Adjust to Learners

Education has survived the high stakes testing drive for over a decade now and the damage to the system is immeasurable. Increased isolation of content and factory fixes for perceived problems has only embedded deeper, the misguided thinking that relies on specialization and canned curriculum. 

The education establishment likes nothing more than to label and sort children and adults into manageable groups and remove anything messy that might get in the way of performing on high stake tests. As Will Richardson points out, the folly of this thinking is the tests were designed for a time that has passed. We can't get to the future by using processes that weren't intended to evolve.


There are two realities people have to embrace if we are going to move into a space that really meets learners where they are and helps them to grow. The world is diverse and change is the only constant. 

By diverse I am not talking just about ethnicity or culture. That is a part of the idea of course. The individuality of humanity means we are all different and not a single person can be understood through generalizations. Because we serve the needs of such diverse learners, we have to be aware of ways that we can adapt what we do to help children learn. We can't keep picking a one-size-fits-all approach to learning since there is no one-size-fits-all child. Just because we can label something doesn't mean we understand it!

Change is the only constant. Listening to learners to tailor learning to their needs is the best way to adapt our system. And this requires teachers to step out, get uncomfortable, and allow something new to happen. It means you CAN'T plan what you are going to teach a year in advance in detail. Parents have to stop asking for what their children are going to miss three weeks from now when the family pulls the kid out of school for a trip. If we know exactly what we are covering three weeks from now, SOMETHING IS WRONG! Education has to embrace the concept of just in time delivery. Of course we need to plan the journey and have timetables, but within that journey we are going to make stops when needed to explore, think, and create. If the journey takes longer or finishes quicker, who cares? Learning is organic. Finding ways to connect students with what they know and what they need to know and want to know is an art we must practice.

But doesn't that make it hard to teach? Yes and that is the point! You have to be slightly off balance to be your best as a teacher. When you get into a "groove" and you simply pull out the canned lesson you have done many times before, you are not being responsive. The corpse of last year's lesson isn't what your children need. 

The reality is our students change. Not just individuals over time, but each new cohort that arrives at our doors is different than the year before. If we don’t adapt, we quickly use tools designed for a different model and the mismatch can be devastating to learning.