to run a small business.
12. Basic chemistry.
13. Not arithmetic, but algebra.
14. A little geometry, a little calculus.
15. The most important lessons from ten other world cultures and their history.
16. Speed reading with comprehension.
17. How to sell.
18. Pick one: how to paint, write a poem, compose a song or juggle really well.
19. Understanding the biographies of 50 important historical figures and 20 fictional ones.
20. How to write a story.
21. How to make a film.
22. How to cook properly.
23. How to write a computer program.
24. How to make a website.
25. How to sell things online.
26. How to dance properly.
27. How to swim.
28. How to save a life (life-saving and first-aid).
29. Basic physics.
30. How to organise an event.
31. How to keep a blog.
32. How to write a screenplay.
33. How to act.
We set up a project in Basecamp to track these things - how to do them, when and so on. I guess that’s item #4 under way then. Gonna give them their own Basecamp account to create and track their own projects.
4 responses so far ↓
1 Derek Gray // Mar 17, 2008 at 10:41 am
You could try the tool we’re using for our project collaboration - Wrike. It’s really great, as it has email integration - you send a task to your friend and add Wrike’s adress to the CC field of the message. The task shows up in the sytem automatically and you can track it together. The whole process is very smooth and my students love it!
2 Paul G // Mar 18, 2008 at 3:04 pm
Great suggestion thanks Derek. I did take a look and not sure that it offers anything above Basecamp apart from the record-task-by-email feature, which I think is a case of horses for courses. I am used to setting tasks in the web. Thanks for the tip though. Still looks like a great tool.
3 Helen Keegan // Apr 2, 2008 at 2:13 pm
I would add some others
How to make friends and build relationships.
How to work and play as part of a group.
How to handle conflict.
How to negotiate.
How to think (I’ve met soooo many graduates who know how to do what they’re told but don’t know how to think and therefore have no idea how to analyse or develop an opinion).
How to act (this covers off public speaking, improvisation, team work, role-play and more all in one-go).
I’m sure I’ll think of more over time!
4 Paul G // Apr 2, 2008 at 2:31 pm
Great additions Helen, thanks. It’s actually quite a challenge prioritising them.
How to think is a great one. It’s seldom taught - or thought about! I’ve found some great resources for teaching critical thinking to kids, if you’re interested.
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