In the essay, “Why School” by Will Richardson, he advocates for a shift in instructional practices and assessments in the educational system. Richardson challenges schools to take a deeper look on how to better serve and prepare students across the country for the twenty-first century. It is alarming to see schools’ passive action into making this shift. According to the National Council of Teachers of English (NTCE), a well-respected organization in the U.S., 90% of graduating high school students were illiterate in 21st century literacies. (Richardson 2012).
Richardson shares his son, Tucker’s learning experiences for the reader to understand that a shift in education is critical now more than ever. Tucker’s learning experiences made me remember when I was in eleventh grade. During this time, my family and I had just moved to the United States. I remember most of my classes required a lot of memorization, completing worksheets and repetitive drills. I was able to excel in all my classes even though English was my second language. Because of this, I became bored with school.
In my search of more engaging and interesting classes, I enrolled in a basic computer programming class. This occurred in the 1980s when computers were just beginning to be introduced in some schools. In this class, our teacher, Dr. Pribnow provided students with plenty of learning engaging opportunities where we were able to explore, be free to utilize critical thinking, collaborate, and create. Perhaps, he was a pioneer in teaching 21st century skills in the classroom. This was of the few classes I found that encouraged engagement among students and instructor at my school.
Looking back to my experience with Dr. Pribnow, I find it very important to provide students with opportunities similar to mine. I find it is my responsibility to do so. I have facilitated and guided students through different project based learning (PBL) activities. It has been powerful to see students from all different levels eager to learn, collaborate, and share with others what they are learning. Stephen Downer says, “We have to stop thinking of an education as something that is delivered to us and instead see it as something we create for ourselves.” But, how can educators make this shift when we are bombarded with irrelevant standardized tests that do not reflect this kind of thinking. “What doesn’t work any longer is our education system’s stubborn focus on delivering a curriculum that’s growing irrelevant to today’s kids, the outmoded standardized assessments we use in an attempt to measure our success, and the command-and-control thinking that is wielded over the entire process. All of that must be rethought. Now.” (Richardson 2012).
It is my goal to continue to commit to become a master learner. As Tony Wagner recently said, “There’s no competitive advantage today in knowing more than the person next to you. The world doesn’t care what you know. What the world cares about is what you can do with what you know.” One of the six-learning/unlearning ideas that I find challenging is to share everything, “Getting into a transparent, digital sharing practice.” I tend to be more of a private person, but after this reading, I see the importance of networking with others, because in the long run, this can only benefit all.
References Richardson, W. (2012). From Why School? Retrieved September 9. 2014.
Richardson shares his son, Tucker’s learning experiences for the reader to understand that a shift in education is critical now more than ever. Tucker’s learning experiences made me remember when I was in eleventh grade. During this time, my family and I had just moved to the United States. I remember most of my classes required a lot of memorization, completing worksheets and repetitive drills. I was able to excel in all my classes even though English was my second language. Because of this, I became bored with school.
In my search of more engaging and interesting classes, I enrolled in a basic computer programming class. This occurred in the 1980s when computers were just beginning to be introduced in some schools. In this class, our teacher, Dr. Pribnow provided students with plenty of learning engaging opportunities where we were able to explore, be free to utilize critical thinking, collaborate, and create. Perhaps, he was a pioneer in teaching 21st century skills in the classroom. This was of the few classes I found that encouraged engagement among students and instructor at my school.
Looking back to my experience with Dr. Pribnow, I find it very important to provide students with opportunities similar to mine. I find it is my responsibility to do so. I have facilitated and guided students through different project based learning (PBL) activities. It has been powerful to see students from all different levels eager to learn, collaborate, and share with others what they are learning. Stephen Downer says, “We have to stop thinking of an education as something that is delivered to us and instead see it as something we create for ourselves.” But, how can educators make this shift when we are bombarded with irrelevant standardized tests that do not reflect this kind of thinking. “What doesn’t work any longer is our education system’s stubborn focus on delivering a curriculum that’s growing irrelevant to today’s kids, the outmoded standardized assessments we use in an attempt to measure our success, and the command-and-control thinking that is wielded over the entire process. All of that must be rethought. Now.” (Richardson 2012).
It is my goal to continue to commit to become a master learner. As Tony Wagner recently said, “There’s no competitive advantage today in knowing more than the person next to you. The world doesn’t care what you know. What the world cares about is what you can do with what you know.” One of the six-learning/unlearning ideas that I find challenging is to share everything, “Getting into a transparent, digital sharing practice.” I tend to be more of a private person, but after this reading, I see the importance of networking with others, because in the long run, this can only benefit all.
References Richardson, W. (2012). From Why School? Retrieved September 9. 2014.