These systems box us in. We are publicly judged and sentenced by them. In the video Learning to Change - Changing to Learn, Yong Zhao talked about NCLB fading away... however, it seems that no matter which way we turn there are always new systems to take their places: the New State Report Card and rating system, the new and required teacher evaluation system, Smarter Balanced and so on. Just under new names and with new acronyms!
Life in educational leadership can feel a lot like a salmon swimming upstream - there are always new systems that box us into old and familiar ways of doing things, even though we know that trying the same thing over and over and expecting different results is the very definition of insanity!
Also in the video Learning to Change - Changing to Learn, I loved the quote: "the death of education and the dawn of learning." Which is a perfect segue into the following two videos we saw today. In his TED talk, Sir Ken talked about the need for a revolution rather than the continuous drudgery of trying to fix something that is, in reality, broken. Again we are swimming against things which are larger than us - a shift in how society views and honors success. The idea that someone who aspires to be a fireman isn't as good as someone who wants to go to college. Image a world full of the academic types - a whole lot of thinking would happen but not a lot of doing! We need doers and thinkers and a whole lot in between.
Although there is much much more to be pondered upon from Sugata Mitra's research, the key thing that stuck out to me was the collaborative nature of learning and how much more was retained when it was student driven, interactive and collaborative! If you take Sir Ken's idea about a revolution, I think Sugata's SOLE concept is one worthy of some consideration.... talk about flipping the learning environment on it's head! Anther potential from Sugata's SOLE model is the idea of creating internationally minded learners. His learners were crossing cultural and linguistic barriers left and right!!
Is the system the issue, or is the the kind of system? We need the order and consistency, but something that will inspire and motivate, not burden and make into drudgery. How do we do this? What's the first, small step? Is SBLS the answer?
ReplyDeleteThanks for being a part of this class!
Hi Annie: It sounds like we had some similar feelings raised during the course of the day. How to make systemic changes that would benefit all kids rather than one size model. I like your comment at the end about the idea of raising international-minded kids by the method Mitra was practicing. I like the idea that a teacher can be in one room and a continent away students are practicing English with her. Without technology this would not be possible. It also suggests we can reach more kids with fewer resources. One computer can do a lot. Of course we still need that human element as well. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI like your analogy of the salmon swimming upstream. Unfortunately, there are not enough fish ladders to get past all the dams! Although, the concept of SOLE could help to actually tear some of those dams down.
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