"All that is valuable in human society depends upon the opportunity for development accorded the individual." - Albert Einstein
Several weeks ago, I asked my students (10th grade biology) what skill or concept they would learn or master if time and money were no issue. Their collective answers showed strong desire to learn music, art, design, engineering, new languages, mechanics, martial arts, environmental issues, culture and much more. I found this fascinating. It may seem obvious that their answers would center around these sorts of things, and maybe it is not their answers themselves that are fascinating but rather the absence of real opportunities to learn much less master any of these things in our educational system.
In August of 2010 I finished my Master's in Educational Leadership at The College of New Jersey. During my time in the program I was exposed to books and research and cultural perspectives that made a significant impact on me. I continue to read many books, journals and studies about education, our brains, change, success and motivation. Some of my absolute favorites are A Whole New Mind and Drive by Daniel Pink, The Element by Ken Robinson, The Tipping Point, Blink and Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell and 5 Minds for the Future by Howard Gardener. I have always believed that our educational system could serve all students and their respective communities more effectively. My education, both formal and informal has given me the tools, vocabulary, research and theory to support my persistent idea.
What if I told you that a natural resource existed that could solve societal, medical, ecological, financial and educational problems and mysteries? This resource not only exists but exists in abundance... it is renewable and limitless and has no adverse environmental effects. In fact, the more you tap into this resource, the more valuable it becomes and the more potential it gains. I hope your reaction to these statements is "WOW! Oh my gosh! Where can we get this?" I also hope that you believe that we should not waste any time... I hope you want to find and use this resource immediately. We need it desperately.
Well, this resource does exists... in our high schools... and the system that is in place (in most cases) is causing it to go to waste. The great discoveries and innovations that could change our world are being snuffed out by menial tasks, rote memorization and a checklist approach to community service and involvement.
All concepts and skills that are taught in our schools are incredibly important to society and teachers and administrators are hard working and dedicated.. However, to expect that every student is able to see the relevance of truly learning every subject is unrealistic. The objectives that teachers strive to help their students meet are written specifically by experts in particular areas. Do you think that the writers of the biology objectives could pass high-stakes tests on the history objectives... or even the physics objectives? And yet, we expect students to do that in every area. If a student finds one subject particularly interesting and has a desire to really excel in that area, she must suppress that desire. She needs time for Advanced Placement classes in everything else and twenty-six charity clubs, band, field hockey, hebrew class and a part time job. That is, if she wants to level the playing field to get into a top college. Hmmm. Our educational system wants all students to know and be able to do the same "stuff." When is there time to get get good at anything?
True, many students are able to take advantage of what is offered in our educational system today and they have the ability to see relevance and maximize their potential within the system. This is not the case for most students. Some students perform very well in school, on paper. They have become good at the school game; taking the steps necessary to get the good grades. Unfortunately this causes students who are "good students" to leave high school with a very limited skill set and no passion or direction.
To put this into perspective for someone who is not exposed to high schools today, consider this: Pretend you are being exposed to an hour-long, informative presentation which seems irrelevant to your immediate personal or professional success. The presenter announces, "I will post this information so you can access it on your own after this presentation." What are the chances you pay attention? And, if you do pay attention, out of respect, what are the chances that you leave the presentation with a strong enough grasp of the information to go find a way to make it relevant to your life and put the information to use; or apply it toward anything creative, new and innovative? Most people would say that there were better uses of their time.
The reality is that if you do end up needing that information for anything in the future, you can access it on your own, so you felt comfortable tuning it out, right? We all live in a world where "information" is literally in our hands, all information; whenever, wherever we need it. I believe that this has caused a shift in how our brains process information. If we are not interested and we do not see the immediate relevance, we save brain space. We can remember a time when knowing information and processes gave you an edge over others, while they read or hunted down the concepts. As a result, we still place a certain amount of importance on retaining information. Students do not know that world, and I believe it would be irresponsible to continue "educating" them as if they should just "get it."
My students are amazing: smart, creative, inquisitive, funny and talented. I love biology and I truly believe that it is important that all people understand the themes and concepts. However, I only believe it is necessary for them to understand it to the extent that helps them live healthy and productive lives, act as responsible citizens, respect and preserve our natural environment and pursue a career that fulfills them. Each individual does not need to understand biology inside and out just because the biologist who wrote the standards believes that they should. Every person deserves autonomy in their eduction (Dan Pink - Drive) and the right to explore and pursue mastery. It is the duty of our educational system to provide and support these opportunities.
Period Ten is the "period" committed personal learning and pursuit of mastery, to exploring and creating. Perhaps one day traditional high schools will have the freedom to embrace and incorporate "Period Ten."
