As I’ve been working on doing research, I occasionally run across articles that have stuff like this in them…and it hits me how appropriate this is for describing the malaise we’re reading about in ed-tech blogs and podcasts. The context for this quote is a Principal Academy and establishing the urgency for change…the sad thing is that it took place in 2001 but remains as true today in 2006.

To begin the panel discussion, the students were asked to describe a time when they learned something that was meaningful and that they enjoyed learning. The principals expected to hear about positive school experiences, but much to their surprise, the students talked about things they had learned outside of school – horseback riding, learning to drive a car, learning to ride a bike, and learning to identify birds in the woods.

When a follow-up question about school learning was posed, a young man responded, “School is boring. My history teacher talks in a monotone, and it has nothing to do with my life.” One principal challenged, “You need to learn history. It teaches us how to live better lives and get along in the world.” Without hesitation, the student replied, “I don’t have to learn it in school. I can watch the History Channel.” One 17- year-old girl stated matter-of-factly, “School taught me a lot. It taught me that I had to teach myself.”
Source: Phi Delta Kappan, Jan 2001 v82 i5 p405 – Principals and Beliefs-Driven Change. Gay Fawcett; David Brobeck; Susan Andrews; Linda Walker.

So, what did all these principals learn at the 5-day academy describe in the article excerpt above? They learned that when school work is interesting and meaningful, students will learn to high levels. Teachers who are creating new and meaningful ways to engage students in high levels are themselves challenged to grow as professionals.

When we ask what can we do to change our schools, we have to continue to engage teachers and administrators and students in activities that are interesting and meaningful. This is supported by Philip Schlecty’s work, and this quote in particular:

As I said before, time, people, space, knowledge, technology. Take time, for example. You’ve got to restructure the rules, the roles. and the relationships that is govern the way time is used. The students are our customers; what we do is design work activities that engage our customers. And we have to use time flexibly in order to do that. You can’t do it by saying, “Everyone must do this within the next 50 minutes.”
Source:
Educational Leadership, Oct 1993 v51 n2 p8(4)
On restructuring roles and relationships: a conversation with Phil Schlechty. Ron Brandt.

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