What if
we have it all wrong?
Remember the story
about Rip van Winkle? He lived in the foothills of New York's Catskill Mountains. One day he wandered into the mountains with
his dog to escape his wife’s nagging. (Apparently, he was a little lazy around
the house). He came across a man carrying a keg. Like the kind soul he was, Rip
offered to help. He ended up drinking the moonshine and fell asleep; for 20
years and awoke to find shocking changes including the completion of the
American Revolution. Imagine if you went to sleep 20 years ago and woke up
today? What changes have occurred since 1996? Facebook, Skype, Twitter, 9/11,
ISIS, greatest flood of refugees to come to Europe, Google, USA’s first black
president, Afghanistan invaded, driverless cars, artificial intelligence,
drones, Wi-Fi, USA invaded Iraq, broadband, MP3 file format changes the music
industry and so on.
We would barely recognize our world given all the massive changes. But
what hasn’t changed? What would we still recognize if we had been asleep for
100 years? You guessed it. Schools. They still look, feel and sound the same in
spite of the fact that the world has shifted and continues to dramatically
shift. Our
school system was created a 100 years ago to produce a work force for a world
that now no longer exists.
So what are we doing in schools? Testing more, making teachers more
accountable, covering content, inauthentic tasks, focus on SAT and Act scores,
and lecturing. We tinker with our school system making changes here and there.
But this is much like re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Our school
system is fundamentally wrong and doing little to prepare students with the
innovation, passion, problem-solving and creativity so vital for success in the
21st century. Our current system is obsolete and we are doing
students and the world a disservice by continuing to operate in the current
factory model perfectly suited for a world gone by. Students are leaving school
thoroughly unprepared, teachers are disillusioned and companies are battling to
find employees who are adequately equipped with the skills and attitudes needed
to perform in a vibrant and dynamic global economy. We need to stop tinkering
and begin to reimagine schooling.
How to we close the gap between a world that is increasingly innovative
and a school system that thwarts innovation? How do we close the gap between
what students do in school and what students need to do to succeed in the
workforce and to become active and moral citizens? Our young people come to
school excited and passionate about learning and their world. They leave with academic
credentials but with very few competencies that will enable them to thrive in
the 21st century, or simply get a job. (More than half of recent
college graduates are either holding a job that could be filled by a high
school graduate or are unemployed). Yes, even though we continue to invest in
education, our students lack the skills to be informed citizens, get a good job
and truly thrive.
Schools need leaders who are brave enough to challenge the status quo;
and we really don’t have time on our hands. Each year that we consider change,
tinker or move a few deck chairs, children suffer. Here are 10 basic
recommendations for schooling reimagined:
1. Schools need to give
students the space to create and to follow areas of passion. When we are playing
to our strengths we are more resilient, have more grit are more creative and
add more value and thereby make a mark on the world.
2. Give students to
opportunity to see they can make a positive impact on the world, that it is hard, and in so doing build
leadership skills.
3. Students should keep
digital portfolios that track their best products and thinking over time.
4. Classes should be
largely interdisciplinary. This approach organized around big, complex
questions drives students to deeper thinking and understandings.
5. Teach for
understanding and transfer. What students learn should be transferable and
useful to solve authentic real-world problems. This builds the capacity to be creative
problem solvers.
6. Projects should be experiential,
challenging and done collaboratively. Students should be able to reach out to
experts in the (global) community.
7. There should be a
strong emphasis on communication skills through writing, blogging, video and
speaking.
8. Use useful
measurements not standardized test scores. Sophisticated tools such as the
CWRA+ measure what matters most – written communication, problem solving and
critical thinking.
9. Assessment practices
should be built around the mastering of core competencies and work should be
presented and orally defended.
10. Graduation
requirements should move beyond seat time and include internships, service
learning and a major project (The International Baccalaureate’s Extended Essay
or MYP Personal Project are good examples).
Our schools urgently need reimaging and need the brave teachers and
school leaders to forge a way for others to follow in creating school
environments where students have rich, real and engaging learning opportunities
that give them the core competencies to thrive in life.
Let’s hope there is a time when Rip van Winkle does not recognize the
world he wakes up in and certainly does not recognize schools.
Peter Dry
July 2016
USA
Sources:
Wagner, T. & Dintersmith, T. (2015). Most Likely to Succeed.
Preparing our kids for the innovation era. Scribner, New York.
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