My last post, Hypocrisy in the Profession of Education, seems to have gotten quite a few people talking about educators needing to learn more. Of course there were some who disagreed, which is an inevitable consequence of blogging. One of the comments that caused me to think even more about this educator/learner topic was a comment that I had received concerning the methods I suggested might need a revisit of learning. Authentic learning and project-based learning were two that were specifically mentioned by a commenter. The comment was to the effect that these were methods of teaching that have been with us for years, so why would educators need to learn them? That set me to examining why, or even if, we need to revisit any of the things we should be teaching. What is different about: communication, collaboration, collection of information, critical thinking, and creation from 20, 50 or 100 years ago? Obviously, the function, and purpose of those skills remains the same, so what is different? Why are we being told our students need better preparation in these skills? If we have always taught these skills before with success, what makes it different now?
We always taught kids how to write and encouraged them to get published. This was the goal of any good writer, the success of publication. The idea of submitting transcripts to publishers in great numbers as a buffer against the inevitable rejection slips was also advised. For many English teachers their greatest pride came from having a published student. What’s the difference today? The computer is the publisher. There are no rejection slips other than an audience response. Kids understand this, but many educators are playing catch up if they get it at all. I recently listened to two college professors describe their writing program and not once did they mention the words “Blog”, or “Post”. Writing for a post for an audience is different than writing a composition for your teacher to read. This is an area that all educators need to discuss and learn.
We always taught critical thinking, and how to vet sources. We taught which newspapers and magazines were reliable, trustworthy sources. Today newspapers and magazines are disappearing. They are being replaced by 24/7, cable news cycles, websites, blog posts, and social media. There is much more of a need for critical thinking skills than ever before. There are fewer reliable sources to count on. The super-pacs have proven that sound bites and images are more persuasive than facts. Again, this is an area that educators need to discuss and learn.
Communication has always been taught. We have always had kids stand before the class and deliver reports and presentations. Science fairs in every county in America have kids communicating their data on poster boards. That happens with such frequency that Poster Board manufacturing became an industry in this country. How many job seekers will put “great poster board skills” on a resume’? Yes, I know there are other important things kids learn from this beyond the poster board, but why not take them beyond the poster board? Again, this is an area that educators need to discuss and learn.
Creation is the highest point on Bloom’s Pyramid. Some educators think that it is the peak of the pyramid because it is so hard to get to without mastering all the other skills. Some people may not think everyone is capable of getting to that peak of higher order thinking skills. We might find that the reason many students don’t reach a point of creating is that we have always limited the means they had to do so. We were only equipped to receive prescribed reports, oral projects, and an occasional video project. That has all been blown up by the evolution of technology and social media. Justin Bieber was barely in his teens when he launched and promoted his creations into a multi-million dollar industry. He did not use a report, oral report, or a video tape to do this. When it comes to creation, we as educators shouldn’t limit our students. Again, this is an area that educators need to discuss and learn.
Technology has evolved at a rate which has changed our culture as a society, and has had a profound effect on education. Society’s demands on what it expects from contributors has evolved, so that what we turned out as literate in the past, is no longer literate in today’s world. Even with that being said there are many who doubt it. There are schools that refuse to recognize technology as a factor in education. Again, this is an area that educators need to discuss and learn.
I am not attacking educators on this. Our society in general needs to discuss and learn. We need more people to be connected. Technology is not going away or standing still. It will continue to evolve whether individuals accept that or not. If it is a factor in our society as a tool for: communication, collaboration, collection of information, critical thinking, and creation, then we must teach our citizens how to use it as a tool. Our kids will be required to do so in their world, which is not here yet. It should change priorities in education as to what we teach and how we teach it. Authentic learning and critical thinking are now huge factors because kids are learning and interacting without the benefit of a classroom or a school. Education must not be limited by standardized testing. Our responsibility as educators is too great. These topics of discussion would best be served through leadership. Education administrators may need to prioritize these discussions over those of budgets and tests. These are the concerns that need to be driven by Professional Development. This is an area that educators and parents need to discuss and learn.
My Island View 
Tom, I appreciate your perspective. I recently applied for a new position within my school district where “Information Omnivore” was listed in the Requirements section of the job description. I would like to suggest that all educators should meet this challenge of becoming an information omnivore, therefore communicating, collaborating, collecting and curating information as well as discussing it with others.
Meaningful and consistent Professional Development supports teachers in having the time to learn and discuss, time often being the chief culprit as to why some of these discussions aren’t’ happening. Well, time and lack of information.
You bring up a very important point about including parents in these discussions and learning. Parents need a roadmap to understand how to support their child’s learning. As my students began blogging this year, I shared resources with parents via formats that worked best for them- print, email and Facebook. Many had no idea was an RSS feed was and learned how to create a Google Reader account to follow their child’s blog. The trifecta of empowered students, parents and teachers presents a powerful voice in discussion and learning.
Thankfully, I am an Information Omnivore and got the job, one where I will be a catalyst for the very learning and discussions you’re sharing today.
– Sara
Tom, in your blog you state “We always taught critical thinking, and how to vet sources. We taught which newspapers and magazines were reliable, trustworthy sources. Today newspapers and magazines are disappearing. They are being replaced by 24/7, cable news cycles, websites, blog posts, and social media. There is much more of a need for critical thinking skills than ever before. There are fewer reliable sources to count on. The super-pacs have proven that sound bites and images are more persuasive than facts. Again, this is an area that educators need to discuss and learn.”
One of the biggest problems in education today is that we have produced several generations of adults who do not think as critically as they believe they do. Over the years, the teaching of critical thinking skills has taken a back seat to “teaching to the test,” leaving many individuals far too vulnerable to the information overload they experience with all the technological information that has been inundating the world and the “infonet.” Not enough people who write check their sources, much less the facts they read or write about. Instead, if something “sounds” or “seems” right, or (worse) if words simply agree with their own viewpoint, then they decide it must be correct.
It’s not that teachers don’t want to teach critical thinking skills, it’s that their time is focused on getting students to pass the state exams. Instead of making certain that the test skills are included as part of the classroom curriculum instead of being the curriculum, they have their jobs to keep–jobs that may not be renewed because of lower test scores on the parts of their students then the principal (reasonably or not) expects to see.
That critical thinking is important in invention (read: “creativity”) seems to be ignored in favor of test-taking skills. The result is that, as adults, these students are unable to create quality products or to generate solid advertising ideas, and consumers turn to products created elsewhere. To be creative, one also needs the ability to critically think about the outcomes–the pros and the cons. Students in most public schools no longer learn these skills, and suffer in the long run.
That’s just one of the topics you posed that makes me wonder about the such overly strong support for what often barely pass for educational standards that you touch upon in this post. The real question is how are we going to change this insane mind-set among education administrators, and how will we improve public education for all?
Enjoyed reading your post, and hope this all makes sense. :=)
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Educators aren’t born with the inherited knowledge from all past generations. Even if educators, as a network, collectively know something, each individual person needs to learn that thing from scratch.
Creation may need to be scaffolded, but that individualized scaffolding is the foundation of PBL and Flipped lessons.
My classroom looks nothing like the classrooms I grew up in. That said, I gleaned a great deal of teaching background knowledge from my mother as she talked over dinner. The knowledge I gained doesn’t help my technology, but it helped me better understand students as learners. For instance, I learned:
– It’s important to ask students why they are doing what they are doing. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at the logic behind what seems illogical.
– Refrain from having students correct mistakes first thing in the morning. Make them feel successful right away.
– Always know why you’re doing what you’re doing.
– Make sure every child is challenged to his or her potential.
Mom didn’t know PBL and she was rather afraid of tech. But her teaching philosophy was sound. The trick is to meld the solid pedagogy with new techniques.