Wednesday, November 23, 2011

The False Education Debate

By Will Deyamport, III, Ed.D. Candidate




















Innovation is all around us. From the cars we drive to phones we use to even how we watch movies. That is why the debate we educators are having about education reform should not be about traditional schools versus charter schools or cyber schools versus face-to-face instruction or public funding and control versus for-profit funding and control or unions versus non-unions. The real issue at hand is whether or not schools are going to remain factories or become talent incubators?

As of now, most of public education is built on a model that prepares students for a world that no longer exists. Instead, we need learning centers that prepare students for the ever-changing future. That means ditching rote memorization and a rigid curriculum designed around subject-areas. That also means designing schools that look and feel like communities centered on design-thinking and interdisciplinary project-based learning.

These kinds of schools, excuse me, learning centers, spur creativity, collaboration and allow students to take greater ownership of the learning process. They also allow for the free exchange of ideas and the making of meaning far beyond the learning of just facts and dates. Ultimately, what these learning centers will do is blur the lines between what is considered a classical education and the skills and knowledge-base needed to be competent in the digital age.

Will Deyamport, III, is an Ed.D. Candidate, an education thought-leader and online content creator. His blog, PEOPLEGOGY, focuses on life and career developments. In addition to his 11 years of experience in education, he has interned with the likes of Ingrid Stabb and J. T. O’Donnell. Currently, Will is working on his dissertation, which focuses on using social media to individualize professional development for teachers.

4 comments:

  1. So many great points here, Will! I hope education continues moving as far away from the "factory model" as possible. It just seems like it's taking SO long for change and the world is moving ahead rapidly. We need more "learning centers" and less factories!

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  2. KTVee,

    Thank you for leaving a comment. I got my start in education by teaching students how to salsa for a state language fair. Then I became a recruiter for a program for inner-city kids in Boston and Cambridge. From there I joined GEAR UP/UMASS Boston as the College and Career Mentoring Program Coordinator.

    Each of those experiences taught me the power of experience and how meaning exposure and experience are to raising the expectations students have for themselves. And that has been the driving force behind what I do as an educator.

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    1. Wonderful blog & good post.Its really helpful for me, awaiting for more new post. Keep Blogging!

      Informatiemanager

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  3. LOVE "talent incubator"!Great post.

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