Today’s show is another one of the “thought exercise” episodes, so get ready for your thinking to be challenged! We’re discussing a book that came out about 20 years ago, The Answer to How is Yes, by Peter Block. This book twists the way we think about how change happens and explores the relationship between HOW and WHY regarding the work we do in schools. Most often, we go for predictability and control rather than risk anxiety and adventure in pursuing our educational goals. Block explains how we look for external validation of our work instead of defining ourselves by what WE say matters. So, the bottom line may be to define what really matters to us in education.
We are taking a brief look at a brand-new book, The Case Against Education, by Bryan Caplan. He states that we need LESS education, not more. His premise is that our educational system wastes much time and energy, teaching skills that don’t really help students in real life. The answer, according to Caplan, is to offer an educational system based on apprenticeships and job training. We must admit that, whether you totally agree with Caplan or not, there is truth behind his argument, and the concept deserves our consideration.
Resources:
The Answer to How is Yes by Peter Block
The Case Against Education by Bryan Caplan
