Moving Forward to the Future with an Education Reinvention
Everyday
people are focused on change, and making things better. Education is a
big, and rightfully so, part of this change. Many steps have been taken
to improve the current system. But it’s still not enough. Part of the
drive to move forward is lost because people aren’t excited to move
forward. By some, the reinvention of education is viewed as an
impossible feat, an unachievable goal, and an unrealistic hope. Why is
that? Personally, I believe that the biggest reason is that we’re
looking too far ahead. We see the end result, which is good, since every
dream needs a vision, but we often get overwhelmed at the thought of
getting there. How can we jump from A to Z? We can’t! You have to take
it all one step, or, in this case, one letter at a time. Although they
may not be in alphabetical order, I think there are some simple steps we
can take to begin to change everything, and the key is “begin”.
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Personalize
What
is exactly does it mean to a student when you personalize their
learning? Think about being able to understand things clearly in the
best way for you. It all becomes less of a challenge and eliminates so
much frustration. In our system today, it seems the rule is all about
standard. It appears that everyone is different until you go to school,
where nothing is specifically made to fit you and your needs. However,
most people stop here and say “That may be true, but it’s not realistic
at all! Teachers are stretched as it is, and no one has the time or the
money to create individual lesson plans. Personalization sounds great
but has no realistic value in the classroom.” But wait, stop right
there! Personalization doesn’t mean individual lesson plans! The base of
it means that you’re taught in the way you learn best.
Give
students options for activities, and a little more “structured
freedom”. Everyone likes choices, just make sure they supply the right
information. That way, students are still learning what they need, but
they get to choose which option works for them! Also, if more schools
taught in ways that appealed to the three different types of learners
(auditory, visual, and kinesthetic) students might be able to understand
the lesson in fewer steps. Instead of taking time to help students who
think differently, teachers can spend time writing the steps on the
board, reading the information aloud, or creating several activities
that students can complete to connect with what they’re learning.
Speaking of which, this leads to our next point…. connecting.
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Connections
In
order to learn fully, you have to be able to fully connect with what
you’re learning. People can connect in all sorts of ways, through class
blogs, author chats, articles, real-life examples, and more! It depends
on the subject, and sometimes the student, but overall it is basically
about giving both students and teachers the tools to strengthen
learning.
Often
when students learn, they can read the same paragraph over and over and
over and still not understand the meaning. The resource itself isn’t
usually the problem, but a different source can sometimes be the answer.
There are SO many different options and opportunities, from information
online, to hands-on activities! It’s up to the teacher to have these
options, but it’s also important that the student understands what they
need and also how good they feel when they truly connect. It eliminates
quite a lot of frustration, I can tell you that!
While
teachers don’t often need to connect with the learning material so much
as the way it is presented, the joint itself is still so important. If
teachers are not excited about what they’re learning, it’s likely that
their kids won’t be either, so it is also important to connect with the
students themselves through the lesson. When educators teach, they need
to be able to understand what they’re doing, and why. What motivates
them? How can they teach in a way that works for them and the students?
One way to find this answer is through discussion. We have to remember
that connection isn’t always done with books and paper. Talking with
other humans can present new ideas and make such a difference. Speaking
of which….. let’s talk a little about collaboration!
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Collaborate
Essentially,
collaboration is just working with others. Good collaboration should be
a true experience filled with new ideas and thoughts, discussion,
sharing, problem solving, and overall a useful outcome. My favorite
thing about collaboration is really that it can be completely structured
or totally free. It can be problem solving or just powerful discussion,
both of which are extremely important to teachers and students. People
can collaborate in all sort of ways, from activities to discussions. I
think the best kind is through a community (of teachers and/or students)
who are always ready to help each other out when someone needs help,
and also willing share their ideas but be open to new ones.
Although
their topics may be different, the sharing and learning of new ideas is
always the same. It’s really impossible to collaborate without hearing
any thoughts and ideas, and it’s important to take them all into
consideration and find what works best. We know this when we…. reflect!
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Reflect
Reflection
is essentially looking back on something you’ve seen, an experience
you’ve had, something you’ve used, or things you’ve encountered. It’s
sort of like critiquing, you look for the good parts, the bad parts,
ways to improve and what to continue doing. You can see what is working
and what isn’t, and that’s exactly how it is for both students and
teachers. To move forward we need to see all of this, and reflection is
the root.
Teachers,
especially, can create daily, weekly, or even monthly logs on what the
students are learning and how they’re responding to it. By doing this,
they can find patterns, work to use them as best they can, and make the
learning experience more successful and easier for everyone, including
themselves! Plus, we cannot forget that the teacher’s reflection focus
shouldn’t only be on students, it should also be about the teachers,
themselves, and their styles. Not fashion styles, though! Everyone has a
certain style for just about anything and everything, whether it’s with
writing, clothing, teaching, or even eating. What are the teacher’s
strengths and weaknesses? How can they be the best they can be so that
the students can also be at their best? What can they do to be
supportive, personal, and caring?
On
the student side, it’s a little more simple, mainly because most kids
won’t always “get” why they need to reflect. The simple and basic answer
is that it will make things easier and a lot more enjoyable! If a
student is able to focus on what they’re doing well, they now have a
tool to use as a motivator. The knowledge that you are good at something
can spur you on to be great at other things, and to try harder. But,
reflection shouldn’t always be focused on the positive side! Sometimes,
it is important to look at what you aren’t so good at, or, more
importantly, “Why?” I know, for example, that I’m not good at Math. By
reflecting on my learning experiences from the past I know that I
usually learn best with step by step instructions and activities, so, if
my course does not provide the learning style I need, I go to the
internet! It can be a wonderful tool, and, in fact, it just helped me
prepare for an exam.
Finally,
people in all areas need to reflect on one big question “What can I do
to make education better?” If you ask this to a parent, a teacher, a
student, a principal, a board member, a director, or a curriculum
specialist, you’ll see that the question obviously has many, many
different meanings. One might say “I can spend a few extra minutes to
help my son in English”. Another would probably answer “I’ll focus on
giving extra support and help to my students.” Although the question
takes on different meanings, the reflections idea is the same. You look
at what you have been doing, see what’s working and what needs to be
fixed, figure out what you can do, and you try it!
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Be Open.
You
cannot attempt any kind of change with a full force unless you are open
to it. If you aren’t open, the change itself cannot be used to its
fullest potential. If we want to reinvent education, we have to be
accepting of it - more than that, we have to want it!
Overall,
I don’t like change. The thought of trying something new gets me a
little overwhelmed, as it does for many people. But the important thing
is to remember why we do it. “Why do we want to change education?”
That’s a question you’ll have to ask yourself, yourself.
