ed reform Archives

Pedagogy and its Discontents pt.2, Lead me where?

“It is impossible to escape the impression that people commonly use false standards of measurement–that they seek power, success and wealth for themselves and admire them in others, and that they underestimate what is of true value in life.”

Sigmund Freud, Civilization and Its Discontents

Let us not make any bones about the situation. The teacher is at the front of the room and hold the keys. There are places that students cannot go. There are places that students can go. There are places that students may only go if the teacher takes them there. Say what? This is the 21st century. This classroom is flipped. We are unlearning. Delearning. Relearning. It is our new pedagogy. You can’t front on that.

Or can you, Biz? Will you front on that? Is it the content, the context, or the process that is of value in the classroom? Some mix of the three, perhaps. Maybe, even, a fourth entity–the interaction of them all. In the same way that you may not separate nature and nurture, it is unlikely that you may separate the content from the context or either of them from the process that brings them to light. Further, it is unlikely that by explicitly valuing one part of the mix that a teacher or student will be sure to have the desired influence over those components.

Do you follow? If I, as a teacher or student make explicit statements of value, the reaction of students may be to value or devalue or, perhaps, to have no change in their valuation of the component. Some rebel while some draw near. It depends on how that serves their needs for safety, belonging, esteem, or actualization. Remember Maslow? Not to oversimplify, but if you have ever tried to teach a hungry student, you are probably missing more than my point.

Getting back to the matter at hand, students respond to the content, context, and process–along with the demonstrated valuations by the instructor in a given manner. They may follow, rebel, or have no change in their value of the experience. The teacher, assessing the response, may ‘course-correct’ mid-stream-of-thought BUT what may happen is not entirely predictable! Change on the part of the teacher–either re-emphasis, over-emphasis, or a decreased emphasis–may result in a different overall response.

The most significant (read risky) overall response may be an overarching loss of interest should the instructor effectively abandon ship on the premise or the beliefs that were held at first. Any teacher still holding the torch of pedagogy as a method of a priori distribution of information should probably have a widow’s walk built and learn a new lament. The kids are alright.

“And yet, in making any general judgement of this sort, we are indanger of forgetting how variegated the human world and its mental life are.”

Sigmund Freud, Civilization and Its Discontents

No, #Reform is Not “trending”

You know, there are a handful of things that drive me nuts. Okay, fine, maybe more than a few. But in regard to #EdReform, there are a few. When talking about #EdReform, some folks feel compelled to either brag or complain about the school that they attended…in the 80s. Right, Men Without Hats was awesome and your school was not. We get it. Or, Debbie Gibson was the worst, but your school rocked. Fine. #EdReform is not the time for out of context discussion and what ifs–no, really, I can help…since I have no idea what goes on in the classroom, I’ll be a good out of the box thinker. No, you will not. Go get us some chips.

The fact that we have to talk about #EdReform is a sad day. There should be no enjoyment of the rallies and no late-night laugh-fests about the problems we are having. We are not reminiscing about the old days. We are discussing a system that is broken. Sadly and sorely and perhaps irreparably broken. And we are the ones who can fix it. Teachers.

Pennies for your thoughts or real change?

I mentioned this to @tshreve in response to a post on Twitter. “The fact that education is the solution does not mean that it is (or was ever) the problem.” Educators are the ones who hold the solutions to the issues in education right now. I do not say that to be separatist, but it is we who need to get our house in order so we are able to return it to its rightful place.

Unfortunately, there are many who are making their living off of criticizing education. Sheisters, chancers, and ne’er-do-wells who parade around in teachers’ clothes claiming that they have the insights and solutions that are needed. Gary Stager’s comment that “unqualified is the new qualified” is terrifyingly true–and we wonder what went wrong!!! It is trendy to by “untainted” by “teacher school.” That is a sad statement.

If we want real reform, we have to begin with what is most important–in no order: kids, teachers, schools. The focus of our energy, the conductor of that energy, and the context of that interaction.

Let us make the decision to keep it simple. Quality #EdReform is not performed by swinging the pendulum to the opposite side. It is not performed by those who have a monetary stake in the game. It cannot be “won” but it must be fought for. It cannot be ignored.

I have a belief that the knowledge that I need exists among the people whom I teach on any given day of the week. As a teacher, it is my job to draw that knowledge out and to facilitate the meaningful construction of that knowledge. It takes some faith, I know–this approach has served me well. I have the same belief about our #EdReform needs. Everything that we need and every resource that we have already exists. We must come together to draw it out and construct it. We need the faith of those with the power to support these efforts. What school, district, or state would be willing to give a busload of committed educators the reins to their schools? Let’s do it.

Who’s with me?