Been thinking about what I think.
And what I keep thinking is this: for all the talking about "science", "technology", "engineering", and "math" (and now, "art" -- which I guess is supposed to make us feel better about standardizing education), we are missing out on a chance to reach kids and engage with them on the issues that really matter: life, death, love, compassion, creativity, truth.
I realize that there are many teachers who will say that they integrate all of these together in their teaching. And that is wonderful.
But it's not enough.
It's not enough to be a teacher of math or a teacher of history; we need to liberate ourselves from 1,500 years of disciplinarian categorization and move into a view of education as the preparation of the self in the matters of living.
Science, technology, engineering, math, and yes even art -- though wonderful and necessary in and of themselves -- are only tools, lenses really through which to measure, process, and evaluate the world.
We need to go beyond that.
I don't know what the "beyond that" looks like. I don't have the answers. But I do think that if we want to stay alive as a species on this planet, we're going to have to do a lot more than create new technologies. We're going to have to learn to love one another.
And that should be the only standard.
Thank you to all of the folks who helped me out at ISTE, from @SenorG who set me up with great hospitality to the ISTE volunteers and folks who were kind and happy to chat and give directions to a guy like me who is perpetually lost.
Thank you.
Sun in Capricorn I
-
Capricorn I — The Headless Body, according to Austin Coppock‘s system —
begins on December 21 2024 at 4:20 am EST, and continues until 30 December
2024 at ...
you are spot on good man.
ReplyDeleteWhat you are thinking about totally reminds me of Star Trek TNG. You would like to see the world of the 24th century now. In the Star Trek mythos money "went the way of the dinosaur" by the 22nd century. Free of the need for things and free of the desire to accumulate wealth people focus on improving themselves and human kind. The 24th century school was very appealing to me and sounds a lot like what I've been reading many in my PLN writing about. When I first watched TNG I waited for the day when we'd be using computers that looked like thin, little pads and here I'm typing this on an iPad. :) I think that we can go "beyond that" now. I was just reflecting on Matt Guthrie's blog that I long for all the changes we are envisioning for 21st century Ed so I'm making as many of those changes as I can in my classroom. Too bad these changes are coming so slowly.
ReplyDeleteSimple yet not so simple. To the point yet far from pin pointing the point. A blog post that asks a question and ends up with yet more questions than answers must be on to something
ReplyDeleteJoe
Getting teachers to move away from being teachers of content to teachers of living human beings is a challenge at the high school level. College graduates think in terms of being teachers of math, science, social studies, and math. I am guilty of the same myself when I taught. Our move to 21st education requires a cultural redefining of what a teacher really is and really does. Your post is an excellent starting point for that. Thanks for posting.
ReplyDeleteJ Robinson
I think it was Sir Ken Robinson who said that whilst schools are linear - focused towards moving on from year to year and then to college, we struggle to achieve creativity . I guess you have seen his talks on TED Talks - well worth it.
ReplyDeleteWhen I have students come into my classroom hungry and starving for attention, math is the last thing that they are thinking about. I know that they need to exceed in science, technology, math and even art so that an education can enable them to succeed in society. However, I do need to love the child and meet as many needs as I can. I also thought of what you said about loving each other. I seem to compete with the art class down the hall and the science teacher downstairs but rather we need to work together to make this child a well rounded person.
ReplyDelete"...we are missing out on a chance to reach kids and engage with them on the issues that really matter: life, death, love, compassion, creativity, truth."
ReplyDeleteWell said.
Thanks for this, for pointing out the need to encourage interdisciplinarity and empathy—not just in education/schools, but everywhere.
ReplyDeleteAs long as we focus on mental constructs like 'skills' and 'content', rather than on problems, collaborations, and construction we are just feeding the "1,500 years of disciplinarian categorization". Interdisciplinary work is like technology integration...evolution rather than the revolution we need, we need to get beyond the concept of a discipline.
ReplyDelete"But I do think that if we want to stay alive as a species on this planet, we're going to have to do a lot more than create new technologies. We're going to have to learn to love one another."
ReplyDeleteI concur, sir.
(Note... I work for the company I'm about to mention, so take this recommendation with a grain of salt.) We've built a service called A Story Before Bed (www.astorybeforebed.com) which offers parents and their little ones an opportunity to video record themselves reading children's books online together for free. This is great for parents/grandparents who can't be near their child at bedtime. I think this can be another tool in a parent's literacy arsenal and a good way to create treasured memories. We would love hearing everyone's thoughts about our service, and hope you enjoy! :)