Education: WHAT now?

Education is change.  A change of a student's knowledge of information and a subject, knowledge of one's self as a person and a learner, and a change of how one sees oneself in the world.

The old saying "the only constant is change" seems to be at odds with the idea that people fear change, that people don't like change.  It was pointed out to me this summer at a leadership institute that people love change.  They are always looking to make changes to their lives, whether it be in their homes (the couch is looking a little worn, should we put in a new kitchen floor), in the workplace (when is the next raise, increase in responsibilities, promotion), and leisure (new books, the next big game, progress in a hobby).  It's change that is forced on people, either through someone else's choices (i.e., undesired change at work, a landlord decides to raise the rent) or other forces, like someone falling ill or becoming the victim of an accident, that is disliked and feared.

Education is change.  Teachers are agents of change.  Teachers prepare students for the coming years, for college and beyond, so that they can navigate the world around them.

Students may resist change (i.e., learning), either because they don't understand why it is necessary, they're already going through a lot of change (puberty and adolescence, social change among friends, turmoil at home), or because the change is too hard for them. In some cases, students have developed negative associations with learning and need to break that association, to unlearn that education isn't worthwhile.

There are two main active strategies an educator can pursue.  One, you can force change on them, focusing on THE WHAT.  Examples of this are "You need to know this for the SAT," "You will need this information/class/skill to gain admission into college," and the classic "You'll use this in the 'Real World.'" Some of that (SAT, ACT, high school transcripts) is a real part of the educational system.  THE WHAT is so ingrained into people that we sometimes joke about it.  Who hasn't heard the half-joking response "[I'm making you do this because] it builds character"?  THE WHAT is a straightforward strategy, doesn't take much time, and often shuts down further questions.  Sometimes a student, asking why they have to learn something, will hear the response "Trust me."  Sometimes this is well-meant, from a teacher that has built up credibility with a class.  It's important that the teacher follow up afterwards to make the connection clear, so that the student-teacher trust is maintained.

The second strategy: get them to buy into the change: THE WHY.  Student ask for this all the time: The want to know WHY!  Examples of THE WHY are: "This will help you better understand the world you're growing up into," "I believe you could really succeed at this (nothing breeds interest like success!)," "You will need these skills for this field you are interesting in going into," and the truly intrinsic "Look at this, isn't it interesting for its own sake?"  THE WHY takes more time.  It may need frequent scheduled discussion and reinforcement.  THE WHY may need a personal conversation.  THE WHY may require that a teacher to put in significant effort to work with a student with whom they wouldn't naturally develop a connection.

The WHY is longer lasting.  THE WHY may pique curiosity.  THE WHY may help students become more optimistic about the future.  If students are more tuned into the WHY, they will make better choices about studying habits, which courses to take in the future, which colleges to apply to, and even which field to go into as a profession.  Students who concentrate on THE WHAT may find themselves at a college, or worse, in a job, and asking "WHAT now?"  Now THAT would be a true failure of education.

The Importance of Quality Teachers

In a recent NYT article on character development in education ("What If The Secret To Success Is Failure?"), the recent work of Angela Duckworth, a psychology professor, figured prominently.  Duckworth has identified seven character traits that are remarkably predictive of high life satisfaction and outstanding achievement.  These traits are zest, grit, self-control, social intelligence, gratitude, optimism, and curiosity.  Even though the US Military Academy at West Point developed its own evaluation to judge incoming candidates, Duckworth’s 12-item questionnaire turned out to be a more accurate predictor of success at West Point.

            While new and valuable research on improving student learning and lifelong success is always of interest to me, after a few days of thinking about this I realized that these teachable and cultivatable traits indicate more than a fresh way of thinking about education.  They also point out the importance of quality teachers.  While everyone is born with varying degrees of these skills, thoughtful and sensitive adults can help develop grit, self-control, social intelligence, gratitude, and optimism (especially at younger ages).  The remaining two, zest and curiosity, can be encouraged or piqued by caring adults who get to know children well and help them bridge the gap that can exist between their ability or potential and possible venues where they can achieve success.

            While we all know students or people who would be just fine if they were left to their own devices in a room full of books and an internet connection, most of us need some guidance at some point in our early lives in order to help us realize that we have greater potential than we originally thought.  This is something that can’t come from books…every child needs and deserves caring and insightful teachers!