ten things i believe (public version)

ten thingsi believe

An admi(edly quirky look at what I’ve come to believe abouteduca9onal organiza9ons, schooling, teaching, and (most of all) learning

Gary Weisserman ten things i believe

personalization& individualization

of instructionTHE TWO GROUPS OF EDUCATORS THAT HAVE BEEN MOST COMMONLY

MARGINALIZED IN SCHOOLS WERE THE ONES WHO GOT IT RIGHT


1


WE KNOW MOREABOUT HOW PEOPLE LEARNTHAN WE EVER DID BEFORE

2

PHASE CHANGE THEORYUnderstanding and measuring growth in mul9ple domains, knowing that “phase change” growth doesn’t necessarily register on the thermometer


2

BRAIN-‐BASED LEARNINGLearning and teaching based upon current understanding of the unique func9ons of the human brain

NEUROSCULPTING AND LEARNINGPedagogy based on thoughXully using content and experience to inten9onally increase neuroplas9city and the growth of specific kinds of neural pathways

SOME OF WHAT WE KNOW


AND We know MOREABOUT what studentsare LIKELY TO NEED TO KNOW

3

What got us herewon’t get our kids there. Making sense of 21st century literacies.

TOOLS AND ENGINEERINGMastery of technical skills and the disposi9on to use them well

KNOWLEDGE BUILDINGAbility and desire to make useful contribu9ons to a learning community

ARTISTIC EXPRESSIONNot just aesthe9c apprecia9on and skill, but innova9on and design

SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSSkills and sense of authority to analyze and address real issues beyond ourselves

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENTTools and sense of self to engage in a life9me of personal and spiritual growth

INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONSEnerge9cally and thoughXully tackle ambiguous problems with unclear solu9ons


3

“changing a schoolcan be like moving a cemetery”

(John Gardener)


4


organizations (especially schools) naturally trend ...

... towards insane behavior

“When the rate of change inside an organization is slower than the rate of change outside it, that

organization’s failure is imminent.” (Jack Welch)

4

use the dataIT’S A BIG CONFUSING WORLD. EVIDENCE IS OUR BEST TOOL.


Decision-‐making without using evidence is foolish. InstrucRon without using evidence is malpracRce.

4

0

1.3

2.5

3.8

5.0

2008 2009 2010

ComparisonVariableModel

... but be careful which data

remember to emphasize disruptive innovation

at least as much assustaining innovation


4


The org chart IS ALL WRONG5

Students

Teachers

Counselors

Administrators


PLACE-‐BASED LEARNING

TIKKUN OLAM

CREATIVE DESIGN

IMAGINING THE FUTURE

A BIG WORLD NEEDS A BIG CLASSROOM

6

RETHINKING curriculum scope and sequence?

benchmarks and standards?


content and knowledge base?

“Our goal should be to create environments--hothouses--that maximize the likelihood that

students will learn something truly valuable.”

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BRIDGE THE GAPBETWEEN K-12 AND HIGHER EDUCATION

BETWEEN ACADEMIC AND POPULAR CULTUREBETWEEN YIDDISHKEIT AND MODERNITY


8


7 65

number of careers a graduating student is expected to have in his or her lifetime (tony Wagner)

percent of college professors reporting that what is taught in high schools doesn’t prepare students for college (tony Wagner)

6.8

millions of jobs added to the workforce from the creative class by 2018--roughly half of all projected employment growth (Richard Florida)

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2/3

of jewish college students change their level of observance in college. almost twice as many decrease their observance as increase (AISH)

INNOVATIONIS best understood as a responsible form of

risky behavior. the right kind of Risky behavior should be encouraged in schools.


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Neurologically speaking, the same environments that encourage risky behavior also encourage innovation.

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but risk management--how to avoid taking stupid risks-- is a skill we need to purposefully teach.


autonomy, purpose, and masteryare the three most important factors in motivating people to dream, grow, and thrive

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10

HOW KIDS ARE LIKE GOLDFISH

ten things i believe (public version)

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