 In 2006 Sir Ken Robinson gave a TED Talk entitled "Do Schools Kill Creativity?"[1] The most popular TED Talk of all time, subtitles are available in 60 languages, and it has been viewed 44 million times, not including the entire groups that watch it. Sir Ken's message certainly resonated with educators, parents and others. Despite the powerful message, delivered over a decade ago, and lauded by educators around the world, schools have continued to kill creativity . . . as well as the other "7 Survival Skills of the 21st Century" as outlined by Harvard professor, Tony Wagner. These skills comprise one of the three compasses of Anne Shaw's Framework for Education in the 21st Century. In this holistic, integrated framework the 3 compasses are embedded with an intentionally designed Learning Environment - the Physical Environment (facilities, schoolyards), the Social/Emotional Environment and the Academic Environment. This article is about how schools are killing creativity - and the other seven survival skills - and what we can do about it. View the compass for the 7 Survival Skills below. Click the compass to read more about each of these skills: 
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 Are you concerned about education? I am. One of my deepest concerns is that while education systems around the world are being reformed, many of these reforms are being driven by political and commercial interests that misunderstand how real people learn and how great schools actually work. As a result, they are damaging the prospects of countless young people. Sooner or later, for better or for worse, they will affect you or someone you know. It’s important to understand what these reforms are about. If you agree that they’re going in the wrong direction, I hope you will become part of the movement to a more holistic approach that nurtures the diverse talents of all our children From Creative Schools - the grassroots revolution that's transforming education by Sir Ken Robinson
 Schools and school districts around the world, as well as the educators within them, are each individually on a journey along a continuum from factory model to 21st century model education. One overarching obstacle is the assumption that we can "fix" students, learning and test scores from within the current structures. We cannot change and "stay the same" , i.e., maintain the same paradigms, practices and structures that have been in place for well over 100 years. The current education model is obsolete, a relic of a bygone era.
Although there are a multitude of obstacles in our path, there are things that that can be done to overcome these obstacles and make time for what matters most. Continue Reading Here  When it comes to education, we somehow threw out the baby with the bath water when:
I. Test Prep & Standardized Tests Replace Learning  This transformation was not initiated by educators, it was not approved by educators and it has been strongly resisted by many educators. However, between the forces of the federal government and the corporations who stood to make massive profits, education lost. Educators lost. Worst of all - children lost. Many of our finest teachers left the profession. They knew that what this was doing to children was wrong, and they had no intention of participating in this process.  “The Blob” is a 1958 film starring Steve McQueen in his first leading role. Click here to watch the trailer! Note: this post is a bit of a rant expressing my observations and frustrations over the continuing, and to me, inane, practices plaguing education since the inception of NCLB. The purpose of this article is not to denigrate educators, although I realize it sounds like that sometimes. I can say that the classroom teachers are not responsible for these practices; they were forced upon them. For several years now I have been equating a film, in which a monster called "The Blob" threatens to destroy all life on Earth, to the ongoing standardized testing mania that has been spreading, growing and destroying education. It began in the United States, in Texas to be exact (where I live), and this monster which I have named Standardized Testing Mania has spread virtually all over the planet - like the Blob or a pandemic. The definition of genius is taking the complex  More than a rant, though, this is an invitation for you to reflect upon the damage this situation has done to students, educators and parents. And an invitation to begin a conversation - here and at your school or in your community. I offer some questions to spark your conversations.  This past summer I shared some ideas for various STEM/STEAM projects which were inspired by a road trip from central Texas to northern Arizona. Part of that drive involved an unexpected, and totally amazing, experience - driving - for miles - through the middle of one of the largest wind farms in the world!  Today I'd like to share with you another excellent source of not only inspiration, but information, to help you design and actualize your own STEM/STEAM school. Dr. Aaron Smith is the Director of the very exciting Aviation Academy, a STEM school in Newport News, Virginia. This school represents the epitome of a 21st century school, whose designs are aligned to our 3 compasses to 21st century education which are then immersed within a 21st century learning environment - beginning with intentional design of the Physical Environment, then the Social/Emotional Environment, and finally, the Academic Environment. As you will see from this excerpt from the introduction in his book, Awakening Your STEM School, this school definitely meets the criteria for the perfect Physical Environment. They "get it" smack on! From Awakening Your STEM School, by Dr. Aaron Smith . . . SO MY CAREER has led me here. I unpack the boxes from my previous school leadership position to take over as Program Director of the Aviation Academy, a magnet program in the Newport News, Virginia Public Schools. I look out the large picture window at the tarmac of the airport. Housed in the old terminal building at this beautiful airport, the enlightened leadership of the Newport News/ Williamsburg International Airport — a perfect location to bring young people interested in aviation as a career. . . . This book is a "must have" for every educator, school board member, parent, community and business leader who wants to create a truly 21st century STEM school. From powerful inspiration and an introduction to the paradigm shift required in thinking about "what school is and should be", this book also provides the practical knowledge you will need, in a complete outline and guide to all the nuts and bolts of making your vision a reality. The school Dr. Smith describes is a prime example of the manifestation of the new education paradigm we've been hearing about from visionaries such as Sir Ken Robinson, Tony Wagner, Sugata Mitra and Prakash Nair, repeatedly calling for - not reform, but the re-imagining and re-invention, of schools. The Aviation Academy provides students with experiences that are rigorous, relevant and real world. Here you will find innovation; creativity; curiosity and imagination; critical thinking and problem solving; entrepreneurship; collaboration across networks and leading by influence; and effective oral and written communication. Here students develop 21st century skills [iii] and multiple literacies [iv] required for successful living in this new millennium. This school has escaped the obsolete "cells and bells" model, a relic of a bygone era, the factory model of 19th century education.[v] And, while it is physically located at an amazing and perfect location, this school extends beyond the walls of the terminal to the community - from local to global. Tony Wagner and Ted Dintersmith discuss [vi] the enormous need to prepare students, not only for the sake of the individual student in life, but for the sake of the economy and our nation. Aaron Smith's book, Awakening the STEM School, addresses that need head on, with powerful and poignant examples of why we must change now. This book is a clarion call to stop the damage being inflicted upon individual students, educators and parents as a result of (what I call) standardized testing mania. The messages in this book cannot help but break your heart, wake you up and then inspire you to take action - for the sake of our children and our nation. More than data, we are looking at real people, real humans, and a nation with an immediate and urgent need. As Dr. Smith so eloquently and vividly explains, we are on the verge of a "perfect storm" in education, an extremely dangerous situation. At the Aviation Academy the focus is on STEM careers via aviation; this experience certainly will prepare students for success in many ways, not only careers in aviation. And it serves as an excellent model for all communities who wish to ensure success for their children, their communities and the nation. Be sure to order this book and have some serious discussions - and then take action - as a result. Finally, Dr. Smith has organized an impressive array of additional resources on his web site, STEM School DR. [vii] Here you will find STEM web sites for teachers, information on STEM grants and a section for In the News. I hope that you, too, will find these resources valuable and that you will share them with all your connections and colleagues as well as your community! i. Smith, Aaron (2015-06-01). Awakening Your STEM School. Koehler Books. ii. Critical Attributes of 21st Century Education iii. 7 Survival Skills for the 21st Century, as outlined by Tony Wagner, Harvard University iv. Multiple Literacies for the 21st Century v. Facilities for 21st century schools. Also see my blog post, "Lose the Cells and Bells". vi. Wagner, Tony and Ted Dintersmith (2015), Most Likely to Succeed - Preparing Our Kids for the Innovation Era. vii. STEM School DR  Sugata’s School in the Cloud is the next step in the evolution of humanity. A letter from Anne Shaw, 21st Century Schools to James Stanfield, Newcastle University
May 2013 When I first heard about Dr. Mitra’s “Hole in the Wall” project I was astounded and delighted that such an ingenious project was taking place. In today’s globalized society – the world as an interconnected community – Dr. Mitra’s vision is exactly what is needed in the global education community. All children must have access to knowledge. The gaps between the “developed” world and the “developing” world must be closed. The Hole in the Wall project provides an opportunity for children to make a quantum leap forward in their education. I am fond of quoting Mustafa Kemal Atatürk who said, “Teachers are the one and only people who can save nations.” Education is the key to success for individuals as well as their nations. Sugata’s philosophy, methodologies and pedagogy, when applied, will open the door to success for so many. When anyone, anywhere, is successful, it benefits everyone, everywhere. Sugata’s plan for the Hole in the Wall, if extended to all children who otherwise would not have access to the tools of the Internet and the information therein, will certainly lift these children, and with them, their nations, to greater success and a higher quality of life. Now that's what I'm talking about!
We included 2 very brief videos just to give you a quick glimpse of what we saw. On the left is a video I took from the library at the Zoo School - look at that snow! Temperatures were well below zero during our visit to Minnesota! Moving to a more hospitable climate, we next visited the Anne Frank Inspire Academy in San Antonio! I begin this post with a quick commentary about the weather - it mattered! Then follow the "Read more" link to read my analysis of these two schools in terms of our criteria for an Exemplary 21st Century School. You will also find a link to a page entitled, "What we did NOT see, thankfully!" My next post will provide more information about each of these truly 21st century, phenomenal schools.
On February 26 and 27, 2014 we enjoyed the opportunity to visit two schools. These schools represent the finest in the design of schools for the 21st century - from their educational paradigms, to the curriculum and instruction, to the design of their buildings and grounds! These schools were intentionally designed for the needs of the 21st century student! On the morning of February 26, as we made our way from the taxi cab to the door of the school the temperature was about 4 degrees Fahrenheit. It had gotten down to 18 degrees below zero the night before! I am from central Texas, and my guests are from Chennai, India, where they have three types of weather, "Hot, Hotter and Hottest!". As we walked to the building we passed small groups of students in the snow practicing Winter Weather Survival Techniques. We had happened to visit during one of the school's "J" terms, a 7-day intensive focus which takes place between trimesters. The video above, on the left, illustrates the amount of snow; this has turned out to be the worst winter in Minneapolis recorded history! We had arrived at the School for Environmental Sciences, located in beautiful Apple Valley, Minnesota; it is popularly known as the Zoo School because it is adjacent to the Minnesota Zoo. The students conduct research at, and collaborate with, the zoo personnel in real world projects! The second school we toured was the Anne Frank Inspire Academy in San Antonio, Texas. The weather was very hospitable! The school was completely amazing. Construction is 95% complete, and students will begin attending this school in the Fall of 2014. Read more to learn about what it is that makes these schools exemplary 21st century schools . . .  If you recognize the name, I applaud your literary diversity. For those of you who don’t know the name Sancho Panza, don’t feel bad. Sancho Panza was the pudgy, comic relief sidekick who accompanied Don Quixote on his journeys in Miguel de Cervantes’ satirical novel, Don Quixote, written in 1602, that inspired the Broadway musical and movieThe Man of La Mancha.
I’ve often felt that 21st Century Schools’ Director, Anne Shaw, is somewhat like Don Quixote in her philosophies where education is concerned. Where Don Quixote was “tilting at windmills” (his dragons) Ms. Shaw’s dragons have been slow change and the continual barrage of excuses such as “that’s the way we’ve always done things”, “Oh that’s wonderful, but WE can’t do that in our school”, “we don’t have time, we have to get our students ready for their tests”, “we can’t do that because of our schedule”. Other dragons are misconceptions about professional development. Most educators seem to believe that "one-shot", "drive-by","muti-pack" professional development, or one day per year devoted to professional development, is adequate. The research, and the reality in classrooms, clearly show that this type of professional development will not make things better. We are constantly being asked how to incorporate change into the curriculum without changing the curriculum or how teachers can “just add something” to what they are already doing to bring their classroom into the 21st century. The short answer to those two questions is, you can’t. If you are going to build a house, you start with the foundation, not the roof. The same applies to education. Click the Read More button . . . |
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