Is this a fair comparison to fact-push style teaching? Is it just me or does it seem that our entire education system is set up to fit this mold. While I think this is still a valid teaching method in certain situations, we have so many other options in the 21st century. In a world where experiential learning is so easy, why are our schools still set up like it is 1899. We have the ability to make learning more real and allow a deeper understanding of almost any topic just because facts are so easily available. If you understand a topic at a deeper level, you can’t help but learn the facts along the way. So let’s stop making it harder for teachers to do this and give them the flexibility to create experiences for students that help them understand content instead of memorizing facts.
Comic note: You can download the original svg file right here. Feel free to remix.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I agree whole-heartedly with your central message: let’s create experiences for students that help them understand content. I don’t think it’s fair, however, to generalize quite as broadly as you do. Yes, there are still a lot of teachers (too many!) who embrace fit the image you’ve included. But there is also a growing number of people involved in education – teachers, administrators, students, parents – that are doing just what your propose: moving away from content-based learning and embracing concept-based learning.
In your opinion, what is one or two things we can do to give teachers the flexibility you’d like to see?
I only generalize the system, not the teacher. I work with teachers every day and see that the good ones are embracing real change. Too often I see their hands tied by, as cliche as it is to call it this, the system. Filters, recalsitrant colleagues, luddite public, etc. My point in making the teacher in the comic look the way she did was to represent that old system. So I am by no way attacking teachers with this comic.
In my opinion there are a bunch of things we could do. Instead of writing a book, I will spout out the first couple of things that hit my head.
Use and implement current research and data into schools. In order to do that, public school need to be flexible. That also means diverse. One school may look at the growing research on physical activity in the mornings makes the day go better while another may try pure ability grouping. There is no best one way to teach kids, schools shouldn’t feel they need to fit into the same mold as everyone else.
Treat teachers like professionals. For example, I work with teachers every semester that see a really cool learning tool in my class and get bummed they can’t use it at their school. While I know policy has it’s place, it just seems teachers aren’t stakeholders in the decision making process.
Pay teachers more and expect more. Easier said than done, but nonetheless important. We would attract better candidates to the field of teaching if it wasn’t widely known that teachers make less than other professionals.
Try more cross-subject project-based learning. Some say school is prep for real life. Why can’t school be real life?
I will stop preaching. Sorry about that. Thanks for commenting. I have added your blog to my ever long list of blogs to read. Have a good one.
Oh yeah, and I love that graphic! Did you create it? I want to make sure I give credit where credit is due when I (eventually) use it!
Yes I did create it. Feel free to use it any way you see fit. I have released any of my own content here under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. Remixing encouraged.