Reading Ideas To Begin "Unlearning"

I am currently probing what it means to a progressive educator to teach in the 21st century where the internet offers access to more knowledge than our predecessors could imagine and where helping astudent connect and collaborate will take precendence.  I know this means that I need to unlearn many things that were part of the network of assumptions that underpinned my own education. In this increasingly easy to access, quick to change world of knowledge, the ability to “unlearn” what we were taught was true and relearn it in the context of new information is a crucial skill, not only in a literacy sense but in a lifelong learning sense as well.  Here are some books that I have been engaged with as I endeavor to practice this concept as an educator.

 Now You See It: How the Brain Science of Attention Will Transform the Way We Live, Work, and Learn

Cathy N. Davidson

 The major technological changes of the past decade and a half present an array of "exciting opportunities," Davidson argues -- opportunities to promote efficiency, satisfaction and success at every stage from kindergarten through career. If we are inclined to side with the Better-Nevers, worrying that our brains never evolved for shifts of such magnitude -- if kids attend to text messages and video games with alacrity, but fall behind in school, while adults feel swamped by information overload and spread too thin by multitasking -- the trouble, in Davidson's view, is not with all our new technologies, but rather with our failure thus far to adapt and restructure ourselves and our institutions.

A New Culture of Learning

Douglas Thomas and John Seely Brown

By exploring play, innovation, and the cultivation of the imagination as cornerstones of learning, the authors create a vision of learning for the future that is achievable, scalable and one that grows along with the technology that fosters it and the people who engage with it. The result is a new form of culture in which knowledge is seen as fluid and evolving, the personal is both enhanced and refined in relation to the collective, and the ability to manage, negotiate and participate in the world is governed by the play of the imagination.

Switch

Chip and Dan Heath

Switch asks the following question: Why is it so hard to make lasting changes in our companies, in our communities, and in our own lives? The primary obstacle, say the Heaths, is a conflict that's built into our brains. Psychologists have discovered that our minds are ruled by two different systems—the rational mind and the emotional mind—that compete for control. The rational mind wants a great beach body; the emotional mind wants that Oreo cookie. The rational mind wants to change something at work; the emotional mind loves the comfort of the existing routine. This tension can doom a change effort—but if it is overcome, change can come quickly.

Source:  amazon.com

                                  

To Yield To Kindness

I read a story the other day and it started me pondering how often do we let others help us? We live in such an individualistic world in this twenty first century and we want to be empowered to do everything ourselves. It seems that we feel that accepting help is a sign of weakness.

I grew up with a parent who survived polio but lost the use of her left arm entirely. I watched her struggle to let herself be helped. As I grew older, I recognized through my own awareness as a parent, how difficult it is when you are the one who helps - the one who cares for others - to be unable to say what is too much or too little help, to keep silent and accept what is given. Sometimes, you have to practice being generous and accept kindness from another. I have come to appreciate how much generosity it takes to let people in that way.  How freeing it can be to surrender to one’s own vulnerability. To be cared for by others - to yield to kindness - is not easy.

Ironically, in life, the opposite is true—when we accept help we are showing we are strong enough to overcome our sense of separateness and embrace interconnectedness. When we truly realize that we are all connected, then we understand that to receive help is to give each person involved a chance to practice kindness. “When the right hand is hurt, the left hand holds it in compassion to ease the suffering of its brother/sister hand.”  The right hand helps because it is interconnected with the left hand through the whole of the body.

So it is, when we understand our inter-being we know that to accept help is indeed helping ourselves. Thus, when we do refuse help out of not wanting to inconvenience others we are actually rejecting ourselves.  And of course the opposite as well, when we help others we are helping ourselves. But, I am still learning.

Advancement: Bringing Resources to Bear on Good Teaching

Many school constituents recognize that advancement traditionally means fundraising. It is important to make the distinction that this work is in fact philanthropy:  that is, cultivating in the school community the desire to improve the material, social, and spiritual welfare of the school, its teachers, and most prominently, its students.  In short, fundraising is about gifts; philanthropy is about building community and building momentum.

While it is important that a school provide its constituents and stakeholders a long view – a strategic and thoughtful view - of how current aims at the school fit within the context of what's come before and what's next, it is equally important that the school’s efforts at cultivating philanthropy reflect the independent school way of life - friendship, service, energy and optimism. An inclusive atmosphere and welcoming learning environment make it easy for parents, friends, constituents and stakeholders to belong and to take a lead role in the community by giving to the school in a framework of forwarding the mission and organization.

So as teachers are hard at work making a difference in the classroom daily, advancement personnel are hard at work contacting, cultivating, reconnecting and stewarding donors, processes that, like teaching, are as much an art as a science.  In times of economic stress and uncertainty, it seems likely that in the advancement office, the art outweighs the science.  Consider that in recent years there has been a 10.7 percent drop nationally in giving by individuals. It is important to understand the true effects of the recession and how uncertainty in “the market” informs donor behaviors.  Even as the stream of resources may weaken, the needs of the school remain constant or grow.  Schools seek to thrive during these challenging times by continuing to appeal to donors’ interests and nurturing donor relationships, cultivating and stewarding their friends enthusiastically.

 

 

Advancement is vital in bringing resources to bear on good teaching.  Critical, in the small school especially, is support for really good people who are doing real good in the world and who are willing to put themselves on the line to do that good. Furthering those who seek out originality and imagination - the things that make a schools’ constituents say, "Wow!", of the school - and then leading others to support it.

The Discovery of Uniqueness

Each of us is a distinctive human being with our own unique potential to fulfill.  One of the most integral pieces of growing in life is discovering that uniqueness – identifying who you are in your own right and who you are in relation to those you encounter along the way. There is something essential about this aspect of being in the world.  And how you grow with your inimitable endowments will influence how those around you respond to and relate to you.  You become who you truly are over time and through life’s learning experiences.

At the heart of this personal and interpersonal journey is letting go of the notion that you are perfect or that others around you ought to be or are, perfect.  Being kind to yourself allows you to accept who you are and to extend that same acceptance to those you meet along the way.  “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle."  Plato

What you are ultimately informs what you do.  People who have not learned about themselves as they grow are often caught up in the opposite idea that what you do determines who you are. When you are able to combine your inherent talent with the personal investment to bring it to fruition, you become an artist of being alive.  It can be a challenge, maybe even a struggle, to figure out who you actually are or, how in your own way, you can establish a life that means a lot to you and fulfill your identity.

There can be fissures in how you encounter the world around you and how you want the world around you to be.  Your effect/affect on the world is the personal way in your own life that you bridge those fissures.  If the world always came at you on your terms you might not uncover and develop the creative abilities to make your difference in the world.

Inner fulfillment requires integrating what you learn along the way with your own personality and harnessing that to become who you want to be.  This is central to creating yourself – there would be no beauty in life if you did not feel inspired to create. We each have different gifts, so we each have our own ways of sharing who we are with the world around us.

Respect, Tolerance and Courage in Our World

Today and in the past few weeks, we have all observed remembrances of September 11, 2001. We've seen how that tragic day has affected local communities, as well as communities across the country. We've watched news commentators look back on the events that unfolded that day and community organizations memorialize the victims even as they honor the memory of first responders.

As an educator the topic most appealing to reflect on during the 10th anniversary of September 11th,  is the essential role of education and schools in our ever shrinking global world, in developing the next generation as tolerant, globally aware and knowledgeable young adults. "How do we educate students to know that to love is better than to hate? How can we assure students that they can value their own beliefs while appreciating beliefs that are distinct from theirs?"  Schools do this by providing a peaceful environment of inquiry and openness that supports students in exploring their beliefs and in learning about others' beliefs. By encouraging knowledge and understanding in students, schools  foster an environment of tolerance and respect.

The ability to work respectfully and compassionately with others is an essential quality of the 21st century.  As our world grows and evolves, this quality will become increasingly important. School graduates need to know how to collaborate with classmates of any race, background, gender or culture.  They need to have the skills necessary to form positive, respectful and collaborative relationships - ready to become thriving members of our global community.

Resources:

www.casefoundation.org/projects/buxton-initiative
www.huffingtonpost.com/.../talking-to-your-child-abo_b_929572.h
www.9-11healingandremembrance.org

Delivering a 21st Century Education

While schools that want to thrive in this century may differ from each other in style, organization, structure, resources and of course, location, they share commonalities in the way they educate.  These themes fall along the following lines in the view of NAIS and the Commission of Accreditation: transformational leadership; participatory and engaging school culture; growth mindset in teachers and staff; actively engaged adults and students; continuous learning; academically demanding program focused on essential capacities; inquiry-based – project-oriented learning; beyond the wall classroom experiences in the real world; lively arts program promoting creativity and self-expression; global perspective woven throughout curriculum; digital technology and social media as learning tools.

Academically demanding programs emphasize conceptual, systems thinking over acquisition of factual knowledge. Project based learning promotes challenge, real issues, relevant problems, collaboration within a team and knowledge/skills integration. Technology provides a vehicle for students to collaborate across time, age and geography. Focus on the arts fosters discipline and teamwork.

All of these facets of learning and curriculum encourage empowerment, collaboration and engagement. Leading schools that approach learning this way demands both helping community members recognize the need for change (and to change) and introducing change in ways that don’t lead to feeling overwhelmed by said change.

The challenges we face as educators are many.  We need to ask ourselves some important questions:  Is there a balance between a renewed focus on skills and knowledge learning?; How are students today unique?; What are the implications of brain research and cognition for classroom learning?; Do we need new-format assessments and techniques to measure 21^st century capacities?; How do we best professionally develop faculty?; What are the drawbacks of a digitized classroom?

Perhaps the deepest shift taking place is in the often insular teacher-culture of schools.  The need for a teacher to have a greater interest for what is learned than what is taught is for some a profound pedagogical change. Teaching as part of a team brings new demands and expands the adaptive nature of teachers and curriculum.  Administrators and school leaders striving to create change must overcome powerful forces of resistance and inspire teachers to be current, re-inventive in their teaching, aware and collaborative. Indeed, to stay relevant in today’s rapidly shifting world, schools and the people who lead them need to figure out the best way to prepare students to maneuver in the future by embracing the complexities of our times, together.

The schools that achieve this will pursue, adopt and embrace the mindset: adapt-survive-thrive.

sources: Why Change? What Works?, James Tracy,ed., NAIS, 2010;

 21st Century Skills: Learning for Life in Our Times, Trilling and Fadel 2009

Edutopia, The Digital Generation Project