Great piece by Alfie Kohn @ Education Week -
An excerpt:
"Remarkable results with low-income students have also been found with the Reggio Emilia model of early-childhood education, the “performance assessment” high schools in New York, and Big Picture schools around the country. All of these approaches start with students’ interests and questions; learning is organized around real-life problems and projects. Exploration is both active and interactive, reflecting the simple truth that children learn how to make good decisions by making decisions, not by following directions. Finally, success is judged by authentic indicators of thinking and motivation, not by multiple-choice tests.
That last point is critical. Standardized exams serve mostly to make dreadful forms of teaching appear successful. As long as they remain our primary way of evaluating, we may never see real school reform—only an intensification of traditional practices, with the worst reserved for the disadvantaged.
A British educator named David Gribble was once speaking in favor of the kind of education that honors children’s interests and helps them think deeply about questions that matter. Of course, he added, that sort of education is appropriate for affluent children. For disadvantaged children, on the other hand, it is ... essential."
Read the entire piece HERE
If you aren't familiar with Alfie Kohn, his work is great - click below for a couple of his books -
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Content and Context
Our schools were designed when knowledge was scarce... the schools were a place you could go to learn things you couldn't anywhere else. That's not the case any more, you can learn from the best and the brightest from hundreds of thousands of lectures and websites on the internet.
Cody at Thrilling Heroics list some of the best - click HERE
We need to be using these resources and showing students, and all learners, where and how to access this information. And helping them put this information into context.
Cody at Thrilling Heroics list some of the best - click HERE
We need to be using these resources and showing students, and all learners, where and how to access this information. And helping them put this information into context.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
The Opportunity is Here -
Seth Godin part II -
The Opportunity is Here -
The Opportunity is Here -
"At the same time that our economic engines are faltering, something else is happening. Like all revolutions, it happens in fits and starts, without perfection, but it's clearly happening.
The mass market is being replaced by multiple micro markets and the long tail of choice.
Google is connecting buyers and sellers over vaster distances, more efficiently and more cheaply than ever before.
Manufacturing is more of a conceptual hurdle than a practical one.
The exchange of information creates ever more value, while commodity products are ever cheaper. It takes fewer employees to generate more value, make more noise and impact more people.
Most of all is this: every individual, self-employed or with a boss, is now more in charge of her destiny than ever before. The notion of a company town or a stagnant industry with little choice is fading fast.
Right before your eyes, a fundamentally different economy, with different players and different ways to add value is being built. What used to be an essential asset (for a person or for a company) is worth far less, while new attributes are both scarce and valuable.
Are there dislocations? There's no doubt about it. Pain and uncertainty and risk, for sure.
The opportunity, though, is the biggest of our generation (or the last one, for that matter). The opportunity is there for anyone (with or without a job) smart enough to take it--to develop a best in class skill, to tell a story, to spread the word, to be in demand, to satisfy real needs, to run from the mediocre middle and to change everything.
¡Note! Like all revolutions, this is an opportunity, not a solution, not a guarantee. It's an opportunity to poke and experiment and fail and discover dead ends on the way to making a difference. The old economy offered a guarantee--time plus education plus obedience = stability. The new one, not so much. The new one offers a chance for you to take a chance and make an impact.
¡Note! If you're looking for 'how', if you're looking for a map, for a way to industrialize the new era, you've totally missed the point and you will end up disappointed. The nature of the last era was that repetition and management of results increased profits. The nature of this one is the opposite: if someone can tell you precisely what to do, it's too late. Art and novelty and innovation cannot be reliably and successfully industrialized.
In 1924, Walt Disney wrote a letter to Ub Iwerks. Walt was already in Hollywood and he wanted his old friend Ubbe to leave Kansas City and come join him to build an animation studio. The last line of the letter said "PS I wouldn't live in KC now if you gave me the place—yep—you bet—Hooray for Hollywood." And, just above, in larger letters, he scrawled, "Don't hesitate—Do it now."
It's not 1924, and this isn't Hollywood, but it is a revolution, and there's a spot for you (and your boss if you push) if you realize you're capable of making a difference. Or you could be frustrated. Up to you."
The mass market is being replaced by multiple micro markets and the long tail of choice.
Google is connecting buyers and sellers over vaster distances, more efficiently and more cheaply than ever before.
Manufacturing is more of a conceptual hurdle than a practical one.
The exchange of information creates ever more value, while commodity products are ever cheaper. It takes fewer employees to generate more value, make more noise and impact more people.
Most of all is this: every individual, self-employed or with a boss, is now more in charge of her destiny than ever before. The notion of a company town or a stagnant industry with little choice is fading fast.
Right before your eyes, a fundamentally different economy, with different players and different ways to add value is being built. What used to be an essential asset (for a person or for a company) is worth far less, while new attributes are both scarce and valuable.
Are there dislocations? There's no doubt about it. Pain and uncertainty and risk, for sure.
The opportunity, though, is the biggest of our generation (or the last one, for that matter). The opportunity is there for anyone (with or without a job) smart enough to take it--to develop a best in class skill, to tell a story, to spread the word, to be in demand, to satisfy real needs, to run from the mediocre middle and to change everything.
¡Note! Like all revolutions, this is an opportunity, not a solution, not a guarantee. It's an opportunity to poke and experiment and fail and discover dead ends on the way to making a difference. The old economy offered a guarantee--time plus education plus obedience = stability. The new one, not so much. The new one offers a chance for you to take a chance and make an impact.
¡Note! If you're looking for 'how', if you're looking for a map, for a way to industrialize the new era, you've totally missed the point and you will end up disappointed. The nature of the last era was that repetition and management of results increased profits. The nature of this one is the opposite: if someone can tell you precisely what to do, it's too late. Art and novelty and innovation cannot be reliably and successfully industrialized.
In 1924, Walt Disney wrote a letter to Ub Iwerks. Walt was already in Hollywood and he wanted his old friend Ubbe to leave Kansas City and come join him to build an animation studio. The last line of the letter said "PS I wouldn't live in KC now if you gave me the place—yep—you bet—Hooray for Hollywood." And, just above, in larger letters, he scrawled, "Don't hesitate—Do it now."
It's not 1924, and this isn't Hollywood, but it is a revolution, and there's a spot for you (and your boss if you push) if you realize you're capable of making a difference. Or you could be frustrated. Up to you."
Saturday, April 23, 2011
The Realization is Now!
Seth Godin had a wonderful post today - absolutely brilliant!
The realization is now
by Seth Godin
New polling out this week shows that Americans are frustrated with the world and pessimistic about the future. They're losing patience with the economy, with their prospects, with their leaders (of both parties).
What's actually happening is this: we're realizing that the industrial revolution is fading. The 80 year long run that brought ever-increasing productivity (and along with it, well-paying jobs for an ever-expanding middle class) is ending.
It's one thing to read about the changes the internet brought, it's another to experience them. People who thought they had a valuable skill or degree have discovered that being an anonymous middleman doesn't guarantee job security. Individuals who were trained to comply and follow instructions have discovered that the deal is over... and it isn't their fault, because they've always done what they were told.
This isn't fair of course. It's not fair to train for years, to pay your dues, to invest in a house or a career and then suddenly see it fade.
For a while, politicians and organizations promised that things would get back to normal. Those promises aren't enough, though, and it's clear to many that this might be the new normal. In fact, it is the new normal.
I regularly hear from people who say, "enough with this conceptual stuff, tell me how to get my factory moving, my day job replaced, my consistent paycheck restored..." There's an idea that somehow, if we just do things with more effort or skill, we can go back to the Brady Bunch and mass markets and mediocre products that pay off for years. It's not an idea, though, it's a myth.
Some people insist that if we focus on "business fundamentals" and get "back to basics," all will return. Not so. The promise that you can get paid really well to do precisely what your boss instructs you to do is now a dream, no longer a reality.
It takes a long time for a generation to come around to significant revolutionary change. The newspaper business, the steel business, law firms, the car business, the record business, even computers... one by one, our industries are being turned upside down, and so quickly that it requires us to change faster than we'd like.
It's unpleasant, it's not fair, but it's all we've got. The sooner we realize that the world has changed, the sooner we can accept it and make something of what we've got. Whining isn't a scalable solution."
The realization is now
by Seth Godin
New polling out this week shows that Americans are frustrated with the world and pessimistic about the future. They're losing patience with the economy, with their prospects, with their leaders (of both parties).
What's actually happening is this: we're realizing that the industrial revolution is fading. The 80 year long run that brought ever-increasing productivity (and along with it, well-paying jobs for an ever-expanding middle class) is ending.
It's one thing to read about the changes the internet brought, it's another to experience them. People who thought they had a valuable skill or degree have discovered that being an anonymous middleman doesn't guarantee job security. Individuals who were trained to comply and follow instructions have discovered that the deal is over... and it isn't their fault, because they've always done what they were told.
This isn't fair of course. It's not fair to train for years, to pay your dues, to invest in a house or a career and then suddenly see it fade.
For a while, politicians and organizations promised that things would get back to normal. Those promises aren't enough, though, and it's clear to many that this might be the new normal. In fact, it is the new normal.
I regularly hear from people who say, "enough with this conceptual stuff, tell me how to get my factory moving, my day job replaced, my consistent paycheck restored..." There's an idea that somehow, if we just do things with more effort or skill, we can go back to the Brady Bunch and mass markets and mediocre products that pay off for years. It's not an idea, though, it's a myth.
Some people insist that if we focus on "business fundamentals" and get "back to basics," all will return. Not so. The promise that you can get paid really well to do precisely what your boss instructs you to do is now a dream, no longer a reality.
It takes a long time for a generation to come around to significant revolutionary change. The newspaper business, the steel business, law firms, the car business, the record business, even computers... one by one, our industries are being turned upside down, and so quickly that it requires us to change faster than we'd like.
It's unpleasant, it's not fair, but it's all we've got. The sooner we realize that the world has changed, the sooner we can accept it and make something of what we've got. Whining isn't a scalable solution."
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Gates v Jobs on Education
Interesting piece here from the NYTimes 'Room for Debate' section about the differing visions of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs on education -
I frankly have struggled with this on occasion - but tend towards the Jobs approach - illustrated by this argument from Mr. Koc
"In the end, success in the job market is likely less about the specific concentration a student has in college than the development of a range of skills and knowledge that can be applied to a rapidly changing work environment -- the historic goal of a true liberal education."
Ultimately, I think it probably comes down to the advice of one of my hero's - Sir Ken Robinson - we must help students find that intersection between their passion and their skills -
I frankly have struggled with this on occasion - but tend towards the Jobs approach - illustrated by this argument from Mr. Koc
"In the end, success in the job market is likely less about the specific concentration a student has in college than the development of a range of skills and knowledge that can be applied to a rapidly changing work environment -- the historic goal of a true liberal education."
Ultimately, I think it probably comes down to the advice of one of my hero's - Sir Ken Robinson - we must help students find that intersection between their passion and their skills -
Let kid's rule... and play
I've just recently found two pieces from Susan Engle that I think are really important -
First, Let Kids Rule the School -
"We want young people to become independent and capable, yet we structure their days to the minute and give them few opportunities to do anything but answer multiple-choice questions, follow instructions and memorize information. We cast social interaction as an impediment to learning, yet all evidence points to the huge role it plays in their psychological development.
That’s why we need to rethink the very nature of high school itself."
And, Playing to Learn -
"In order to design a curriculum that teaches what truly matters, educators should remember a basic precept of modern developmental science: developmental precursors don’t always resemble the skill to which they are leading. For example, saying the alphabet does not particularly help children learn to read. But having extended and complex conversations during toddlerhood does. Simply put, what children need to do in elementary school is not to cram for high school or college, but to develop ways of thinking and behaving that will lead to valuable knowledge and skills later on."
First, Let Kids Rule the School -
"We want young people to become independent and capable, yet we structure their days to the minute and give them few opportunities to do anything but answer multiple-choice questions, follow instructions and memorize information. We cast social interaction as an impediment to learning, yet all evidence points to the huge role it plays in their psychological development.
That’s why we need to rethink the very nature of high school itself."
And, Playing to Learn -
"In order to design a curriculum that teaches what truly matters, educators should remember a basic precept of modern developmental science: developmental precursors don’t always resemble the skill to which they are leading. For example, saying the alphabet does not particularly help children learn to read. But having extended and complex conversations during toddlerhood does. Simply put, what children need to do in elementary school is not to cram for high school or college, but to develop ways of thinking and behaving that will lead to valuable knowledge and skills later on."
What's the model?
This is a question asked often in development work... people in every community are looking for "models" that they can borrow to bring to their community that will work. And there are people peddling their wares to come to town to teach you how to implement their model. My short take is it's not in and of itself a bad thing, but recognize that you've got to tailor models for your community.
Given my criticism of the 'reformers' below, it's fair to ask, what are some models for education? I think it could be helpful to have a conversation about how to take the prep school model and use it in your public school... Here's a model that makes sense to me -
http://www.newcountryschool.com/
Which I found from an online chat with Ronald Wolk, whose book is on my reading list -
Given my criticism of the 'reformers' below, it's fair to ask, what are some models for education? I think it could be helpful to have a conversation about how to take the prep school model and use it in your public school... Here's a model that makes sense to me -
http://www.newcountryschool.com/
Which I found from an online chat with Ronald Wolk, whose book is on my reading list -
Monday, April 18, 2011
If it's good enough for you...
NYTimes piece on Sunday pointed out that most of today’s champions of public school reform went to very exclusive prep schools. Many of these, like Andover and Phillips Exeter I had heard of, but I was browsing around the websites of some of these I wasn’t familiar with and note that the curriculum’s, class size, emphasis on testing, etc. appear to be nothing like those that they now promote for the public schools.
Michelle Rhee - Maumee Valley Country Day School – Annual tuition between $13K-$16K.
Bill Gates – Lakeside School – Annual tuition $25,250
Arne Duncan – University of Chicago Laboratory School – Annual tuition between $20K - $24K
They all appear to have mission statements similar to this one at Duncan’s U of Chicago Laboratory School –
“The University of Chicago Laboratory Schools provide an experience-centered, rigorous and well-rounded education for a diverse community. Recognizing that students have a variety of needs at each developmental stage and learn in different ways, the Schools are committed to help each student:
- Learn to think critically and creatively
- Cultivate a passion for excellence in academics, the arts, and athletics
- Master important subject matter
- Achieve a sense of emotional and physical well-being
- Celebrate both our cultural differences and our common humanity
- Gain a sense of personal and community responsibility
- Develop a life-long love of learning
In pursuit of this mission and in keeping with John Dewey's legacy, the Schools strive to exemplify educational practice at its best.”
As Diane Ravitch pointed out on Twitter yesterday – “Those elite schools teach critical thinking, great arts, not silence, obedience or boot camp, and seldom give standardized tests”
Christopher Hedges recently wrote an excellent piece that, sadly, explains this –
An excerpt:
“Passing bubble tests celebrates and rewards a peculiar form of analytical intelligence. This kind of intelligence is prized by money managers and corporations. They don’t want employees to ask uncomfortable questions or examine existing structures and assumptions. They want them to serve the system. These tests produce men and women who are just literate and numerate enough to perform basic functions and service jobs. The tests elevate those with the financial means to prepare for them. They reward those who obey the rules, memorize the formulas and pay deference to authority. Rebels, artists, independent thinkers, eccentrics and iconoclasts—those who march to the beat of their own drum—are weeded out.”
Read the rest here -
Thursday, April 14, 2011
What we in fact learn...
I have a high school diploma, a BS degree, a Master's degree, and one certificate from a prestigious university, working on a 2nd certificate. This 2nd one is in Entrepreneurship, in joking last week as we left class I said, well the good news is that in 3 weeks I'll be an entrepreneur and have the certificate to prove it. Which is silly. Just as silly as when we expect someone to leave college with a degree in business and call them a business man, or a degree in accounting and they're an accountant, or (perhaps your getting uncomfortable now) a law degree and they're a lawyer, a doctorate and they're a general practitioner... interesting how expectation changes but what's the reality?
The NYTimes had an interesting piece today about business schools -- http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/education/edlife/edl-17business-t.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp
The NYTimes had an interesting piece today about business schools -- http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/education/edlife/edl-17business-t.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
What we need to know/teach -
I'm going to set aside a piece of this blog for insight from bright people who talk about the "basic" skills necessary to succeed in today's economy. Here's a good piece from Scott Adams, creator of Dilbert, entitled -
“I understand why the top students in America study physics, chemistry, calculus and classic literature. The kids in this brainy group are the future professors, scientists, thinkers and engineers who will propel civilization forward. But why do we make B students sit through these same classes? That's like trying to train your cat to do your taxes—a waste of time and money. Wouldn't it make more sense to teach B students something useful, like entrepreneurship?”…
“Remember, children are our future, and the majority of them are B students. If that doesn't scare you, it probably should.”
How to Get a Real Education
Forget art history and calculus. Most students need to learn how to run a business, says Scott Adams
“Remember, children are our future, and the majority of them are B students. If that doesn't scare you, it probably should.”
Monday, April 11, 2011
Do people matter?
This piece in the LATimes details the troubles at Ikea's only North American manufacturing facility.
If you want to understand our current workforce development system, understand that this plant has since day one complained that they can't find the workforce they need. They claim their needs are few - people who can pass a drug test and have a great work ethic.
The first question to any company that complains about their workforce, and says they just need people who can read, write, work in teams, have concepts of quality and a good work ethic, should be - how much do you pay?
Ikea in Sweden starts their employees at $19 an hour, with benefits, and 5 weeks vacation. If they offered that package in their facility in the U.S., I guarantee you they would get the very best and brightest of manufacturing employee's within a 300 mile radius. But they pay $8 an hour, with 4 days of vacation outside of 8 holidays in the United States. And expect the education and workforce system, and the federal/state/local dollars via taxpayers for the K-12 system, the WIB, and Community College, to provide them a cheap, docile labor force that's content earning far less than a living wage.
Ultimately, this will be theme of this blog - If people really matter to your business, if talent matters, then good companies and communities will pay and value them.
If you want to understand our current workforce development system, understand that this plant has since day one complained that they can't find the workforce they need. They claim their needs are few - people who can pass a drug test and have a great work ethic.
The first question to any company that complains about their workforce, and says they just need people who can read, write, work in teams, have concepts of quality and a good work ethic, should be - how much do you pay?
Ikea in Sweden starts their employees at $19 an hour, with benefits, and 5 weeks vacation. If they offered that package in their facility in the U.S., I guarantee you they would get the very best and brightest of manufacturing employee's within a 300 mile radius. But they pay $8 an hour, with 4 days of vacation outside of 8 holidays in the United States. And expect the education and workforce system, and the federal/state/local dollars via taxpayers for the K-12 system, the WIB, and Community College, to provide them a cheap, docile labor force that's content earning far less than a living wage.
Ultimately, this will be theme of this blog - If people really matter to your business, if talent matters, then good companies and communities will pay and value them.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Welcome!
Welcome to my new blog. Essentially, this is going to be about economic, workforce, and community development. Here's my primary argument - to understand the world we live in today we can look at two other periods in human history. First, when humans stopped working as hunters and gatherers, and with the help of new tools, became farmers, secondly, when we left the farm and moved to the cities to work in factories. When we made these changes in our world, it completely changed the way we lived, worked, and learned. The transition that started in roughly 2000 to our economy is similar, it's essentially technologically led as during these other transitions, and will completely change the way we live, work, and learn. We're going to talk about how our communities and people succeed in this dynamic global economy -
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