Compliance or Cooperation?

Innovation is so hard in our world. Recently I was listening to the podcast of NPR's Science Friday for October 24, 2008 Judy Estrin was the guest and she was bewailing the fact that schools aren't innovative. Well no duh..., teaching is largely about transmitting cultural values. Not really the place innovation takes place. Now, do I believe schools should be innovative? YES! But schools are a reflection of the society, culture and communities they exist in. Despite the various complaints that schools should solve our problems the reality is they aren't designed to do that.

There is often a disconnect between what teachers, and schools want and what is actually expected of them. We are supposed to teach standards and prepare students for passing tests based largely on what students have 'banked' intellectually. I have seen some well made tests that are more geared towards students demonstrating that they are skilled in specific types of thinking, and learning, but they are the exception not the rule. Basically our testing is still about what kids 'know' not about whether they can create, innovate, think, explore and innovate.

Another great challenge is that despite my personal desires to do things differently I found that I fell into something I call the compliance trap. We want to encourage students to think independently, be createive and question the norms, but that doesn't lead to a very compliant group. I have seen that there is a basic expectation that students comply with what they are asked to do. I wish that I could have done a better job of cultivating cooperation without compelling compliance.

What does it take to cultivate cooperation? If I am going to have students go along with me for this ride called education how do I do it without beating out of them the creativitiy and independence needed for innovation.

I was frustrated very much with Judy Estrin's scatthing rebuke of education as a failed system which I don't think she has adequately analyzed. School is much more than a factory for new innovators. More of my students will end up in prison than as PHd's a sad, sad, sad, but true (probably) fact. We educate everyone, but not everyone is going to be the cutting edge of our society, some many will contribute to society simply by being informed consumers and citizens.

Related posts:
http://www.sciencefriday.com/program/archives/200810246
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96089391
http://www.theinnovationgap.com/ Judy Estrin's Site

Amazing! The B.S. keeps flying

If you talk to veteran teachers about consultants you may find what I have. What goes around comes around. Many of the 25 year veterans of classroom teaching that I have spoken to tell me that they have seen the same ideas, concepts and educational practices come and go in cycles. They figure about 8 years per cycle. I want to add the disclaimer that all of this is based on my own opinions and observations. Don't take my word for it. The reason I say this is that Dr. Scott McLeod has blogged just recently about some of the B.S. in education and no I am not talking about Bachelor's of Science.

I will let you read his posts about the two specific individuals he is referring to, but what struck me was that the longer I taught the less I knew. I wasn't always good at it but I tried to help students learn how to question things. To learn to be a B.S. detector.

Well, teachers need it too we can't just swallow the garbage that is foisted upon us and hopefully administrators will be discriminating too and not choose our presenters based on who's popular or charismatic enough to be recognized but critically analyze who really has good research driven practices to share with us.

Again, this is my opinion and my thoughts so please be critical!

Relevant posts
http://www.dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2008/12/beware-outside-consultants---part-2-ruby-payne.html

http://www.dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2008/12/beware-outside-consultants---part-1-willard-daggett.html

Social networking is it worth it?

You know. Many educators are reluctant to join Social Networking Sites for fear they will lose their privacy and that students may learn more about them than they would like. It is definitely a risk but....

Around 11:30 this morning I checked my phone. I have it set up to send me updates when something goes on with my Facebook account. Somebody sent me a message? Curious. I don't know the person and my phone only displays a minimum of info. He says he's the husband of... Curioser. I wonder why someone is messaging me and prefacing it with the fact they are somebodies husband. So, out pops the iPod touch and the Facebook app. Within moments I have reconnected with friends I haven't seen in years. Turns out he is the husband of Jane (name has been changed to protect the innocent). His wife and my wife were very close friends about 7 years back. We moved. They Moved. Numbers changed. We lost contact.

Well he was in town and his wife is in the hospital and wants very much to reconnect with my wife.

How did he find me? Google search and joined Facebook. He also found my work email which is pretty easy.

Anyway I'm very grateful to reconnect with these friends and glad that people could find me. I know it is scary to be so available, but for me the risks are worth it.

An interesting approach

This shows an interesting approach, but as Devil's Advocate, I have seen teachers who are every bit as dynamic and do this same thing. I think it is one of the reasons I love where I work because we do so much of Learn Today Teach Tomorrow.

I know that!!!

[caption id="attachment_219" align="alignnone" width="261" caption="iknowthat.com logo"][/caption]I know that!  It is always great when kids say that.  If you are looking for a way to help them say it more often, you can try some of the game at www.iknowthat.com. The games are categorized by content area and by grade level.  You need the Adobe Shockwave player to for the games to run properly and some of them were a little glitchy when I ran them.

On the positive side the games come with Teacher's Guides and are engaging.  So, now you know that!