Marc Pensky said
"For one thing, school is usually about the past - what we've learned up until this point (or some point a while ago) about math, science, language, and social studies - with, occassionally a bit of current events thrown in (2008).
The entire gist of the article "Turning on the Lights" (Pensky 2008) dealt with the issue of advancing education in the 21st century. On the whole, I have enjoyed Pensky's writing the most so far in this course. Additionally, I do not disagree in principle with what Pensky is trying to communicate. However, as an historian, I could not have disagreed more with the approach offered in the article and the overall defiance for honored, factual truth being taught.
To begin with, suggesting that somehow teaching algebraic equations is faulty merely because they are two or three thousand years old is ludacrous. Also, the same holds true for science. Finally, trying to eradicate teaching history because it is not current is the most damning assumption Pensky could have possibly made. Again, there is no debating our students need to be prepared for 21st century jobs, opportunities, challenges, and life skills. However, assuming that by teaching our children how to program a computer or exchanging biology for astronautics will somehow magically transform our students into 21st century intellectual giants is fallacious at best. My contention as an historian, and as an educator, is that we cannot move beyond where we are until we understand why we are here. To blaze ahead blindly into the 21st century could be disastrous as we would likely repeat the blunders of our past not learning what we need to know from that past. This is a very Marxist viewpoint to which Pensky holds. "Who begot the first man," says Marx, "and nature as a whole? I can only answer you: Your question is itself an abstraction...Give up your abstraction...Don't think, don't ask me" (1844).
Please understand, I am desperate to see change in our education system. I AM A TECHIE! I am part of the technological generation. I grew up with Nintendo, Play Station, and X-Box. I am a digital native. But to suggest that we can somehow ignore the past because it is outdated is the most basic problem of our society. No one seems to care, nor wants to know about our past. Where I do agree with Pensky on this issue is that we need to teach our students 21st century SKILLS, not just 21 century tools.
Allow me to clarify my point further. I can teach Ancient Egypt, Ancient Rome, or the Aztecs in a way that would be completely "old school." Here is your worksheet. Here is your TAKS packet. Or, I could do what it is that I do - why did these civilizations fall? What about their society led to their deterioration? How does that compare with OUR culture, and OUR experience today? Now we are thinking critically. Now our students are having to use problem solving skills to answer questions like how the watering down of Roman culture coincided with the immersion of non-Roman citizens gaining prominence and influence in their society or how the spread of Christianity led to the devaluing of Roman customs in exchanging for those of the Christian faith. Do we see this happening in America and could we stop it? Would we want to? I do not have to teach my kids computer programming to teach them to think critically.
What I will say is I can use technology to ENHANCE the critical thinking my students are doing. Again, I will be the first in line drinking the 21st century technology "cool-aid." However, I will not do so at the expense of teaching historical fact and truth. I welcome any and all feedback.
As a 18 year old who has just finished high school I agree completely with you. There is so much talk about how to revolutionize are schools , bringing are schools into the 21st century and most of it is sadly focused on the technology. Technology can make the learning process more efficient but it is not the answer, due to the fact that one can have the greatest technology on the market but with a curriculum that dose not make critical thinking key, thus leading to the same old results just with a different price tag . I believe that every thing has became to standardize, The system dose not allow Teachers to teach in new effective ways and dose not let the student learn in effective ways. I was an AP student and to tell the truth many only really rememberer the information till the test, after that one saw no use for it. To truly bring are education system to the cutting edge the teachers must be allowed to relate things in the past to present day situations.Through this process students will think on their own about what was taught and come up with their own ideals due to the fact that the connection has been made to the present times, the knowledge is no longer something in the past, words in a boring text book, it is living every day all around the student. Simply to move are schools into the 21st century educators must make Knowledge a living evolving entity
ReplyDeleteAlbert Einstein
One had to cram all this stuff into one's mind for the examinations, whether one liked it or not. This coercion had such a deterring effect on me that, after I had passed the final examination, I found the consideration of any scientific problems distasteful to me for an entire year.
Thanks for the feedback Gerald. I think integrating the curriculum into student's everday life is what educational leaders are tyring to do, and are well intentioned in doing by incorporating technology. Like you, I agree that fun gadgets are not THE answer. In fact, an administrator friend of mine emailed me today. Her districted has laptops for every student, but not all the teachers buy in to the program, nor do they use it. Therefore, students basically have another new toy with which to play. We have to train our teachers to use technology effectively and efficiently.
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