How can we preach multiple intelligences, and yet we keep suggesting schools focused on reading and math, taking bubble tests, and pulling students out of everything, giving them such a narrow education? If we truly understand multiple intelligences we cannot keep our focus on testing. We are creating students devoid of curiosity, creativity, and engagement of any kind. Students are becoming seekers of points rather than seekers of knowledge. Students are expecting teachers to just give them the answer, rather than seeking out their own answers. We need to get our students to question, seek, be curious, be creative, innovative, and we are taking all of this away from them by placing focus on the wrong things. Students who learn from moving have to leave our schools to take dance, or play sports, students who love music leave school to take lessons, students who love art have to do art on their own because there is no room for it in the schedules when they are being drilled for hours to raise test scores.
I keep hearing all this talk about Finland, and I hear they have little standardized testing, and they value the arts in their schools. What is taking us so long? Why are communities resistant to change? Why have we become so comfortable, so complacent? Why do we insist on not giving teachers the time and respect they need to make things happen?
Watch this Ken Robinson video, as he is so well spoken on our educational system issues:
I keep hearing all this talk about Finland, and I hear they have little standardized testing, and they value the arts in their schools. What is taking us so long? Why are communities resistant to change? Why have we become so comfortable, so complacent? Why do we insist on not giving teachers the time and respect they need to make things happen?
Watch this Ken Robinson video, as he is so well spoken on our educational system issues:
I love Ken Robinson's TED talks. He is right on and so are you. As a curriculum director I struggle with the same concerns.I believe we need to shift our thinking and way of doing things. I think we get stuck on what we provide - a set of prescribed standards, resources, instruction, testing. Our focus is on us, as educators and bureaucrats, instead of our students - how they learn, their pace, their loves, their talents, their need for balance and exposure. And, we need to recognize and value the individuality and the diversity that comes with it - providing time and support to not only flourish in their strengths, but to attack their weaknesses - because true learning comes from both.
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