This chapter was fascinating to me. I really enjoyed learning about these institutes and initiatives. I look forward to researching more about the schools mentioned to see what these ideas look like in action.
In the section on Inventing the Future it listed what students do who take the course. I just want to pull out the key words: DEVELOP, EXPLORE, DISCOVER, INVESTIGATE, ENVISION, DOCUMENT, RESEARCH, and SCAN. Aren't these the kinds of skills we want all of our teaching to encompass? These are active and engaging learning verbs. I will admit I don't always do this. It is easier to follow and use the materials I was given my first year of teaching because everything else was overwhelming. I need to make a better commitment to make sure my classroom and my teaching encompasses these kinds of verbs more often.
When I look at the schools making the change I was struck by the lack of mention of assessment and assessment results. How refreshing. I think sometimes a big barrier to making the kinds of changes these schools have made is that people want immediate results in numbers and that isn't possible. People are so afraid that the change is going to give their children a poorer education instead of realizing the education their children are receiving is already poor for the most part. We would never ask any other business to make such a whole scale change to better practice and ask them for results immediately. We would understand that restructuring takes time and have faith in the fact that the change is for the better. I wish people would have more faith in teachers and educators to make the changes necessary.
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I think you make a valid point in your last paragraph in relating it to buisinesses. When a company asks a business to change and are afraid at the end result, they are asked to do this in small changes that eventually make an overall change in the company. So why wouldn't this work for schools, why wouldn't people put as much faith as people put in changing businesses into schools that are willing to change to make a brighter future for their children? Sure change is a giant leap and can sometimes be very scary, but isn't there a trust game where someone stands with their back to a group of people and say "falling" and the group says "fall away" and catch the person as they lean backwards off the platform they were standing on. Just as we have faith that the group is going to catch us and not drop us, we need people to have that same kind of faith that even if there is change that it will work out for the better even if it is in education and teachers. If people trust sending their kids to school why not trust those that teach their children to be able to make changes for the better.
ReplyDeleteI picked out the same action words as you in your second paragraph. How powerful to actually be taking action and moving forward instead of just talking about it. I think this method would truly get kids more engaged and help them to overcome that feeling of being disempowered.
ReplyDeleteWe owe it to our kids to give them the skills to help them answer the world problems we have all helped create.
Yes, an excellent point about how long it takes for a change to actually become an improvement. Research says that you need to do something multiple times before it "works" and becomes ingrained in practice. We can't change a reading or math program and expect instantaneous results. Just doesn't work that way.
ReplyDeleteBut the American public expects that quick turn around...we want to see change immediately. Audrey's other point about people trusting teachers...an excellent point that we could do something about. The irony here is that typically, parents and community members approve of what happens in THEIR COMMUNITY...but think that education elsewhere is going down the tubes!