TEDxEPS Talk Prep
To prove the point I’d like to make during my TEDxEPS talk, I’d like to throw my initial ideas to you all, like chum to a tank of sharks.
Here’s the prompt from the lovely people at Eastside Prep:
What could education look like in the next 5-20 years? What paths must we follow to develop engaged citizens in a digitized age?
- What assumptions about our current education systems no longer hold based on new capabilities, new insights and new developments in the fields of brain and behavioral research?
- What essential attributes must remain in future incarnations of our education system to be successful?
I have a natural aversion to futurism, so my talk is going to center on pragmatism. I want teachers, parents, administrators, and students that listen to my talk to know what a young teacher views as his ideal future school.
Here’s my start, can I get some help?
This is an artist's rendition of Shawn Cornally in 5-20 years. (Or Gandalf, whichever)
These Shall Not Pass:
- Seat time as a measurement of “education.” Good God, eff seat time.
- Standardized testing as a measurement of the education system’s success.
- The entirely scheduled school day.
- Ignoring the new digital oral tradition that is the news feed.
- Being boring. (i.e. not telling stories)
What Must Be Retained:
- Invested, expert, and interesting teachers.
- Formative assessment
- The concept of Liberal Arts
In keep with the TED Commandments, I must be sure not to “trot out” my usual “schtick.” So, help me add to this. What do we — as a community of invested, expert, and interesting teachers — want to see in the next 5 years? What shall not pass, and what should we be sure to preserve?
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Great to see everyone’s ideas. These are such provocative questions, I think I’ll get this dialogue going with my (tiny) school. I’m really looking forward to your talk, Shawn. Here’s my list:
Has a reason to exist and grow old:
-Promoting open discussion in an environment where it’s okay for students not to know the answer to questions posed by classmates or teacher. What students THINK is what matters in learning.
-Getting to know students as human beings. We may be the only adults that pay any attention to some of our students, so showing how deeply we care for/about them is crucial.
-Encouraging creativity in students’ thinking and in the ways they demonstrate their understanding of key concepts.
-Promoting understanding at a deeper level at an appropriate pace, rather than “covering” many concepts superficially.
-Letting kids be kids while they’re kids. We’re only young once. Meaningless homework is a waste of the magic of youth.
-Explicitly teaching social skills and character development. Many parents aren’t getting it done (and many are, but reinforcement helps).
SHALL NOT PASS:
-Prioritizing content/curriculum over students.
-Rigid course goals entirely decided by the teacher.
-High school as a “holding tank” to prepare “qualified” students for college.
-Implying that success can only be bought with a college degree. Consider the many aimless and jobless college grads, and many successful adults who have no higher education. College is not for everyone, and it doesn’t need to be.
Needs to die:
Teachers standing in the front of the room leashed to the overhead.
Grading practices of assigning a 0 when the student doesn’t submit work. (Why let the little guys off the hook so easily?!?)
Reading off homework answers, immediately followed by “Any questions? Good, let’s move on.”
Needs to thrive:
Feedback, feedback, feedback!!!
Time set aside for students to discuss the learning.
Student led curriculum pacing: (Can a good teacher truly plan a homework assignment 8 weeks in advance and know for certain that day and time their students are ready?)
Thanks for your blog.
Full disclosure: I work at Eastside Prep, and I can’t friggin’ wait for this event.
Keep: small-group, project-based, collaborative learning with authentic tasks
Develop: just-in-time resource services and libraries
Shall not pass: bells, one-size-fits-all assessments, lesson plans, ‘summative’ assessments, isolated classrooms, isolated schools, bans on digital social networking, default distrust of students (alright, now I’m just ranting)
I’m really happy to see “3. The Concept of Liberal Arts” Maybe it’s just cause I spend most of my time in a Computer Science department, but I’m really concerned that STEM initiatives often have the unintentional effect of redirecting rather than simply increasing education funding/interest.
Also, this might just be another concern born out of immersion in the tech sphere, but some of your points seem to ambiguously address the debate between distance/digital learning and classroom learning. I’m assuming that you’re trying to straddle that divide with some sort of “computers/media provide important out of classroom learning experiences BUT that’s a complement not replacement for in-person classroom learning.” Maybe that’s not your sentiment, but it might be a good idea to directly address that dichotomy/debate.
Essential for the future–
Great teachers who:
Use formative assessment and give valuable feedback
Use standards- based grading to show the learning targets ( not just standardized test)
Teach learning how to learn
Employ “response” to all learners by engaging, designing tasks to the interest and readiness of the student
Embrace technology and the excitement/opportunities
Model continuous learning and reflection
Find the teaching profession regaining respect–
Posting from Wisconsin:)
Your blog is one of my favorites!!! Thanks for always thinking.
Trash:
Recording what students have done, ie points
Keep:
Students & Adults
What a timely post! I was posed the same question for my grad school application.
Basically my thesis statement is this: I believe we must create globally aware and competitive students that are literate in the 21st century skills.
The proven skills that students need to be able to do still hold true. Students must be able to evaluate, synthesize, analyze, apply, critique, problem-solve, collaborate and create.
I am not saying this is not already going on. There are “pockets” of students who have the ability to do this. What I am arguing is the ALL students should have the opportunity and right to learn, refine, and develop these skills. I truly believe that all teachers strive to teach these skills.
The difference between the “old skills” and 21st Century skills is the mode in which we teach the skills. We must break down of the school walls and change the “industrial mode” of teaching.
We, as educators, have the ability to open the world to students. We are no longer constricted to textbooks that are out of date the minute you open them. No longer is the teacher the holder of all the knowledge. We can connect our students to others around the world in manner of seconds. Our students can network with many different cultures. They can learn and collaborate with others.
Our role has changed. We are now the facilitator of learning. We are there to help students refine and develop the “proven” skills. We must relinquish “control” and allow our students to be creative in their problem-solving, creating, evaluating, etc.
We must be open to these changes or we will have a detrimental affect on the younger generations in this global economy.
This is awesome, keep it coming. I especially love: ditch sorting keep learning.
Shall not pass
1. A closed school that ignores the community it resides in and serves
Shall be retained
1. A school as community platform that develops authentic relationships between learners and the community as well as the world.
retain, or increase. I say retain because the ideas are not new, I say increase because they are not being implemented on any wide scale:
1) Learning how to learn – I became a great learner when I learned a little bit about learning theory and psychology.
2) The art and science of questioning – socrates did it thousands of years ago, and I bet the best teachers will do it thousands of years from now. The key is to use the questions to generate new ideas, new directions, and new questions. Most teachers nowadays ask questions to generate “right” answers.
Shall also not pass:
- “good” grades are rewards, “bad” grades are punishments
- school is about sorting rather than learning
- school is exclusively about vocational training
- “best practices” thinking without reflection about the importance of context
Shall Not Pass:
Static Textbooks
What must be retained:
Better teacher prep
Yeah, I am not to be confused with an expert on anything….but I thought I would get the run to the record off to a good start…keep up the good work. I enjoy reading…#gohawks