"The Learning Curve: How We Learn and Rethinking the Education Model," by Alden S. Blodget in Independent School Magazine

"People cannot become lifelong learners if they are denied the experience of meaningful learning, if they are confined to the prison of other people’s interests and think of learning as memorizing and regurgitating correct answers to questions and problems that mean nothing to them.

"A more effective model will offer real opportunities for students to pursue personally meaningful interests and questions."

Why does this matter to the future of learning?

Blodget throws down the gauntlet in what he says next:

"If deep engagement in learning is the primary concern of education, then schools need to cast off the traditional straitjacket of standardized graduation requirements and courseloads to create the time and opportunities for all students every year, to create some or all of their curriculum according to their interests and strengths. Offering electives, which tend to reflect the passions and interests of the teachers who create them, is an inadequate substitute."

The rest of Blodget’s piece challenges the educational status quo by exposing the contradiction between the science of learning and the current structures of school. You cannot walk away from this essay continuing to believe that merely tinkering with your school's model will allow young people to thrive.

The real question is, what will you do about that?

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"GOA Partners with Garnet Valley School District to Design Student-Centered Courses," by Bonnie Lathram / @belathram, on the Global Online Academy Blog

"Garnet Valley is doing more than just 'digitizing' their curriculum; they are creating meaningful assignments, assessments, and presentations that allow students to learn and, more importantly, demonstrate their learning in creative, student-centered ways. Lavallee added that because of the work of these teachers, 'Garnet Valley students will be able to learn at their own pace, on their own time, and in their own locations, while continuing to collaborate with peers and their teacher, because of how these teachers leverage online learning opportunities.'"

Why does this matter to the future of learning?

Independent schools, take note: your public school competitors, which are free, are leveraging the high quality resources of organizations like Global Online Academy and Mastery Transcript Consortium.

If public schools can offer families superior learning products, what will define the value proposition of your independent school?

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"3 Ways to Get Comfortable with Ambiguity," by Marta Harding / @martaharding, on the IDEO.com Blog

" 'Should' suggests that there is one way forward, which is a sure way to set yourself up for creative blackout — a high pressure situation where you must find the single, bright and shining solution. There is no one right answer.

"So whenever I find myself questioning what should be, I remind myself to ask: what could be?"

Why does this matter to the future of learning?

Our students will enter a world filled with problems that no one has ever seen before. One way to help students to navigate such ambiguity is to use an Expditionaries approach:

• create the conditions for students to identify and frame their own problems
• rather than ask "How should we solve this problem," encourage students to ask, "How might we...?"

How do you prepare your students to navigate ambiguity?

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Question of the week:

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