by Alfie Kohn
Wow. What a great piece to read before the year starts on Tuesday. With one foot in the classroom and one in formal leadership, this article hit home on several levels. I have been starting to focus on the culture of my school which I can only describe as a place with no anchor, no soul. Kohn's article made me think about how much of this soullessness stems from feelings of powerlessness. The teachers are expected to fill in detailed weekly curriculum maps outlining standards taught and assessed. At the same time, little guidance is given about how to teach so we are left wondering if the administration thinks we are doing a "good job." Students spend their day going to the classes we have assigned them, doing the work in ways we've decided for them and behaving the way we want... or else. We are all going "through the motions of learning [and teaching], handing in uninspired work and counting the minutes or days until freedom" (Kohn 1).
One is repeatedly struck by the absurd spectcle of adults insisting that children need to become self-disciplined, or lamenting that "kids just don't take responsibility for their own behavior" - while spending their days ordering children around. ... The way a child learns how to make decisions is by making decisions, not by following directions.
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ReplyDeleteI love how you reflect on the current climate of your school, which could be overwhelming when thinking about how to increase student voice, but then narrow in on two tangible ways you want to begin to make progress. The question "How can we practice what we are learning in ways that make it worth doing and turning in?" is beautiful. I would love to know what your students think. This is a great opportunity to have them begin making decisions about their classroom (rather than just following directions).
ReplyDeleteI too was struck with the quote you chose, "the way a child learns how to make decisions is by making decisions." I almost chose that one on my blog. I'm as guilty as anyone in that I don't always consciously think about this for every project or assignment, even though I know how important it is. I like how you phrased it about the worth of doing homework. So tomorrow I'm going to attempt to gauge the worth of doing our next project with my students by having them make the rubric together based on models I have from the past. I'm interested to see how this can best be moderated.
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