Unlearn the past and take hold of the future in front of us

Reading Will's "unlearning curve" seemed to put down in black and white what I have been thinking in my head about what I want to do in my classroom. We, as teachers, are not the sole content expert in the classroom. I want to make that clear to my students so they take charge of their own learning and seek out experts whereever and whenever they seek knowledge. The important thing is that they take the reins of their learning and direct themselves to where they want to learn. This is the only way we will see passion in our students. It needs to be relevant and personal FOR them.

I also firmly believe that education is a community undertaking on different levels. We need to use every resource out there that we can and get everyone involved. And Will is saying that the Read/Write web is an excellent source to make that happen. The web is a community of learners all coming together on the same page, the same playing field, the "flat world" according to Friedman.

One of the comments to Will's post caught my attention. Rosie Sherry said we need to unlearn that school/college/university is only option for learning. This brought to mind for me John Gatto's book again, Dumbing Us Down because he writes that the essential learning takes place in the home, surrounded by immediate and extended family and the community around which they live. We learn from the jobs we take on to help other people. I like the idea of apprenticeships (think Tobey MacGuire's character in Cider House Rules--he was Dr. Larson's apprentice--he learned everything about becoming a doctor by doing, not by sitting in a classroom all day) Granted that is a fictional account, but that is the way people learned and I think it is the way people learn best today--through hands-on, active engagement of the thing itself.

Doctors do it in med school with their practicum as an intern, teachers must be interns first too (as pre-service observers/participators and then as "student teachers") Why can't we start this with children at younger ages like middle and high school? Kids want to know that they are driving towards something and they deserve to know what their school is useful for. High test scores and an A grade is not enough motivation. Those external rewards will not build self-esteem and passion for learning in our students.