Challenging Assumptions. |
"Do the best you can until you know better. When you know better, do better." - MAYA ANGELOU
LIVE IN PERPETUAL BETA
The evidence of societal change is difficult to miss. The ubiquity of technology, shift in paradigms of communication, the rise of automation, the abundance of information at our fingertips, the prevalence of big data - each of these trends (and so many more!) impact our lives on a daily basis. As Joi Ito and Jeff Howe state in their book Whiplash, "These are exponential times." And yet, when we reflect on the scale and scope of change in our schools, it's easy to see that education is not keeping pace.
The mimeograph machine may have been replaced with a copier (or even a digital workflow) but look at the content of our curriculum, the structure of our classrooms, the organization of time, the questions we ask, the ways we assess learning, the types of grading practices we use have remained similar to those of schools from decades ago. When you think of how similar school looks across generations, it's obvious that these are not necessarily "exponential times" for educators.
The evidence of societal change is difficult to miss. The ubiquity of technology, shift in paradigms of communication, the rise of automation, the abundance of information at our fingertips, the prevalence of big data - each of these trends (and so many more!) impact our lives on a daily basis. As Joi Ito and Jeff Howe state in their book Whiplash, "These are exponential times." And yet, when we reflect on the scale and scope of change in our schools, it's easy to see that education is not keeping pace.
The mimeograph machine may have been replaced with a copier (or even a digital workflow) but look at the content of our curriculum, the structure of our classrooms, the organization of time, the questions we ask, the ways we assess learning, the types of grading practices we use have remained similar to those of schools from decades ago. When you think of how similar school looks across generations, it's obvious that these are not necessarily "exponential times" for educators.
The promise and potential of our schools can be seen when you ask students, teachers, and parents to articulate their beliefs about learning. They immediately connect with the aspirational parts of learning. Despite this, the work that takes place in our schools and classrooms does not always reflect these beliefs. One way to approach this disconnect is to work collaboratively to identify the assumptions we make about schools and learning that pull us away from our beliefs about learning. When we highlight the assumptions, we begin to recognize the power we have to change the conditions that limit learning.
Quotes from Most Likely to Succeed |
Example: Testing is the best way to measure learning.
What assumptions do we make about school and/or learning?
Write your answer on the provided sticky note and then place it under the categories posted around the room.