Doing Twice As Much In Half the Time

I think this is really, really interesting, POWERFUL stuff right here. The big buzzword in education right now is "engagement." We want the kids to be "engaged." There is this movement for the teacher to do less and let the students do more, for school to really be "learner centered." This is especially true with the rise of technology, going "1 to 1" with devices (tablets, Chromebooks), etc.

I think that's a wonderful idea, in theory, but the reality is there are fundamental skills that our kids need to learn.For example, I was a really good student, but I don't know as much about science as our science teacher or as much about math as our math teacher. The teacher is supposed to be the expert, right? So where is that line between "learner centered" classrooms and "the teacher is the expert?"

I'm asking a general question here.

So in my research, I came across this video where a former Air Force pilot describes how to become more efficient by becoming more "agile." He compares how we set deadlines with what it's like to land an airplane. It's really a fascinating way to think about how we usually set a goal of getting something done. If you're not interested in watching the entire video, just skip ahead to the 13:10 mark, where he talks specifically about how this pertains to schools.

Again, just speaking in general, I love the idea of making our work more visible and working in teams. I think we can all agree that would make us all feel more productive, make information easier to share, and make the job more enjoyable.

In regards to these "flipped classrooms" where the students are doing all of the teaching? Again, in a perfect Utopia, sure, it sounds like an awesome idea. But what about making sure kids have the fundamental skills (reading, writing, basic math skills, spelling, etc) in the first place?

I think there has to be a balance. I just thought this was really interesting and wanted to share. Thanks for reading! #JWT