Why change? A paradigm shift ....
I would like to begin this post by sharing with you three powerful quotes supporting a major shift in paradigms and practices which must take place in education. Please read and consider the message, then read or (read again) the books from which these quotes are taken. Then, have a conversation with the stakeholders in your organization about what needs to change, and make a commitment to make that change happen.
The authors are Sir Ken Robinson, Tony Wagner and Ted Dintersmith. Enjoy, and together, let's make that change really happen!
P.S. Click on the name of each author for additional resources, including the books from which these quotes are taken! Then see the resources available to you for making the Paradigm Shift we need.
Are you concerned about education??I am.?One of my deepest concerns is that while education systems around the world are being reformed, many of these reforms are being driven by political and commercial interests that misunderstand how real people learn and how great schools actually work.?As a result, they are damaging the prospects of countless young people.?Sooner or later, for better or for worse, they will affect you or someone you know.?It’s important to understand what these reforms are about.?If you agree that they’re going in the wrong direction, I hope you will become part of the movement to a more holistic approach that nurtures the diverse talents of all our children
. . . Whoever and wherever you are, you do have the power to make the system change.?Changes are happening.
There are many great schools, wonderful teachers and inspiring leaders who are working creatively to provide students with the kinds of personalized, compassionate and community-oriented education they need. (From Introduction, page xvii.)
The revolution we need involves rethinking how schools work and what counts as a school.??
Our country may continue to stumble from education reform to education reform like a drunken sailor.?In the process, we’ll continue churning out millions of students each year with no real skills and no fighting chance in life.?We’ll prioritize measuring irrelevant things and drill the innovation and creativity out of our youth.?A small number of our most talented will escape the damage of schools and go on to create successful new companies and unimaginable wealth.?….. [Most] will plod through enervating school years, leave with abysmal career prospects, and have citizenship skills no better than mob psychology.??
As the ranks of chronically unemployed youth swell, the rift between the unrelenting rich and the disenfranchised rest will rip our society apart.??
We will fail as a country, not because other nations defeated us, but because we defeated ourselves.
Our innovation world reflects the very best of America.?Intrepid pioneers pursue bold dreams, in hopes of changing the course of history.?Thinking big is a way of life.?Failure is embraced, and resilience is rewarded.?Out-of-the-box approaches are admired, not marked down.?Collective adherence to obsolete methods is a market opportunity, not a reason to give up.?The results??In the past five decades, all U.S. economic and job growth has come from innovative startups.?Our entrepreneurial successes create our jobs, shape our society, define us, inspire us, and are the envy of the world.
But when it comes to education policy, we have lost all sight of what makes our country great.?Through a bizarre twist of fate, we have an education system that would make perfect sense in the 1970s U.S.S.R., but is completely out of step with America’s core values and strengths.?We insist on top-down command-and-control.?We micro-manage every minute of every lesson plan.??
Instead of letting a thousand flowers bloom, we replace all flowers with the same lifeless, over-tested weed.?We take every ounce of bold creativity out of the classroom, replacing it with a soulless march through dull curriculum and test prep decoupled from life skills.?We prioritize standardization and accountability, and don’t seem to notice or care that students lack engagement and purpose.?We rob our kids of their futures.
Here is how to get started . . . making the Paradigm Shift happen!
The above quotes are powerful calls to action for all stakeholders in education . . . in other words, all of us . . . educators, lawmakers, parents, businesses and community organizations! It is time to separate fact from fiction, to identify and eliminate the fads, fallacies and myths that abound in the cacophony and chaos swirling together in the milieu of education "reforms".
During the past thirty years education has undergone an onslaught of "reforms", all claiming to fix our failing schools. It is now time to pause and honestly evaluate what works and what does NOT work, and then take action accordingly.
“In 2002, the year NCLB was signed into law,?60 percent of respondents?[to a Kappan poll] gave the nation’s public schools a C or a D grade.?Thirteen years later, that figure was up to 69 percent. Yet school performance did not change markedly during that time. In fact,?scores?on the National Assessment of Educational Progress—a nationally representative assessment of student learning—generally held constant or rose slightly during that period.” [1]
To support all of us in this endeavor 21st Century Schools has created several new offerings under a new subsidiary, Paradigm Shift Edu. Some focus on the needs of educators, from the classroom to the central office. Others will provide support to all stakeholders.
Paradigm Shift Edu offers several opportunities. Please visit and join! Our first online community/program, Paradigm Shift Online, begins in early April.
Sincerely,
Anne Shaw, Director
21st Century Schools
Education SME and Change Manager
6 年Hi Anne And the same is true of the education system in the UK. I have been working for Education for Life a movement that is trying to bring together all those willing and passionate enough to want to make a change. Our main problem is that successive governments insist on measures of educational success that are limited to linear, sequential thinking and assessing little more than memory and recall. Behaviours in our schools therefore are strongly influenced by this, even though I am convinced the professionals are really keen to actually education children and young people. I would suggest that our main barrier is politicians who make decisions about what education should be based on their political views, rather than on the basis of sound educational research and evidence. The question is how do we take national education strategy out of the hands of politicians?