Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Changing education paradigms

The title is borrowed from Sir Kenneth Robinson, an English author, speaker and international adviser on education. He has great ideas about changing education which resonate strongly with me. I believe that schools tend to smother creativity in order to “educate” us and this needs to be changed.

I began to think about the common core and how that is structured to make sure all students are at the same level, learning all the same things. Who is to say that is the right way? Who is in charge of making these decisions? It is the Council of Chief State School Officers. You can read about them at http://www.ccsso.org/who_we_are.html

Their promise is that their officers are “committed to creating a public education system that prepares every child for lifelong learning, work, and citizenship… by addressing and increasing the capacity to produce students ready to succeed as productive members of society.” What I find interesting is their use of the word “produce” which means to “make or manufacture from components or raw material.” It seems as though they have a goal to produce a certain type of citizens that they want. But who is to say that their way is the right one? What determines a successful person?


There is a story from the 1930s about a young girl who couldn't focus in school. All her teachers and thus her mother assumed she must have a learning disability. So her mother took her to the doctor. He ran some tests and then came to a conclusion. He told the young girl that he needed to step out of the room and talk with her mother. He turned on some music and left the room. He and the mother watched the girl through a two way mirror as she began to move around and dance to the music. The doctor looked at the mother and told her that nothing was wrong with her daughter, she is just a dancer. That young girl was Gillian Lynn, who went on to become a famous ballet dancer and choreographer. Nowadays she would have been diagnosed with ADHD and been given some meds to help her “focus” in the classroom. We need to stand up for our educational liberties and take away some of the authority from the people who claim that they know how to “produce” successful and productive citizens.

3 comments:

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  2. I agree that differences need to be addressed, but the core education is necessary to be able to function in society. A general span of knowledge helps create well-rounded people. The authorities should probably revise the core education, but a "revolution" type response to the core would probably create more problems than it helps.

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  3. Unfortunately, I cannot remember the source of what I want to share. If it is really important, ask me to find it for you and I will devote more time to it.

    The current system of education that we adhere to was developed and eventually mastered by people such as Adolf Hitler. It is a system that's purpose is to take individuals with distinct characteristics, beliefs, and values and turn them into the ideal citizen. The ideal citizen isn't the best citizen; it's the most obedient. No blacks, no whites, only greys. There are schools and school systems that focus on other attributes that creating good citizens. Maybe this problem is more of a system problem than a dogma?

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