Reform vs. Revolution
While reform is improving a broken model, education needs a revolution to transform it into something else (Robinson, 2010). This video resonated with my recent ideals on the current education system. Robinson states that we have viewed education as a linear, conformity, and industrialized model whereas it should be based on more of an agricultural aspect. In agriculture, there are natural resources and conditions that you must personalize to see growth. This aligns with what we call differentiation in the classroom. However, teachers have not been given the necessary resources and training to make personalization and differentiation an easy implementation as leadership may try to make it seem.
The firefighter example was triggering in a way that many educators and the system have been built to make students think they must complete grade school, immediately go to college, and receive a great professional job. We have to understand that there are many things in this world and we have to stop fitting humans into a box and understanding that students can identify with many other avenues of life that don't fit into the typical linear educational model. This is why student-centered learning approaches are becoming more important now than ever. We can allow students to showcase their knowledge, abilities, and interests as well through this approach and project-based learning which I have decided to implement into my classroom through my innovation plan. This also allows students to have more autonomy within the classroom.
Overall, we have to give students more opportunities to get personalized education and allow them to be able to take ownership this can be done through autonomy and mastery. I am willing to facilitate a classroom where students take pride in choice, ownership, voice, and authentic learning experiences that create a personalized educational experience aligned with student interests to benefit them as life-long learners. Remember, we must bring back play and imagination to heighten the interests of learners in the twenty-first century.
References:
TED. (2010, May 24). Bring on the learning revolution! | Sir Ken Robinson [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9LelXa3U_I
RSA. (2010, April 1). RSA ANIMATE: Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc
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