Similar to Will Richardson's question of "Why School", Seth Godin has an essential question to ask students and educators: What is school for? In his TedxYouth speech at the Brooklyn Free School, Godin describes what schools in the U.S. used to be for in the early-to-mid twentieth century. School was a place to learn obedience and compliance along with preparation for factory work. It was a place where young people learned basic skills that would allow them to join whatever industry needed them most. Godin goes on to say explain how the ubiquity of the internet has shattered that concept of school. At any given place at any given time, we have an endless database of information available to us. Because of this, Godin suggests, schools must change what and how they're teaching. His message is summed up quite beautifully when he says, "Are we teaching kids to collect dots or are we teaching kids to connect dots?" Information is easily accessible. Critical thinking, making broader connections, developing creativity, and analyzing information are just some of the skills we should be focusing on.
Godin makes an important sociological observation when it comes to individuals participating in everyday activities. When it comes to work, people try to figure out how to do less, which certainly sounds like my high school and college experience. He goes on to say that this is why teachers so often hear, "Is this going to be on the test?" Students want to know what content is important and what isn't so they can minimize the workload while still achieving success. On the other hand, when it's art, people try to figure out how to do more. This is clearly exemplified when you try to persuade a 10 year old to stop playing Minecraft. They come up with a wide variety of excuses and pleads in order to keep playing/creating. I recently took part in an art and wine workshop which was supposed to last three hours. Even after the instructor told everyone to start cleaning up, over half the class, including myself, continued touching up their canvas. I don't even like painting, but I wished to continue because I was invested in what I had created. This is representative of the world today. We wish to only spend time, money, and effort on those things that are interesting or that matter to us. Nevertheless, that's not the way school is designed. If we are to adapt our schools to fit our modern society, Godin explains, there are several ideas we may want to consider. 1) Transform the teacher into a coach and flip the classroom so students are learning from the plethora of experts online in the evening and asking questions and being guided by the teacher during the day. 2) Make tests open book and open note because if something is important enough to put on a test, it's important enough to have a student access that knowledge using his/her resources. 3) Make education about precise, focused studies as opposed to broad, surface-level studies. 4) Isolation is outdated. Cooperation is paramount. 5) We must eliminate the idea of the "famous college" because having a degree from a prestigious institution doesn't mean you're any more prepared or well-suited for life's challenges than someone who went to an undistinguished college. 6) We must think of education as a life-long endeavor. As a teacher, I plan to make lessons that will hopefully get students engaged in the learning experience. I would definitely consider using a flipped classroom approach, but at the very least, I will use technology and the multitude of online resources to serve as teachers for my students. I wish to find ways to make learning as interactive as possible and allow students to create and investigate what interests them. I want to make sure my students are connecting the dots, not just collecting them. TedxYouth. (2012, October 16). STOP STEALING DREAMS: Seth Godin at TEDxYouth@BFS [video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXpbONjV1Jc&index=10&list=PLbRLdW37G3oMquOaC-HeUIt6CWk-FzaGp
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AuthorGeorge Porter, English Teacher at Sage Creek Archives
May 2016
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