Title: Why School?
Genre: Education
Year: 2012
Pages: 50
Origin: read on a Kindle
Nod Rating: 3 nods out of 5
‘Education, education, education’, once trumpeted young, dynamic leader Tony Blair; this was, of course, before this image was replaced with the older, deceitful, disgraced former leader Tony Blair. But that word – not necessarily repeated three times – is one loaded with ideology and contrasting viewpoints. Education remains a hot potato in political terms, with current Education Secretary Michael “I-don’t-listen-to-anyone” Gove pressing ahead with some of the biggest changes seen in a generation. In short, it is a topic that almost nobody can agree on.
So, please enter the arena Mr Will Richardson: a man who embraces technological change. He argues that education must change in order to obtain the full potential of a new generation who cannot or will not play by the old rules; hence the book’s subtitle: ‘How Education Must Change When Learning and Information Are Everywhere.’ It is, as Richardson notes, a mammoth task: ‘The roots of 150 years of tradition around schooling run deep, especially when most of us are products of that experience.’ But it is a debate that has raged in educational circles for more than ten years, most notably with Marc Prensky’s announcement of “Digital Natives”, and how the old theories of education will not suffice.
Thankfully, at no point does Richardson become a demagogic writer; and neither does he maintain a firm standpoint. His reasoning is the result of simple common sense on the changing world around us:
‘The abundance of information and people connected online is changing government (Wikileaks), health care (Foldit), music (Spotify), shopping (Amazon), and just about every other aspect of our lives in one way or another. Institutional change is everywhere, and, as author Clay Shirky says, people are finding out quickly that “it’s not optional.” So why would we think the institution of school would be immune? It’s not.’Furthermore, Richardson highlights the National Council of Teachers of English who recently issued a set of twenty-first century “literacies”; all of which can be met – the author argues – by the use of technology in the classroom. These include developing proficiency with the tools of technology, building relationships with others, solving problems collaboratively, as well as create, critique, analyse and evaluate multi-media texts, among others.
Published as an e-book by the fantastic TED – and bought as part of the innovative Kindle Single series - Richardson uses this platform to “flesh out” ideas. The central idea is the need to put in the dustbin of history the old ways of doing things that don’t help children learn; including pointless testing and rote learning. Instead, the thirst for learning – and equipping students to learn successfully – is the central key. Richardson writes:
‘I’d articulate the shift to teachers like this: Don’t teach my child science; instead, teach my child how to learn science – or history or math or music.’But have no fear, dear reader – the Worm is not a 100% signed up Richardson fan. The author places too great a faith in the power of technology. Yes, undoubtedly it has the ability to join others in a one massive network, but technology – new flashy shiny things – also have the power to distract students and sidetrack a lesson. The old ways cannot be simply forgotten just because they are “old”; the best bits of both old and new must be married together with the aim of evolutionary development, rather than revolutionary overthrow. Ultimately, a teacher and student should still be able to exist without the use of an iPad or a blog to come in and save the day.
Having read an early published work by Richardson (on the topic of blogs), the Worm can safely state that Richardson has developed as a writer of ideas. However, this short e-book is devoid of the ambition of grapping the reader by the scruff of the neck; rather, it attempts to get across an opinion in a fairly light-hearted manner. Richardson is a good writer who pokes fun and makes jokes whilst making many rational points. The Worm, for one, would like to read much more of such points in a form larger than this Kindle Single.
Buy it here
or
Read Will Richardson's blog here
