THREAD
Brief tutorial in why innovations in institutional education always "fail."
Brief tutorial in why innovations in institutional education always "fail."
2. First ask yourself: Why does the existing education system consistently fail a large percentage of kids?
(Aside from the obvious issues of poverty, inequity, racism, trauma.)
(Aside from the obvious issues of poverty, inequity, racism, trauma.)
3. The existing system fails because one size does not fit all. One size will never fit all. There is nothing that you can do on this earth that will work for everybody.
4. The existing public system fails the kids who don’t fit the demands of the existing system. Kids who are too high-energy, too independent, too creative, too introverted, too extraverted, too rebellious.
5. So you work, and work, and make changes to the system. You open it up, you make it accommodate students who are more high-energy, more independent, more creative.
6. And it still fails for a large percentage of kids. Maybe a slightly smaller percentage. Maybe a slightly larger percentage. But it still fails for a lot of kids.
Why?
Why?
7. Because one size does not fit all. One size will never fit all. There is nothing that you can do on this earth that will work for everybody.
8. So you say, “We need to get back to basics! What kids need is high expectations! None of this “progressive” nonsense! What kids need is direct instruction and accountability!”
9. So you work, and work, and make changes to the system. You create lengthy lists of standards, you identify the knowledge and skills that kids need to master, you test them to make sure they’re mastering those skills.
10. And it still fails for a large percentage of kids. Maybe a slightly smaller percentage. Maybe a slightly larger percentage. But it still fails for a lot of kids.
Why?
Why?
11. Because one size does not fit all. One size will never fit all. There is nothing that you can do on this earth that will work for everybody.
12. So you say, both of these models are too extreme! What we need is a balanced education that has some freedom of choice but also a rich curriculum with high standards!
13. So you work, and you work, and make changes to the system. You come up with project-based models, you have “genius hour” on Fridays, but you also have a full standards-based system with testing and accountability.
14. And it still fails for a large percentage of kids. Maybe a slightly smaller percentage. Maybe a slightly larger percentage. But it still fails for a lot of kids.
Why?
Why?
15. Because one size does not fit all. One size will never fit all. There is nothing that you can do on this earth that will work for everybody.
16. So here’s an idea: maybe we need to stop trying to find the One Best Way of Educating All Children.
Maybe we need to recognize that children are different, they will always be different, and it’s a good thing that they’re different.
Maybe we need to recognize that children are different, they will always be different, and it’s a good thing that they’re different.
17. Maybe we need to recognize that the child who will grow up to be a jet pilot, and the child who will be a poet, and the child who will be a chef in a fast-paced restaurant, and the child who will be a forest ranger, and the child who will be a research scientist +
18. + and the child who will be a finish carpenter, and the child who will be a software engineer, and the child who will be a kindergarten teacher, and the child who will be a firefighter, are really different children, and they may need different approaches to education.
19. They need different amounts of social stimulation and quiet time. Different amounts of freedom to explore and structured instruction. Different amounts of feedback and independence. Different amounts of hands-on and text-based learning. Different tools. Different paths.
20. Maybe one child will blossom in a quiet, calm, formal education environment. One child will blossom in a noisy, open, makerspace environment. One child will blossom in an outdoor, nature-based environment. One child will blossom in a democratic free school.
21. One child will blossom by homeschooling or unschooling and apprenticeships in the wider community. One child will blossom with a combination of these.
22. And before you say it’s not possible to provide all those options, I’d like to point out that it might be more cost-effective to provide a stable array of options in every community than it is to overhaul and “reform” the whole system from decade to decade.
23. (Might not be as profitable for Pearson, though!) 🤔
24. But that’s just the cost in money. The cost in children’s lives when a child is stuck for twelve years in an educational environment they simply can’t thrive in –– when a child fails, day after day after day, year after year after year — it’s unfathomable.
25. Because one size does not fit all. One size will never fit all. There is nothing that you can do on this earth that will work for everybody.
Because people are different, people will always be different, and it’s a good thing that they’re different.
Because people are different, people will always be different, and it’s a good thing that they’re different.
26. When can we start looking at education this way?
