Learning
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What should be Learned ? Helsinki, October 19, 2010 Charles Fadel Charlesfadel (at) gmail (period) com Agenda • Why Teaching for Skills ? • What Skills ? • Impact on Knowledge • Consequence for the Curriculum • Historical perspective • Call for rethinking Curriculum “The greatest use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it.” William James, 19th Century Charles & Suomi Middle School Career 1 Career 2 “WWII, Forestry, Sauna” My Daughter & Finland High School (2006) “Wow Finland is so COOL !” Career 2017: Finland on top of the world, economically Knowledge + Skills + “Character” “Character” (incl. values [wisdom], attitudes [motivation] etc) Knowledge Skills (incl. behaviors) The Benefits of Learning Economic competitiveness $€¥ £元 Learning Lifelong personal prosperity Social & environmental wellbeing Competitiveness Æ Productivity Æ Education “Climate change” is coming to Education 7 7 Engineering PhD median salary US (CA): $125,200 Germany: $99,400 China: $53,700 India: $39,200 How do you justify 2‐3x differential? Accelerating Change Demands Different Skills e.g. consultants e.g. engineers e.g. assembly work e.g. paperwork e.g. truck driving From Agrarian to Innovation Economies Agrarian Industrial Information Concrete Concrete Abstract Concrete Abstract Interactive Innovation Concrete Abstract Interactive Creative “Imagination is more important than Knowledge” – Albert Einstein Source: “Tough Choices or Tough Times” 2007, National center on education and the economy Race up the Value Chain IN MORE DEVELOPED COUNTRIES The OECD’s View 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. The great collaborators and orchestrators The great synthesizers The great explainers The great versatilists Source: Andreas Schleicher The great personalizers The great localizers 7. To which I add: The great innovators Versatility = m‐shaped not T‐shaped Broad Knowledge m T Single vs Multiple Deep Expertise Bloom’s Taxonomy Revised… again ! Both Synthesizing AND Creating matter ! Source: http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Bloom%27s_Taxonomy Workforce Requirements Survey Knowledge Skills English Language (spoken) Critical Thinking/Problem Solving Reading comprehension (English) Communications (oral & written) Writing (English) Collaboration/Teamwork Mathematics Diversity Science IT Applications Government/Economics Leadership Humanities/Arts Lifelong Learning/Self-Direction Foreign Languages Professionalism/Work Ethic History/Geography Ethics/Social Responsibility Source: “Are they really ready to work ?” report by the Conference Board, P21 et al How are these Skills recognized? “Has your organization identified these skills as priorities for employee development, talent management, and succession planning?” Skill Critical thinking Communication Collaboration Creativity/innovation Agree/ Strongly Agree 73.3% 79.2% 72.3% 66.6% Source: AMA/P21 2010 Critical Skills Survey, released April 2010 Skills per P21.org Learning & Innovation Skills • Critical Thinking & Problem Solving • Creativity & Innovation • Communication • Collaboration Digital Literacy Skills • Information Literacy • Media Literacy • ICT (Information, Communications & Technology) Literacy Life & Career Skills • Flexibility & Adaptability • Initiative & Self‐Direction • Social & Cross‐Cultural Skills • Productivity & Accountability • Leadership & Responsibility Global Interest Signatories: Australia England Finland Portugal Singapore USA http://www.atc21s.org/ Schooling vs Real‐World “…school learning is… theoretical and organized by disciplines while work is… specific to the task, and organized by problems and projects…” “Learning for Jobs” 2009 Source MIT – Mechanical Engineering 100% 80% 60% 40% Learned at MIT Used pervasively 20% Did not learn Learned elsewhere Learned on the job Graduate school MIT undergrad 0% Mechanical Engineering Core Professional Skills How & Why Source: Kristen Wolfe June,2004 S.B. Thesis & Professor Warren Seering. Courtesy Professor Woodie Flowers Why does it matter ? pervasively never Frequency of use lead/innovate none Expected proficiency MIT ‐ Gordon Engineering Leadership Program “Making Engineers Smart—and Savvy New MIT program grafts social skills onto problem solvers” “The program is designed to give budding engineers skills that go beyond the technical—risk assessment, decision making, interpersonal relations, resourcefulness, and flexibility” Source: http://spectrum.ieee.org/at-work/education/making-engineerssmartandsavvy by Susan Karlin /May 2010 MIT – Freshman Physics • Collaborative Learning - work in groups of 3 • Networked laptops • Media-rich software • Extensive course notes • Assessment showing learning gains 2x higher than traditional instruction Source: http://web.mit.edu/8.02t/www/802TEAL3D/teal_tour.htm. Courtesy Pr. John Belcher Expanding the Mindset Courtesy of Olin President Richard Miller First year Student Engagement Mean Score (in Std Dev from NSSE Mean) 1.6 1.4 1.2 1 0.8 Olin College Engineering 0.6 Liberal Arts NSSE 2009 0.4 0.2 0 -0.2 Level of Academic Challenge Active and Collaborative Learning StudentFaculty Interaction Enriching Educational Experiences Courtesy of Olin President Richard Miller Supportive Campus Environment Rebalancing Education Teacher-directed Direct Instruction Knowledge Content Basic Skills Theory Curriculum Individual Classroom Summative Assessed Learning for School A Better Student-directed Collaborative Construction Skills Process Higher-order Thinking Practice Life Skills Group Community Formative Evaluation Learning for Life Balance Implication: Rebalance with Projects Inquiry Direct Direct Projects Note: Projects include designs, inquiries, simulations, etc Ancient Wisdom Aristotle (384‐322 BC): “The proof that one knows something is that they can teach it” Confucius (551‐479 BC): “I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand” Michel de Montaigne (1533‐1592 AD): “rather a mind shaped than a head full” www.21stcenturyskillsbook.com “The authors have done nothing less than provide a bold framework for designing a 21st century approach to education, an approach aimed at preparing all of our children to successfully meet the challenges of this brave, new world.” Paul Reville, Secretary of Education, Commonwealth of Massachusetts; former director of the Education Policy and Management Program, Harvard Graduate School of Education “It’s about time that we have such an accessible and wise book about the 21st century skills that so many companies, policymakers, and educators are talking about” Roy Pea, Professor, Education and the Learning Sciences, Stanford University Implication: depth not breadth Minoans, Sea People Ptolemaic Egypt Persian Wars Peloponnesian Wars 4 grade Sparta’s system Homer 8 grade Athens’ Democracy Philosophers & Scientists Alexander the Great Example: Ancient Greece 12 grade Old model of depth Ad hoc deep dives So Much Curriculum, So Little Time “Researchers have conservatively estimated that… schooling would have to be extended to… 22 years of schooling as opposed to 13… to cover all of the standards…” Source: McREL study by Marzano & Kendall, 1998 Begging for Relevance Most preferred ways to learn In which three of the following ways do you prefer to learn? 55% In groups By doing practical things With friends By using computers Alone From teachers From friends By seeing things done With your parents By practising In silence By copying By thinking for yourself At a museum or library From others Other Base: All pupils (2,417) 39% 35% 31% 21% 19% 16% 14% 12% 9% 9% 8% 6% 5% 3% 1% Source: Ipsos MORI for BECTA, 2007 So how do we choose ? Literature Latin Math Music Source: Cisco study by Wharton/UPenn (Weissman, Burke, Puckett & Lynch, 2010) • College entrance requirements as driver • Equity • Global competition • Curricular movements (creationism, Political “new Math”) Developments • Defense Higher Education • New subjects added (i.e. recent branches of math & science; Invention of technology ) New Disciplines CURRICULAR INFLUENCES Corporate • Textbooks Interests ‐ • Pre‐packaged products curricula • Education software • Teaching materials (i.e. chemistry labs) • Prepare students for workplace Prevalence of Standardized • What gets Tests measured gets Corporate taught interests – • International human capital comparisons (PISA) Age‐old debate Practical vs Theoretical Benjamin Franklin bemoaning the “Impractical Curriculum” “…there is in Mankind an unaccountable Prejudice in favour of ancient Customs and Habitudes, which inclines to a Continuance of them after the Circumstances, which formerly made them useful, cease to exist.” Source: Benjamin Franklin (as cited in Best, 1962, p. 173) Franklin’s Philadelphia Academy Philosophy • Balance of “useful” & “ornamental” • English over Latin Theoretical Practical Sources: Power (1996); Best (1962) vs Franklin’s Practical Curriculum Franklin’s Philadelphia Academy Subjects French German Spanish Handwriting Bookkeeping Drawing Geometry Astronomy Geography British Grammar School Subjects Latin Greek Rhetoric English* Oratory Reading* Morality Writing* History Natural History Arithmetic* Natural Philosophy Mechanics Gardening * These subjects were usually “optional” in the British Grammar Schools Sources: Power (1996); Best (1962); Tompson (1971) PHILOSOPHICAL INFLUENCES (in western societies) Curriculum Wars Today Modern Industrial Era Renaissance & Enlightenment Early Christianity & Middle Ages Ancient Greece & Rome Ancient Greece • Isocrates – focuses on oratory • Aristotle – ethics & rhetoric for statesmen; subdivision of science Plato Isocrates & Aristotle • Class‐based society • Producers – vocational education • Guardians – core subjects • Philosopher Kings – advanced subjects: o Advanced math; dialectics & morality • Subjects for developing abstract thinking, and good character; pursuit of wisdom Core Subjects Reading Writing Poetry Music (art, culture, philosophy) Arithmetic Geometry Gymnastics Astronomy + Grammar + Rhetoric + Logic Hellenists • Ancient Greek colonizers • Export of Greek culture to Asia & Africa • Basic subjects added to help with export Ancient Rome Subjects • Liberal arts education • Focus on rhetoric, literature, oratory – not math • Prep for political speech‐making • Added Roman culture to curriculum Cicero Liberal Arts + Roman history + Roman literature + Vocabulary + Handwriting + Spelling + Memorization Quintilian • Focus on oratory • Individual differences taken into account • Huge influence on European education • Several subjects added Early Christianity & Middle Ages • Integrated classics with Christianity • Some literature censored • Other literature ok St. Jerome St. Augustine • Christian values • Blocking cultural transmission • Writing & grammar • Ignore “stories” within literature 7 Arts Grammar Rhetoric Logic Music Geometry Arithmetic Astronomy Trivium Quadrivium Thierry of Chartres • 7 Arts as foundation to philosophy • Knowledge as whole Renaissance & Enlightenment Humanist Subjects • Calls for experiential learning • Universal school, regardless of social class • Elementary school in language of the people! Grammar Rhetoric History Moral Philosophy Poetry Speaking Writing Ancient Literature Erasmus Comenius • Emphasizes Classics & Christian character • Gets rid of philosophy – not good for moral clarity Humanists • Humanists value human experience & creativity • Don’t value abstract thinking • First standardized curriculum & bestselling textbook Renaissance & Enlightenment Drawing Shorthand French Accounting Geography Arithmetic Astronomy Geometry • Mind is a “Blank slate” • For practicality & play • Preferred English to Latin • Less emphasis on useless Classics & Humanist subjects Locke Rousseau • Domestic education • Experiential learning • Follow own interests • Develop capacity • Protection from a corrupting society Modern Natural Law Chronology Classical History English law & history Letterwriting Natural science of Newton Diderot • Created first Encyclopédie • Knowledge taxonomy • Contributed to curricular subject development • Mechanical arts emphasis • “Technology” as subject Modern Industrial Era • Surgeon & physician • Adds science to British public school curriculum, starting with his sons’ school – the Rugby School • Becomes first science teacher in Britain (1849) Yale Report (1828) • Yale University Report on college curriculum • Emphasizes Classics & training mind • Squashes call for practical education • College as foundation for professions • Acknowledges college isn’t for all • “Furniture” & “Discipline” of mind • Report had enormous influence William Sharp Modern Industrial Era • Experiential education • Guided learning & Inquiry • Group & social learning • Growth & adaptivity • Aligns with developmental psychologists • Dewey School • Citizens in society • Influential internationally Committee of Ten (1892) • High school entrance requirements for college • 8 yrs elementary • 4 yrs high school • Develops science curriculum • Bio, Chem, Physics in order • Ed for all students • Influential in U.S. Dewey Hall • Anti‐Committee of Ten • Didn’t believe in same curriculum for all • Developmentalist • Child’s behavior guides • Spontaneity in education Psychologists’ Influence – mostly “How” Piaget Stages of cognitive development Children eventually capable of logic & abstraction Wigotsky Sociocultural theories of cognitive development Cognition emerges collectively; scaffolding to support growth Bandura Social learning theory – observing and imitating Self‐efficacy – learner’s ability to mimic behaviors Bloom Domains: Affective, psychomotor, cognitive Cognitive around knowledge, comprehension, and critical thinking CURRICULUM SUBJECTS Subject Evolution Language Greek, Latin Contemporary Languages incl. 2nd language Reading, Writing Literature Oratory Rhetoric Humanities Grammar, Handwriting, Spelling Music Art Philosophy & Ethics History Arithmetic STEM Geometry Astronomy Algebra, Trigonometry, Calculus Biology, Chemistry, Physics Ancient Greece & Rome Early Christian‐ ity & Middle Ages Renai‐ ssance & Enlight‐ enment Modern Industrial Era Today Subjects Still With Us Since Ancient Greece Reading Writing Literature (Greek) Grammar Gymnastics Arithmetic Geometry Since Ancient Rome Vocabulary Spelling Handwriting Literature (Roman) History (Roman) Subjects Dropped or De‐emphasized Dropped Greek Latin Rhetoric Oratory Logic Ethics Dialectics Memorization Astronomy De‐Emphasized Handwriting Philosophy Music Art Subjects Added Modern Languages History Biology Chemistry Organic Chemistry Physics Algebra Trigonometry Calculus Technology Subjects Needed / More Emphasis Needed Communication (modern Oratory) Personal Finance Music Statistics & Probabilities For memory, brain agility, creativity For multiple fields (i.e. business, social sciences) Art Technology For creativity, expression, multimodality For societal functioning & fields (i.e. computer programming, media tech) For everyday functioning; Essential life skill; needs to be debt & mortgage issues formally taught + the other Skills we described earlier, with special attention to Creativity Interdisciplinarity • Like real life ! • Complementary to subject‐specificity • Helps thread Skills throughout • Fosters creativity (richness of future innovations) Æ Balance between single‐subjects and interdisciplinarity Tying it all together CONTENT (Core subjects) Æ SKILLS Critical Thinking & Problem Solving Creativity & Innovation Communication & Collaboration Information Literacy Media Literacy ICT Literacy Flexibility & Adaptability Initiative & Self-Direction Social & CrossCultural skills Productivity & Accountability Leadership & Responsibility Language Speaking, Reading & Writing World Languages Arts Mathematics Science Geography History Gov’t & Civics Economics With limited time: Rethinking curriculum Example: Why so much Geometry ? • “Practical” subject for Plato (warfare !) now taught as a habit (continuity) • Applicable only to subset of students (architects , etc) • For abstract thinking? (other ways to do this) • Helps with spatial visualization? (other ways to do this) What’s more “practical” and relevant today for most students: geometry or statistics? Relevance is a choice Discipline (below) Algebra Applied Maths Discrete Calculus Mathematics Foundations Geometry Numbers & Statistics & Topology & Operations Probability Recreational Curves, Complex Analysis, Automata, Dimensions, Arithmetic Distributions, Matrices, systems, Knots, Figures, Transforms, Graphs, Transoperations, Analysis, Control, Operations, Sets, Logic etc Folding, Polynomials, Computational formations, Estimation, Fractions, Vectors etc Game theory, Spaces, etc etc maths etc Trigonometry, Sequences, etc etc etc etc Anthropology Architecture Art/Design Biology (genetics, zoology, etc) Business Civil engineering Computer science Economics Electrical engineering Geology/Geography History Law Linguistics Mechanical engineering Medicine/Pharmacy Music Neuroscience Philosophy Physics Psychology Sociology X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X “Numbers and probability provide the basis for statistics, which, together with Logic, constitute the foundation of the Scientific Method” John Allen Paulos Depth vs breadth is a choice Minoans, Sea People Ptolemaic Egypt Persian Wars Peloponnesian Wars 4 grade Sparta’s system Homer 8 grade Athens’ Democracy Philosophers & Scientists Alexander the Great Example: Ancient Greece 12 grade CONCLUSIONS & DISCUSSIONS What Has Been Lost? ¾Practical, relevant education ¾Important Skills ¾Creative subjects ¾Time to go in‐depth on subjects ¾Experiential learning ¾Freedom & choice in education Ongoing Debates • The purposes of education: Intellectual, vocational, social & citizenship development goals • Equality of educational opportunity • Theoretical vs. Practical Curriculum • What subjects and skills should be taught for all students? • How much weight (in time) should they get? • When should professional specialization occur? Æ who decides what to Learn? One Key Development “Humans are not ideally set up to understand logic; they are ideally set up to understand stories.” Roger C. Schank, Cognitive Scientist Neuroscience What would Sibelius, Aalto, and… Kairamo do ? Kiitos ! “The future is already here – it's just not very evenly distributed.” Science‐Fiction author William Gibson, quoted in The Economist, December 4, 2003 APPENDIX China India The Middle East Ancient Babylon (7 th Century BCE) is one of the earliest cities with libraries & places of education in & around temples . Women & men alike are taught write in Sumerian. The Epic of Gilgamesh (7 th C. BCE) is one of the earliest known works of literary fiction Medieval Baghdad (8th – 13th C. AD) becomes the center of the Islamic Golden Age • The House of Wisdom •The Development of Bimartisans • Mathematics •Algebra •Trigonometry •Algorithms References Best, J. H. (Ed.) (1962). Benjamin Franklin on Education. New York: Teachers College. Carone, G.R. (2005). Socratic rhetoric in Gorgias. Canadian Journal of Philosophy, 35(2), 221‐242. Committee of the Corporation and the Academical Faculty (1828). Reports on the Course of Instruction in Yale College. New Haven, CT: Hezekiah Howe. Curren, R. (Ed.) (2003). A Companion to the Philosophy of Education. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Dewey, J. (1916). Democracy and Education. Retrieved October 26, 2008 from: http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Democracy_and_Education Eisenstein, E.L. ( 1979) The Printing Press as an agent of change. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Gilliard, D. (1987). Plowden and the primary curriculum: Twenty years on. Available online at http://www.educationengland.org.uk/articles/04plowden.html. Kliebard, H. M. (1986). The Struggle For The American Curriculum: 1893‐1958. Boston: Routledge & Kegan Paul. Locke, J. (1989). John and Jean Yolton (Eds.). Some Thoughts Concerning Education. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Marzano, R. J., & Kendall, J. S. (1998). Awash in a sea of standards. Aurora, CO: Mid‐continent Research for Education and Learning. McLean, M. (1990). Britain and a single market Europe: Prospects for a common school curriculum. London: Kogan Page. Murphy, J.J. (Ed.). (1990). A short history of writing instruction from Ancient Greece to Twentieth‐Century America. Davis, CA: Hermagoras National Commission on Excellent (1983). A Nation at Risk: The imperative for educational reform: A report to the nation and the secretary of education. Available online at http://www2.ed.gov/pubs/%20NatAtRisk/index.html. Oblique Lines Drawn to a Plane (2010, September 8). Clipart Courtesy FCIT. Retrieved from: http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/42100/42113/planelines_42113.htm Ong, W.J. (1988). Orality and literacy: The technologizing of the word. New Accents. Ed. (Terence Hawkes, ed.). New York: Methuen. Pannabecker, J. R. Diderot, the Mechanical Arts, and the Encyclopédie: In Search of the Heritage of Technology Education. Journal of Technology Education, 6(1). Plato (1941). The Republic of Plato. (F. M. Cornford, Trans. with Introduction and Notes). London: Oxford University Press. Power, D’Arcy (2010, September 4). Sharp, William. Dictionary of National Biography, 51. Retrieved from: http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Sharp,_William_%281805‐1896%29_%28DNB00%29 Power, E. J. (1996). Educational Philosophy: A History from the Ancient World to Modern America. New York: Garland Publishing, Inc. Rousseau, J‐J. Emile. Retrieved October 26, 2008 from: http://www.ilt.columbia.edu/pedagogies/rousseau/Contents2.html Seneca, L.A. (1917). Moral epistles. (Richard M. Gummere, trans.). The Loeb Classical Library. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Takayama, K. A Nation at Risk crosses the Pacific: Transnational borrowing of the U.S. crisis discourse in the debate on education reform in Japan. Comparative Education Review, 51(4). Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Tompson, R. S. (1971). The English Grammar School Curriculum in the 18th Century: A Reappraisal. British Journal of Educational Studies, 19(1), 32‐39.
