From Bellevue, Nebraska, watch a video of classes where joy, caring, and compassion have crowded out rigor and grit.
Nothing said about being a global competitor.
Nothing about college and career readiness.
Just the joy of learning and sharing and caring.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Any teacher can answer the title of this article… gosh… students would start to learn and find it engaging… IMAGINE THAT.
I was surprised and pleased to see a positive post about a classroom that made such extensive use of technology. The video seems to be an advertisement for the CritterKin book series, available through Amazon either as a paperback or e-book.
I have written often on this blog of how technology can be used as a liberatory tool to increase individualization and intrinsic motivation to learn.
And I have also often contrasted, on this blog, such uses of technology to the soul-crushing uses to which it is typically being put these days–online summative testing, testing to plop students down into particular spots on invariant learning progressions, substitution of one-sided interactions with push media and computerized evaluation systems for transactional experiences such as interaction with a live lecturer or demonstrator or with a human grader. And I am not the only one who has done this. There have been a lot of posts dealing with such topics.
That the posts have been primarily negative about technology reflects the quotidian experience of teachers in K-12 systems in the era of technology-assisted Education Deformation.
May only worry about “joy” as a desirable by-product in the classroom is that Gates and Duncan will want to measure it and market it and profit from it – and punish those who can’t produce the right amount and type of joy. Now this begs the question, can a grit-filled classroom experience also be joyfull?
I think that the only way to preserve an instinct for freedom and democracy is by creating environments that express love, kindness, tolerance and joy. Heartless rigor, competition and bureaucracy only create ulcers, pain and the need to control…the downfall of “the pursuit of happiness’.
For ‘gritty’. anxiety inducing subjects such as Physics, joy and humour are absolutely essential for getting students to really learn. This goes for other subjects, of course. I taught for 38 years, and the stuff I read about in this blog site horrifies me. I wonder if I were young again and considering teaching, would I make the same choice I made 46 years ago?
It’s more important than ever for people who are not technocratic philistines to make this choice, for kids desperately need to have at least some teachers, in their careers, who model for them joy in learning, provide opportunities for them to experience this joy, and celebrate it with them.
Feeling good about yourself and others. Wow!
Several years back Nobel Prize winners were asked what they thought were the most important thing or things which led them to that prize. If memory is correct all or most replied a great teacher who inspired them. When children feel inspired, learn to love learning one cannot stop them from the journey of life which is education.
When we were told we just had to emulate the great Japanese schools, this was a few decades ago, the Japanese educators were stunned. Their children had lost sight of the great Japanese goals of working together, they now had to compete with each other, and worst of all, children who had been pushed so very hard in academic achievement? It was found that they had learned two things: 1. to hate school school and learning and 2. how to pass tests. They had not even learned the material supposedly learned by passing those tests. They had no understanding of material, only the “right” answers to tests.
We seem to be on the road to emulating those “great Japanese schools” now. After a “nation at risk” came out and people began to become enamored of testing, Frontline came out with a documentary. There were companies that guaranteed the would raise test scores. They could. They just chose questions to answer, how to guess better ad nauseum. The caveat: no one guaranteed that children would learn more.
Our superintendent made the observation and we all laughed: pretty soon they will have classes on how to pass tests. Not funny anymore.
I need to see more posts like this so that I don’t loose heart. The children are counting on us to turn this all around and bring them this joy again.
You might like this one:
awesome!
I disagree that this was a good description of what goes on in the classroom of that school. It seemed more like a commercial for something but I did watch the whole thing to find out what it was…
It was a commercial for the CritterKin book series.
Maybe Princeton professor, Martin Gilens, PhD. can study public opinion on standardized testing and explain why that has not affected pubic policy? http://scholar.princeton.edu/mgilens
This is wonderful.
Perhaps if we look at all this from a slightly different angle…
Let’s just consider Lakeside School, where Bill Gates went. His children are going there now.
Is this a tedious Centre of EduExcellence like those he proposes for OTHER PEOPLE’S CHILDREN? Or could the phrase “joy of learning” be applied, in any way shape or form, to the school HIS OWN CHILDREN attend?
On the website of Lakeside School, on a webpage entitled “Lakeside students making noise nationally” we can see how deadly dull the learning experience must be for the children of self-styled “education reformers.” Note: these are excerpts; please click on link below for the full text.
[start quote]
Lakeside Upper School students are being recognized around the country this spring for both academic and athletic achievements.
Three Lakesiders were among the nation’s top 270 high school students selected to participate in the USA Math Olympiad. Students are selected based on their combined scores on the American Invitational Math Exam and the 12th level American Math Competition. …
Juniors Hallie D. and Jaclyn V. were selected to represent the United States at the World Junior Ultimate Championships in Lecco, Italy this summer. The students, who were selected from a pool of 180 hopefuls, will join the 45-person team for a week-long training camp in July before traveling to Italy to compete against 40 teams and approximately 1,000 athletes from all over the globe. …
Junior Lucy J.’s chalk pastel was selected to receive the Outstanding Achievement Award at the 2014 Puget Sound Regional High School Art Show. Her oil pastel self-portrait was also selected as one of the eight regional awards winners that will advance to the state show in Olympia. …
The Upper School symphony orchestra took the grand prize for “Best Performance” at the 2014 University of Washington Orchestra Invitational, where they competed against the top music programs in the state, including Garfield High School and Roosevelt High School.
Three girls lacrosse players were named to the 2014 Washington State Under-19 Regional Lacrosse Team that will play to defend its title at the US Lacrosse Women’s National Tournament over Memorial Day weekend. …
Finally, three Lakeside seniors were named semifinalists in the 2014 United States Presidential Scholars Program. …
[end quote]
[update of 5/6/2014; start quote]
Juniors Serena X., Tong Yuan D., Anna T., and Wendy L. took the first, second, fourth, and fifth spots respectively in the category of “Speakers of Other Languages – Narrative” at the annual “Escribo en español” (“Write in Spanish”) contest. The state-wide contest, sponsored by the University of Washington, the Center for Spanish Studies, and the Office of Superintendent for Public Instruction, showcases the literary and artistic works of high school Spanish students.
Six Lakesiders received honors at this year’s Washington State High School Photography Competition… The top three photographs from each category wil be professionally matted and framed, and featured in a year-long, state-wide traveling exhibit, which includes stops at the Seattle Art Museum and the Tacoma Art Museum. Scroll through the album at the top to see some of the winning photographs.
[end quote]
Link: http://www.lakesideschool.org/podium/default.aspx?t=204&nid=917494&bl=/default.aspx
Anybody up for a rescue mission?
The silence is deafening…
😎
Joy?
In the classroom?
For the children of proles?
Now, that’s a very subversive thought, since it might lead these children to expect better things in life, other than tedium, authoritarianism and overwork…
You can find joy and the love of learning every day in any Montessori classroom. Here is a great video explaining why: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcgN0lEh5IA I also highly recommend the book Montessori Madness by Trevor Eissler. He explains Montessori in an entertaining way that is easy to understand.
I want to know why I don’t hear more about Montessori in public schools from you, Diane. It is the “right” to everything that is “wrong” in education. There are more than 500 public Montessori schools in the country today (and growing) and my daughters attend one of them in Mt. Pleasant, SC. It is an amazing school that needs to be replicated across the country! There is also a great deal of neuroscience behind the method that just makes sense. And no tests!!!
Keep up the excellent work that you do! I enjoy following your blog and I loved “Reign of Error.” Best wishes for a speedy recovery!
Pam, write about and I will post it.
I would love to!
But would you allow parents to form a Montessori school even if they were too poor to pay the tuition to run it?
Our school district has several public Montessori schools that serve lower income families. The schools are public so there is no tuition. There is an employee at our school district whose job it is to promote Montessori and ensure that all Montessori programs in the district are high quality. District teachers agree to go through Montessori training (paid for by the district) and the classrooms are designed and set up by qualified Montessori administrators and teachers. Currently, there are waiting lists for all of the Montessori schools.
Maria Montessori began her work in the slums of Rome, working with the poorest children. She observed the children that society had deemed “unteachable” and found that, in fact, given the right materials, all children were able to learn, no matter their economic status. Additionally, the children didn’t really need to be “taught” in the traditional sense, she discovered they needed to learn through their innate curiosity using the environment around them. So then it is quite ironic that until recently, Montessori schools had been primarily private, available only to those who could afford it. Today, public school districts are starting to see the benefits of Montessori and are beginning to open more of them.
Montessori is extremely effective for the most sensitive learning period — ages three to 6.
After hearing about New York Mayor Bill De Blasio’s plan to spend millions of dollars on pre-K programs in the city, a group of Montessori advocates raised enough money to fly a banner over New York City that read “Mayor De Blasio — Make It Montessori.” The movement is underway and public Montessori school advocates like me hope it takes off!
Given the waiting lists, are there plans to expand the number of seats available in the Montessori schools?
We are trying. It is easier said than done as facilities are an issue as well as money. At least we have a start. Educating the public about what Montessori is (and isn’t) is also a challenge. Lots of misinformation, preconceived ideas, etc. so we are working on that as well.
When you say misinformation, is it on the part of the parents in the community who oppose expansion for those on the waiting lists or decision makers in the public school district or both?
There are parents in the community who are opposed to expansion. They fear the unknown but seem unwilling to learn what Montessori is. They like the status quo, even though the status quo is a failing school. There is also the perception that white students will push out the African American students if a traditional school transitions to Montessori. Personally, I would love to see desegregation and more racially balanced schools in our city. Schools with a racial balance tend to do much better.
Several school board members also do not fully understand the Montessori method. It’s frustrating when decision makers don’t have all the facts. Spending time in a Montessori classroom is the best way to understand it.
These might be reasons to support an alternative to public magnet schools. There may well be enough parents and students interested in supporting additional Montessori schools of adequate scale, but others in the district might prevent it from happening. The public policy question is if we should allow those in the district not directly involved in the formation of these schools to have a veto over the formation of the schools.
Joy at school should not be so novel that it needs to be showcased. Where I work, Alpine Valley School (http://alpinevalleyschool.com) — and at Sudbury schools like it — relying fully on children’s innate love of learning means every single day is full of passion, exuberance, creativity, play — all the things that best facilitate learning. There are several videos on the Sudbury model: for a good overview, I’d recommend one called “Focus and Intensity” produced by Sudbury Valley School (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxPnvJE0V2E).
I have not received any emails for several weeks. Is there something not ok with your recovery from surgery or is the blog no longer happening? Concerned…
Sent from my iPhone
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