The concept of a growth model rather than a change model resonates with me. "Change in schools can often feel trendy and superficial, whereas growth is positive and deep." Heidi Hayes Jacobs talks about upgrading curriculum - an approach that is 'nonthreatening' and can be implemented gradually. I think this is brilliant, because part of the problem with change in schools is that the adults are so entrenched in their ways and terribly sensitive to what they perceive to be imposed changes from the outside.
"Form should support function and not lead it" - in other words, schedules, groupings of children, use of space, and personnel should support the curriculum we design and the goals we establish for students to achieve. We should not try to fit curriculum into the programs we have inherited from previous generations.
"Intellects are scoffed at in the United States ... (yet) a genuine and engaging emphasis on ideas in necessary in determining the curriculum." I have always been mystified by our national inclination to disparage our thinkers. I have spent some time in France, where the entire nation is capable of sitting down at a dinner party and exchanging ideas that include references to history, world affairs, literature. Why is it better to be ignorant?
Hayes Jacobs talkes about the necessity of cultivating the creative spirit of the people of the USA.
Chapter Two
Practical advice ... start with upgrading assessments and then look at content and desired proficiencies
I love the 21st Century Pledge, with its advice to start with one unit, replacing or upgrading pieces within the unit, and especially "to tolerate a certain degree of frustration".
"I would encourage teachers to stretch themselves and commit to becoming comfortable with at least one new tool per semester or school year." The intent here is to find out what is available already within the technological suitcase of the school district, become comfortable with it, and use it with students. I appreciate the understanding that teachers need time to learn new technology and that it makes sense to learn step by step, rather than dumping the whole suitcase out at once and expecting to master it.
The suggestion to put on the calendar several skill and assessment upgrade review days for teachers is a good one. This way everyone will be reminded that this is a goal and the work won't be overlooked in favor of more bureaucratic professional days.
Chapter Three
Each discipline should be reviewed by a team, and eventually by all members of the school.
Guiding questions for curriculum review teams -
- what content choices are dated and nonessential?
- what choices are timely and necessary? (what are scientists studying? what are historians working on? etc.)
- are interdisciplinary content choices rich, natural, and rigorous?
Use a lot of maps! Lots of types of maps! Bring the globe into each subject at every level.
Fareed Zakaria about his book: "This is not a book about the decline of America, but rather about the rise of everyone else."
Importance of learning languages: There is arguably no more direct route for understanding another country or understanding someone else's perspective than working at using their language.
Importance of teachers keeping up with new knowledge and breakthroughs.
Chapter Four
We need new versions of school.
Schedule:
We should not start with a set schedule and then fit curriculum into the set blocks of time. We should think of what the curriculum requires and build a schedule around curricular need.
I totally agree with this but wonder how to convince others this is worth the effort. At the moment a few people design the schedule in the schools where I work and others have little to no input. Blocks of time revolve around one main ingredient: days of the week when 'specials' teachers are in the school.
I do wonder about the movement toward individualization of curriculum. I hear lots of people promoting its benefits but I am concerned on a practical level about several issues: we want students to collaborate and we want them to do projects and work on real-life problems. How does that happen if everyone is following their own path? Also, how in the world does the teacher manage all of this? I would truly love to visit a school that was operating this way.
Grouping of students:
We should consider the special needs of students when we place them in groups. Students may sometimes benefit by being in same-sex groups; accelerated groups; decelerated groups; individual programs. At the moment students tend to move together in lock-step. Schools should be looking for ways to group flexibly based on need of students.
Grouping of adults:
How about grouping teachers to solve a particular problem? I love this idea. For years I have been really annoyed by the meetings teachers have at the end of the year when it comes to grouping students for the following year. In my district 'specials' teachers are not included in these meetings - yet we are the ones who have known the children for years! We have an important perspective to offer when it comes to dynamics in the group and the development of individual children over time. This could be an example of a problem to solve that would bring together certain teachers for a specific purpose.
Instead in one of my schools we have a rigid schedule of when certain teams of teachers meet. At no time are teachers asked for input into how the groupings should be framed.
Physical and virtual space:
Exciting to think about the ways existing buildings could be altered, even in small ways, to allow for more active learning, more private spaces for reflection, convenient studios for making podcasts or working on movies, etc. www.designshare.com
"The main contention of this chapter is that a key reason reform efforts often have limited effectiveness is that they are not made in concert with corresponding adjustments in the other structures. The reforms themselves are often tepid and stay within the existing conception of an organization. Most important, the motivation for the specific reform is too often detached from the curricular and instructional needs of the specific learners. Changes in one structure affect the others."
In other words, grouping students in new ways but keeping the schedule inflexible and the teachers disconnected will not really do much to improve education. In order to make a real difference in what goes on in schools all four elements of programming need to be adjusted until they meet the needs of learners.
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The ideas in these four chapters resonate strongly with me and I very much want to work with others in my school district to move the education we offer away from the factory model to one more appropriate to the learning needs of students growing up in the 21st century.
I have found in my district that educators need exposure to new ideas - many seem out of the loop when it comes to engaging in an open, thoughtful, creative dialogue about education.
It seems to me that we need leaders who will help teachers, board members, and other administrators join the dialogue about how to really move schools forward.
Even with a strong leader, in some districts, it will be a long uphill climb, with uncertain outcomes. Convening a Task Force that includes leaders in the community as well as in the schools could facilitate a conversation. Forging alliances with powerful school board members can be helpful as well.
Actually I really like the idea of a book study. I am trying to convene a Task Force on Global Education. Maybe I will include a book study!
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