Sometimes I feel as if I don't fit into the system of education.  I wonder if I am just crazy or if I am part of a silent minority (perhaps even majority) who feel the same way.  So, I am making a list of paradigm shifts that I think many teachers, administrators and politicians need to make. I hate lists, but I really felt like turning all my thoughts into one large list.

Paradigm Shifts - From Standardized Education to Authentic Learning

  1. From achievement to learning - Instead of asking "how do we measure achievement?" we need to ask, "How can we tell if a student learned?"
  2. From a better living to living better - Rather than training future workers, we need to prepare people to live well
  3. From parents as the enemy to parents as the solution - Rather than griping about parents, we need to find ways to partner with them to help students learn
  4. From classroom management to classroom leadership - Instead of simply maintaining the status quo, teachers need to lead the class to a common goal
  5. From grading to assessing - While most teachers spend hours grading and inputting grades, students would benefit more from authentic feedback
  6. From technology classes to technology integration - Most schools have computer labs where students "go to" rather than classrooms where teachers integrate technology into the daily experience
  7. From teaching-as-a-profession to teaching-as-a-vocation - In other words, school is not a business.  It is a lifestyle (I'd even use the term ministry) that derives from who you are rather than what you do
  8. From excuses to solutions - Rather than using low-SES as an excuse, schools need to find ways to contextualize education to meet the needs of all students
  9. From standardization to customization - The factory system, one-size-fits-all method of doesn't work (and shouldn't work) for all students.  In an age where creativity and higher level thinking are valued, we continue to focus on memorization of isolated facts rather than teaching students to construct concepts and think well about life.
  10. From reactive to proactive discipline - I have found that increasing motivation and building a relationship with students (along with some solid, simple procedures) means I very rarely have to discipline students in the course of a lesson. I would even argue that the greatest solution is the hardest to follow: loving one another
  11. From knowledge to wisdom - The greater question shouldn't be "how does a student learn," but "Why does learning matter?"
  12. From extrinsic to intrinsic motivation - Rather than offering golden stickers or free pizzas, we should find things that are challenging and meaningful.  It is hard at first - especially in a culture addicted to amusement.  Yet, over time, it leads to a deeper sense of motivation.
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