Education as if people mattered (TEDx Talk)
“education is not the filling of a pail, but rather the lighting of a flame”
Jeff Hopkin’s TEDx talk spoke to me. I think that we are starting to move in the direction that he is suggesting. That inquiry and passion driven education model that he tries to use at PSII. Certainly this class is proof that at least some new teachers are learning these concepts. However, we have a long way to go.
I remember as a child learning content, specifically, I remember learning about railroads and the fur trade and finding it very boring. For years, social studies was my least favourite subject, all through high school. I went on to university and studied science and said good riddance to “social studies” because the way it had been taught to me was so dry. Then, slowly, I started getting involved with activism, social justice, eco-justice, decolonization, more and more of my classes were focused around social sciences and I found them more engaging than most science courses I was taking. My values had not changed, my previous experience had just not lit the flame.
The solution, as Jeff so clearly demonstrated in his searching for keys example, is difficult. Our systems are so set in place and while change is happening there are still many who like the old ways. The funding is supporting the old ways. Decades of resources support the old ways. In certain cases, retired teachers turned professors still have foot in the past. Do children need to learn math? Yes probably, do they need learn math the way we have been teaching for decades? Probably not seeing as so many children grow up hating math.
Inquiry is still tricky for me because I wasn’t taught in that way, given no boundaries, due dates, criteria etc. I flounder. I am glad we are getting some instruction on this subject because honestly, I wouldn’t have known where to start.