Turns out, we who live in western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic societies are actually as WEIRD as the acronym for that group spells out. According to research by University of British Columbia professor Joe Henrich (now of Harvard,) "Members of WEIRD societies, including young children, are among the least representative populations one could find for generalizing about humans." And therefore, Henrich argues, we have to be really careful to apply behavioral or psychological (or other) types of research done on WEIRD populations to humans in general, in short because we are not the norm in the world. In fact, we are at the far end of the outlier spectrum when it comes to our behavior. That point is raised at the beginning of a presentation by Carol Black that I came across this week. Black, the creator and early producer of the TV show "The Wonder Years," is also a powerful writer about learning and schools (and "unschooling"), and one of her blog posts … [Read more...]
The Unpleasant Truth About Equity
Equity is a topic that takes center stage in many education conversations, and rightly so. It’s about every child being given a “fair go." We often voice our concerns about the plight of the underserved in our communities, and as educators, we always strive to address their disadvantage within the resources we have available. At times, it can seem almost pointless when faced with the barriers and handicaps that society has placed in front of so many of our young people, yet as educators, our moral compasses guide us to try and give every child equal opportunity. It’s not easy. Whether you are dealing with disability, cultural or demographic limitations, or probably the most challenging, financial disadvantage, every day schools across the globe seek to offer a leg up to the less fortunate in our communities. It can be as minor as funding books or technology or lunches, or as major as comprehensive welfare support programs such as those that are now common place in many … [Read more...]
A response to Prince Ea’s viral video “What is School For?”
The "Let's Change School" conversation came to the forefront again this week after a video collaboration between Ted Dintersmith and the rapper Prince Ea went viral. As we write this, the video has been up for a little over 4 days, and between YouTube and Facebook, it has almost 10 million views and over 25,000 comments. We think that qualifies as viral. Why would a video about the need to change school go viral? Why is this particular video zooming around the Interwebs at warp speed? Is it the high production value? The captivating spoken poetry by a well followed You Tube talent? The cute kids? All of the above? While those may be the most obvious answers, we'd like to add another one: Because almost everyone can relate. Ask yourself... With the caveat that at moments the video is a bit hyperbolic, a little too self-serving, and tries too hard for that emotional response (a couple of my friends called it “icky”) - despite all that, which of the messages embedded in … [Read more...]
Connections and Community in a Modern Learning World
In our last Shifting Conversation post, the 250th in the series, Bruce shared the evolution of Modern Learners over the last five years, a few of the tools we use to thrive (and survive) as a team, and the pivots we made along the way. Since Bruce and Will have spent the past week traveling to facilitate Modern Learners’ Labs in Perth, Auckland, and Christchurch, Missy and I are eager to share more about who we are and what we have in store for you. It’s interesting, isn’t it, how we amplify lists of “Skills all Workers Will Need in 2040” and remark, “Did you know our students will be working in jobs that don’t even exist yet?” and with this certain amount of rhetoric comes the reality of living and working in a fluid, dynamic, primarily online learning environment. Occasionally we have to stop and consider what a different time and place this world of modern learning really is, and how it influences not only our work, learning, and connections with other educators, but also our … [Read more...]
How Long is the Long Run?
I recently reviewed a Seth Godin podcast called the Long Term. It was an interesting commentary by Seth on the significant benefits we see when we are committed to the long run...olive farmers and investors included. So given this week's post will be our 250th Shifting Conversation, I’m giving myself the luxury of reflecting on just how far we have come with Modern Learners over the past five years, which in the world of new media startups is undoubtedly a long time. It’s a journey, as many of you know, that actually started towards the end of 2010, when Will and I were sharing our observations about how the increasing rate of change in our lives was making schools less and less relevant. As you might expect, we were going hardcore on what we saw as the increasingly obvious, urgent and inevitable need for change in our schools, but at the same time we were both drawn to thinking about how we needed to also change how we were working if we were to have more impact and … [Read more...]
Choosing Progressive Education for Modern Learning
While it's hard to count the number of profound thoughts and insights that frequent Timeless Learning, the absolutely powerful new book from Ira Socol, Pam Moran, and Chad Ratliff that's coming out next week, this one particular passage had my inner and outer edu-activist pumping his fist: Adults may argue about this – they do argue about it – but despite the historical victories of industrial education, the fundamental utility of school has now firmly shifted to the progressive educational ideal, what John Dewey wanted” (97). Finally, some well-respected voices who categorically state that for this modern era, for the sake of today's kids living in today's world, we must choose Dewey over Thorndike, not the other way around. To be sure, I know many progressive educators in classrooms and schools right now. Heck, there are actually a smattering of fully functioning and fully committed progressive schools where absolutely amazing things are happening with kids and teachers who are … [Read more...]
Who Are These Modern Learners?
With all the talk around modern learners, it’s probably time we got up close and personal to understand a little more about their motivations, behaviors, and attitudes. First up, let’s be clear. Modern learners aren’t defined by an age group or demographic but rather by their habits, dispositions, and most importantly their ideas about the rapidly changing world in which they now live. They identify by how they function within that modern context. They’re motivated by unlimited access to the world around them and a freedom to learn, and consequently, their behavior is in stark contrast to learners of old. These are not young people who come to us tabla rasa, empty vessels to be filled with prescribed, testable lumps of knowledge. Rather they aspire to be designers of the changing world. They are producers and contributors, not just passive consumers. Ten years ago, at a small research and development operation at ideaslab in Broadmeadows, Australia we spent several years … [Read more...]
Why Start With Why Not?
Have you noticed the "new" trend in thinking about schools? I put "new" in quotes because, of course, it really isn't new at all. In fact, you might call it a renaissance of the thinking that we've always known to be true about bringing kids together to learn with adults in shared spaces. Maria Montessori knew it. John Dewey knew it. Seymour Papert knew it. Deb Meier has known in for half a century: Learning happens more deeply when kids are in charge, when they have choice, when they have freedom and agency. And now, it's becoming much more common to see examples of these schools, new and old, becoming the focus of our conversations around education. The Albemarle Tech: The Center for Creativity and Invention, a new school in Virginia this fall, is a: Full time experience without learning time limitations, curricular divisions, or traditional grading practices. Students will have the opportunity to imagine, design, collaborate, and complete projects both within their own … [Read more...]
Accountability and the Tyranny of Metrics
I think it might be high time we called “accountability” and its kissing cousins “metrics” and “performance indicators” to account. For educators, that draws a focus to assessment, where maybe it's time we asked if high-stakes standardized testing has finally reached its use by date? I mean what do you think it will take before we see public acknowledgment that the damage such ill-conceived tests have done to our kids and their learning, far outweighs any real or perceived benefits? Will it be when we have evidence that supports the depth and breadth of the damage to our learners? In my mind, there is no doubt we already have that, in fact, an overwhelming amounts. Our recent Whitepaper, 7 Strategies to Win the War on Learning references a significant number, and the thousands of downloads would suggest it's already provoking a wider conversation. Will it be when we see policy action at a senior government level that acknowledges the need for alternatives? That is also already … [Read more...]
EdTech is Driving Me Crazy, Too
There's a growing sense that we've reached a breaking point with technologies in the classroom. France is banning all mobile devices from middle and high school next fall. Privacy concerns continue to mount around Google Classroom and other school wide "solutions" that attempt to manage the daily interactions between teachers and students. And now, as AI and VR and AR begin to attach their tentacles to education, concerns about how to marry tech and teachers are reaching new heights. Good times. Yet, as someone who celebrated his 17-year blogging anniversary this week, I'm still in the camp that says humans and technologies can work together in powerful ways in classroom learning contexts. The problem, however, is that most of what ed tech is selling us isn't really about learning; it's about teaching. I was reminded of that once again this week when I walked up to the booth of a big name vendor at a small regional conference and asked the rep what seems to be the toughest … [Read more...]