Sir Ken Robinson gave the most popular TedTalk of all time, Do Schools Kill Creativity In it, he explains that, yes, schools do kill creativity. It's an amazing talk, one I whole heartedly endorse, one I refer to frequently. His talk was very thought provoking. We lost Sir Robinson this past summer due to cancer.
Today, on my walk, I was listening (again) to Michelle Obama read her book Becoming. In chapter 4 she talks about her childhood, her neighborhood and her school. Her experiences growing up mirror mine in many ways- the gathering of family, playing in the neighborhood, walking to a school not far away from home. I don't know if it's the death of an educational figure, listening to the book, the end of my summer, or Covid19- chances are all of these are the culprit- but apparently this last full week of my summer break has me in a melancholy mood. I'm starting to sound like my great aunt and uncle, "Back in my day, schools were better. Music was better."
I was a child, I know, so my memory is perhaps not 100% accurate, and I know the 70s were not a perfect time. I know vast portions of our society did not have the advantages I did. I do not want to return to that time, per se, but I think back to schools, to my educational opportunities, and I can't help but think we've lost something along the way.
The 70s were a time of neighborhood schools, people knew who lived next door, kids could be out from sun up to sun down. I walked alone to the gas station on the corner to buy a bottle of pop and a candy bar for .50, or my friends and I would ride our bikes a few blocks in the other direction to the "Little Store" where we bought penny candy. There was a local park with swings, a sprinkler that went all summer long, metal slides and climber. It was nothing for me to walk the six blocks to it alone. We had freedoms that we took for granted. Younger generations will never know what the streetlight coming on means to us. The same goes for school.
When I was in the fourth grade, my classroom was in the area surrounding the library. It was called "the pod" and there was an open classroom concept. We had dividing walls between each class, but they were open to the library. As a student, I don't remember being distracted by what was going on in the other classes or the library. I don't remember it being too loud. But I do remember the freedom we felt to get up, move around, work in groups. We went from having individual desks to tables. Group work was the norm. It was like the kindergarten idea, only for older children.
Speaking of kindergarten, it was a true child's garden. We played, we made crafts, we had a short rest time and snack time. It was a half day, play based classroom and the favored "centre" to play in was a wooden climber in the middle of the classroom. Yes, a wooden climber where we could climb up, do flips over, walk across the ladder. When we made choices where we would play, we chose a colored string- the color for the climbing center was black, btw. I still remember this almost 50 years later.
Three quarters of the way through 4th grade, my family moved and I started a new school. A different set-up than the open classroom concept, but definitely the same teaching attitude. I think it was when I was in the 5th grade (but it could have been the end of 4th) that we took part in a city-wide program called "Free to be- you and me" based on the Marlo Thomas album and television special (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_to_Be..._You_and_Me). We all piled into school busses for a week (maybe two) of full on arts education, with a strong side over of old school feminism. Pretty sure that wouldn't go over very well in todays climate. It truly makes me sad to think of how good I had it growing up and comparing it to now. We can't go back in time, but do you think, in some ways, education can?
We are currently in "uncharted territory" (I hate that term, but it is fitting in the context of modern education in the time of Covid19). Some of us are teaching virtually, some are teaching face to face, some are in a hybrid model. Those of us teaching face to face are learning to balance what is best for the physical health of our students and their mental/developmental health. Because of, or in spite of this, we have a chance to reset the trajectory of education. I have my masters in 21st century learning. Most people automatically think "technology", and that is a part, but it is so much more than that. Technology
is more like a tool for 21st century learning, it is not the driving force of it. What it is, is encapsulated by what is known as the 4C's of 21 Century Learning:
Critical Thinking
Communication
Collaboration
Creativity
Whether we are teaching face to face or virtually, we can include all four of these into our lessons. Now is the time to step up and truly think about each of these in relation to our lessons.
Are we teaching our students to think critically? This is hugely important right now- as too many of us seem to have lost that ability. We must teach students to sift through all of the information that is available to them. In this age of information, we are inundated with so much. Add to that the algorithms that Google and other search engines utilize, which narrows our search to "similar" links, and we find ourselves in an echo chamber. We need to teach students to critically think about what they have read, and figure out ways to find opposing voices.
Are we teaching our students to communicate appropriately? Another lost art in this current age. The computer is just one way we can do this, but that is only one "language" of many (see https://reggioemilia2015.weebly.com/the-100-languages.html) In a conversation about children in this time, Carla Rinaldi also includes technology as one of the languages (https://youtu.be/EKqXLbBvR00). There is a common "meme" I have seen floating around social media: "Social Media has made too many of you comfortable disrespecting people and not getting punched in the mouth for it..."(https://images.app.goo.gl/B7bQimqLumsaQpTAA). While I don't advocate physical violence, the sentiment is true. We live in an age where people hide behind keyboards and say whatever comes into their minds, without consequence. We need to teach our students how to communicate, and that includes listening to others points of view, and with empathy.
Are we giving our students time to collaborate? As educators, we present material to our students, but it is through collaboration with each other that it begins to make concrete sense to them. Even when working virtually, students can be given the freedom to discuss and explain, they can still collaborate. The toughest thing for many to do is to let go and trust the learning that happens between students. But that is where the meat and potatoes happens. We must be available to help correct any misgivings, but we also need to remember to step back and allow them to work that out for themselves.
Are we allowing for creativity in our students? Are we giving them time to create, musically, artistically, writing? We can't merely spout off "the facts" and expect a well rounded individual (sorry conservative friends, but education is more than the filling of a pail). We need the arts to help us make sense of the facts. And, as a side note, math, science, and art are inextricably linked.
We cannot go back to the 70s nor should we want to. But the 4 C's are the perfect vehicle to bring education into the 21st century. Teachers need the freedom to incorporate this into their lessons. Scripts are great in order to illustrate how a lesson could go, but if it doesn't come from the heart of the teacher, then they are merely going to be clanging gongs. And, who listens to a clanging gong?
I am too old to have children in school today, but someday I hope to have grandchildren in schools. I want for them, what I had. I want kindergarten to be a truly play based experience, I want their teachers to have the freedom to introduce them to things and ideas I cannot. I want them to be critical thinkers, because a critical thinker is a person who is free from the shackles of other peoples opinions, a critical thinker can sift through the bias and get to the source. I want them to be able to communicate to others in a variety of ways, and in such a way as to communicate respectfully and with confidence.
In order to teach for the future, perhaps there are things from the past we can utilize. We desperately need to figure out a way to teach in a way that does not kill creativity, but one that finds what each child needs and helps them to capitalize on that.
Call me idealistic, and tell me I have on rose colored glasses, but I think we can do this. We can be 21st Century teachers, and we can change the course of education for the better! We owe it to the next generation.
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