"We are obsessed with what children do not know or are unable to do. In a new world where smart technology has replaced and will continue to replace humans in routine tasks, we need humans to be creative, unique and entrepreneurial."This book reinforced a lot of the thinking I have been doing about education recently. As we moved out of distance learning and went back into classrooms one of my focuses has been on how we keep the creativity that flourished during lockdown now that we are back at school. Yong Zhao talks about how much effort is put into fixing students deficits and not enough focus is put on helping them develop their strengths and passions.
Everyone is above Average
Yong Zhao suggests that everyone can be above average, especially when you look at average as a median value. For example the test mean score of a class might be 70% but the median could be 85% if only a few low scores pull the mean downwards. Therefore, by some definitions, the whole class bar a couple of low scorers could be considered above average. Maybe it's time we ditched the word average?
"And even the achievements of those above average students are not great compared to what they could achieve. There is no end to the need for greatness, the more we learn the more we want to learn." Are we pushing those above average students enough to really meet their potential?
One of the biggest take aways for me from this book was that everyone is above average in some aspects of their lives. In previous classes I've taught, students would start and end each term reviewing their jagged profiles. Students put themselves on a linear scale for qualities such as leadership, collaboration and resilience. It was incredibly empowering for students to know that they were experts in one of these areas, even though they didn't view themselves as one of the 'smart kids.'
Passions
I don't think we have to look far to find areas where students are above average. Distance learning brought a lot of these strengths to the foreground, from delicious baking to beautiful poetry, from inspiring art to persistent coding.
"Everyone has potential even though that potential may be overlooked undervalued or even judged is abnormal by society." Are we giving students (and adults for that matter) enough opportunities to follow their passions and build on their strengths?
I was fortunate to have some time out away from education last year to explore some of my other passions. From being involved in wetland restoration projects to completing a book of poetry and from working on the Tread Lightly caravan to helping build a house made from tyres in Canada. I was very privileged to be in a position to do exactly what Yong Zhao said is necessary for our students: to use their passions, strengths and efforts to serve the world beyond themselves.
Personalised Learning vs Personalisable Education
"Personalised education is about fixing students' deficits and assumes that all students should learn same thing, even if they need to learn at different speeds and in different ways." Yong Zhao makes the point that in this situation someone else (the teacher) has done the personalising for the student.
In contrast personalisable education is about enhancing strengths and supporting passions. It assumes that everyone has the potential and need to become great (not average, great!). As I write this paragraph I realise that the word personalisable is made up of personal, is and able which sums it up really don't you think?
This got me reflecting on how many students I've deprived of opportunities to become great because I focused too much on their weaknesses and the gaps I needed to fill. As a facilitator I now have the capacity to offer some new experiences to leaners in the Ako Hiko cluster. Maybe this will help some students find new passions and give them opportunities to be great!
"Musicians must make music and writers must write."
What are your passions? And how do they come across in your teaching practice?
What successes have you had with finding the strengths and passions of students? And how could this be amplified?
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