I believe that justifying and defining the correct questions
is the key to life. Shouldn't that be the direction we help our students
with? They have resources to find all the answers; they simply need to
ask the right questions.
What is 1+1? What is the area of a sphere? Who
was the first president? Why was he important and what were his views on
government? Why is geometry important and where will I use it? How can I pick up 2000 lbs using only my own
strength? How could that be really
important to know? What is my purpose? Is there more to life than this? Why?
Sometimes the important questions vary from person to
person, and sometimes the answer to the same question may be different based on
who you ask. That is what makes this world a great place; the ability to
choose your own answers and follow those conclusions is what makes America such
a great place to learn. We should not be training students on what to
think, but how to think. Point them towards the important questions
and let them go.
I think that many educators are starting to see the light
and want to help with the change, but
how do we make it happen? That is the tough question because we base our
success in education on all students leaving the classroom with the same exact
skills and knowledge. Wow, is that the best for all students? I
would say no, but that is the best way to judge how much is taught, or is
it? Could we change the way that we teach to actually assess all students
differently, maybe even on different topics, or just by talking to them? What about having them simply write about and
explain what they learned?
