Planned outcomes to align with practices
The Future of Education Annual Reports are published by McCrindle Research. They show significant trends in responses by parents, students, and teachers.
In 2018 – problem solving, critical thinking, creativity and communication skills were seen to be increasingly important
In 2019 – “… schools provide a place to instil a love of learning to a generation. To help build positive schools there is a need for shared values, building relationships for belonging, a grassroots approach and making space for positive risk.
In 2021 – Students would also like to see more collaborative classrooms and inquiry-based learning.
This research is helpful to us as we are part of Biblical Christian Educational communities.
If these highlighted areas are part of our expectations, how do our pedagogical practices enhance these hopes.
David Smith reflects on an email received from one of his former students, now attending seminary:
“We recently received our first paper back, and I was surprised to find that almost all of the “best” students (those who had taken real interest, who had asked the most insightful questions, and whom I would sit down and have long talks with about the material) got rather crummy grades . . . Out of five students who are much brighter than me, and I would willingly learn from, only one scored well while others scored miserably.
I suspect that these students were not prepared to simply regurgitate information. What the professor looked for was a boatload of citations in answer to relatively simple questions.
It appears that the last are first, and the first are last; normally C students received A’s, while normally A students got C’s. What is scary is that the path to an A is intellectual mediocrity and apathy. By the end of the course, I doubt whether I will have a shred of intellectual rigor left in me.” (Smith, 2018, p. 7-8)
It is doubtful that the professor set out to destroy intellectual rigor. It was probably an unintended outcome.
Simple question: If we’re looking for students who can relate all learning to the glory of God and redemptive actions, who can problem solve, be courageously curious, who can take positive risks, who enhance a collaborative sense of belonging – how do our practices cause this to happen?
Blessings
Brian
Reference: Smith, D. (2018). On Christian Teaching. Eerdmans Publishing.