Reflection Post on Why School by Will Richardson
“How can you make sure that every student who walks on graduation day is well Googled by his or her full name?”
“Why School?” addresses school reform needed to accommodate the digital age where knowledge acquisition is no longer solely reliant on teacher instruction or trips to the library but rather, is instantly abundant and can be accessed with the swipe of a finger. Having so much information can be “overwhelming, distracting, nonsensical, and at times frightening” (think Dateline “To Catch a Predator). This raises important questions for schools on how to educate our youth so that they can make sense of all the information and connect in safe, ethical and effective ways (while at the same time maximizing their computer literacy skills).
Bringing computers and software into schools as a tool to better deliver content (i.e. online learning, self-study courses, greater student to teacher ratios) serves to benefit the tech companies most. Rather than simply using computers to teach the same old curriculum (“old wine in new bottles”), how can we incorporate technology to deeply enhance learning both in and out of the classroom?
In “Why School”, Will Richardson advocates a much different vision. The focus of technology in schools is not on delivery of content but on discovery - real life, inquiry-based learning. Students need environments where they can ask questions, work collaboratively with peers to share ideas, and use their access to knowledge to create their own path.
A few of my favorite take-aways from the “Six Unlearing/Relearning Ideas for Educators”:
“How can you make sure that every student who walks on graduation day is well Googled by his or her full name?”
“Why School?” addresses school reform needed to accommodate the digital age where knowledge acquisition is no longer solely reliant on teacher instruction or trips to the library but rather, is instantly abundant and can be accessed with the swipe of a finger. Having so much information can be “overwhelming, distracting, nonsensical, and at times frightening” (think Dateline “To Catch a Predator). This raises important questions for schools on how to educate our youth so that they can make sense of all the information and connect in safe, ethical and effective ways (while at the same time maximizing their computer literacy skills).
Bringing computers and software into schools as a tool to better deliver content (i.e. online learning, self-study courses, greater student to teacher ratios) serves to benefit the tech companies most. Rather than simply using computers to teach the same old curriculum (“old wine in new bottles”), how can we incorporate technology to deeply enhance learning both in and out of the classroom?
In “Why School”, Will Richardson advocates a much different vision. The focus of technology in schools is not on delivery of content but on discovery - real life, inquiry-based learning. Students need environments where they can ask questions, work collaboratively with peers to share ideas, and use their access to knowledge to create their own path.
A few of my favorite take-aways from the “Six Unlearing/Relearning Ideas for Educators”:
- Share everything – share your best practices - blog, video, pdf, the form doesn’t matter and worry about using another’s works for commercial purpose can be alleviated with a Creative Commons license.
Connect Now! Some leading educators to connect with and follow to get started: Terie Englebrecht, Shelley Wright, Brian Crosby - Discover, don’t deliver, the curriculum – “inspire students to pursue their own interests in the context of the subject matter”. Pose real-world problems (High Tech High ex: “What is our place in nature? Can we repair are broken relationship with our environment?), let students discover and then display their achievements in personal digital portfolios.
- Talk to strangers – “We have to learn how to break with that most elemental of parental commandments: Don’t talk to strangers. It turns out that strangers have a lot to give us that’s worthwhile, and we to them” – Steven Johnson (Time Magazine Article). Teach students how to connect with real experts in whatever subject they’re studying.
- Be a master learner – “In times of great change, learners will inherit the earth, while the learned will be beautifully equipped for a world that no longer exists” – Eric Hoffer, philosopher. Learn alongside with your students. Model what it looks like to be a master learner.
- Do real work for real audiences – Instead of an exam on the Vietnam War, interview veterans, collect the stories in a series of podcasts to share with people all over the world. Broadcast an interpretive Shakespeare performance to parents, aunts, uncles and friends via a password protected live stream.