TQ #5

From September 29, 2008

I always try to be realistic, but I suppose this time around I'll just be idealistic. I am most interested in high schools, so that is the 'school' I will be referring to throughout this post. I have always taken a more student-centered approach. I think the only way to achieve a truly student centered approach begins with standards as we know them being completely overhauled. Between the PSSA and NCLB, the standards currently being imposed on students and teachers are increasing becoming unbearable. The creativity in classrooms is literally being sucked out. I reflect on my time in school and some of the activities my teachers provided for my classes to participate in, and after spending over 50 hours observing this year, these kinds of activities have fallen by the wayside. It is absolutely pathetic that teachers - learning theory professionals - are forced to teach within a box. Instead of using more creative activities or taking advantage of technology to enhance learning, teachers are proctoring PSSA "check point" exams to find how students match up against the test. Funny how education professionals have little control over what gets on those assessments - at least the ones working in the schools.

Once the standards become more realistic and allow for greater flexibility in how material is taught, not only will a more student centered education environment become possible, but learning and retention will definitely improve. I'm reading A Whole New Mind by Dan Pink, and the ideas detailed in that book are fantastic. However, in the current system, they require way more effort to implement than they should. One of the six aptitudes he discusses is the idea of "Symphony". At first read, I wasn't quite sure what he was going for but after thinking about it and how it may be applied in a student centered environment, it makes great sense. According to Pink, symphony is the ability to see the bigger picture and how each of its pieces fit together. It is also the ability to draw connections between typically unrelated ideas in order to find patterns or develop something new by putting pieces together in ways that have never been done before. The other piece of symphony that speaks directly to my philosophy is the idea of keeping what works, and abandoning what does not. In my observation, this may be the most important idea to start applying right away. Because of the incredible time limitations on teachers, students, and administrators these days, it is ridiculous to add something potentially good/better while desperately clinging to what you know is not working. It is far better to leave behind what should be left behind, and reconstruct the bigger picture with better parts.

I would venture to guess that Wenglinsky would agree with Pink's idea of symphony. Wenglinsky tends to have a more constructivist approach which I also believe has a place in the future of education. He suggests at one point that embedding basic skills within more complex problems are more interesting for students and helps students understand broader concepts. This fits right into Pink's bigger picture argument. I have always been a firm believer in education that is practical. I believe that the key to true understanding of theory is best illustrated by practical learning. Even though most students reach the cognitive development stage that enables abstract thinking skills, that does not mean that abstract thinking makes learning easy for some of those students. I'll use math as an example. You can teach mathematical theories and formulas until you are blue in the face. You can give test on whether or not student can memorize formulas. But, in all honesty, what meaning does a theory and formula carry with it devoid of any idea of how to apply it to real-life situations. What relevance does geometry have without drawing connections to geometric shapes and principles encountered all around us in the real world. A focus on practical problems would give students the chance to apply theory to real-life - or connect the abstract to prior knowledge. There is a ton of research that argues that connecting abstract ideas to prior knowledge profoundly increases retention.

Pink, D. "A Whole New Mind"
Wenglinsky, H. "Using Technology Wisely"