EdThought

EdThought >> Developing Wisdom in Schools

I have been reading, “The Seven Decisions; Understanding the Keys to Personal Success,” by Andy Andrews, and this quote on “wisdom” stuck with me:

“Most people mistake wisdom for education, like a high school diploma or college degree. Seeking wisdom is not the same as gaining knowledge: Knowledge is a precursor to wisdom.

Wisdom includes an intuitive element, an insight gained from personal experience that serves us as we make choices in our lives. Seeking wisdom should be a continual process.

For me, it is easy to identify between “knowledge” and “wisdom”. I have met many people who have large amounts of knowledge who do not necessarily have wisdom, but I have never met someone who was wise and didn’t have an abundance of knowledge.

When I look up the definition, here is what I am referring to: “…the soundness of an action or decision with regard to the application of experience, knowledge, and good judgment.

But this quote makes the most sense: ““Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.” ~ Unknown

This is something that we want from our students but in the past, has the system of “school” taken away the application of wisdom from teachers?

In the book, “Practical Wisdom,” Barry Schwartz shares the following observation from the “No Child Left Behind” initiative:

“Supporters of lockstep curricula and high-stakes standardized tests were not out to undermine the wisdom, creativity, and energy of good teachers. The scripted curricula and tests were aimed at improving the performance of weak teachers in failing schools—or forcing them out. If lesson plans were tied to tests, teachers’ scripts would tell them what to do to get the students ready. If students still failed, the teachers could be “held accountable.” Equality would seemingly be By George Couros achieved (no child left behind) by using the same script, thus giving the same education to all students. But this also meant that all teachers, novice or expert, weak or strong, would be required to follow the standardized system.

Teachers on the front lines often point to the considerations left out of the teach-to-test paradigm. Tests are only one indicator of student learning, and poor performance on tests has other causes aside from poor teaching—poorly funded urban schools, students from poor or immigrant backgrounds with few resources at home and sometimes little or no English, overcrowded classrooms with not enough teachers, poor facilities, lack of books and equipment, students with learning problems or other disabilities. But one of the chief criticisms many teachers make is that the system is dumbing down their teaching. It is de-skilling them. It is not allowing them—or teaching them—the judgment they need to do good teaching. They are encouraged, says education scholar professor Linda Darling-Hammond, “to present material that [is] beyond the grasp of some and below the grasp of others, to sacrifice students’ internal motivations and interests in the cause of ‘covering the curriculum,’ and to forgo the teachable moment, when students [are] ready and eager to learn, because it [happens] to fall outside of the prescribed sequence of activities.”

Sooner or later, “turning out” kids who can turn out the right answers the way you turn out screws, or hubcaps, comes to seem like normal practice. Worse, it comes to seem like “best practice.”

Does what Schwartz describes still happen in classrooms? From my travels, some teachers still discuss how they are bound by things like scripted curricula or a laser-like focus on doing the “test”, has hampered their ability to serve the students in front of them.

From what I have read on the “No Child Left Behind” act, my understanding was the intent to ensure every child got the same education. But the problem is that every child did not necessarily receive what they needed.

As we look forward to the work we do in education, is “wisdom” something that we see as important in education? My focus on shifting from “engagement” to “empowerment” is not about saying knowledge is not essential, but as I think about it, it is to develop the wisdom in our student and educators to use what they know in a way that gives them the opportunity for ownership over their path, and the ability to lead others.

To do this, wisdom is needed, but it is a trait that can be nurtured and developed at all levels in education.

Reprinted with permission of the author George Couros. https://georgecouros.ca/blog/archives/8408

EdThought >> Global Mindedness Begins with Open Mindedness By Bill Oldread, Assistant Director, EARCOS boldread@earcos.org

Global mindedness or international mindedness has in recent years become the mantra of many if not all international schools, to the extent that most schools include these terms in their mission and vision statements. It seems only natural that a Western style, English-speaking school located in China, Russia, India, or any other ‘foreign’ country would have as one of its primary goals to educate its students with respect to the host country culture, as well as the culture of countries in that region and the world. Furthermore, membership in most regional organizations requires a commitment to global mindedness embedded in their curriculum, as expressed in the membership standards of EARCOS, “Member schools shall provide a program of instruction that is internationally minded in style and substance.”

Mission statements are historically either so verbose or so general that the actual mission of the school is difficult to pin down. So, what does a school intend to accomplish when it claims to be Internationally or globally minded? The following statement from the Bilkent Erzurum Laboratory School in Turkey seems to capture the essence of the concept; “An internationally minded person is open-minded about the common humanity of all people and accepts and respects other cultures, beliefs and the natural environment.

The internationally minded person takes action through discussion and collaboration to help build a better and peaceful world.” A key word in this statement is ‘open minded.’ Without this attribute, attempts to develop globally minded students will not yield the desired results. Not all students come to international schools possessing this quality while those who have spent most of their school years in such an environment tend to be more open to new ideas. Yet, the goal here is not to change beliefs but to enhance and broaden students’ minds and thinking. Aristotle said, “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”

How should schools accomplish the mission of developing global mindedness? If you accept the idea that the path to global mindedness and global citizenship begins with exposure, moves to understanding, and culminates in tolerance and respect, then the school must necessarily focus its efforts first on providing exposure to the culture, language, and history of the host country.

The following list suggests some, but not necessarily all of the possible elements of an internationally minded (IM) school:

• The IM school offers a non-national curriculum such as IB, AP or other similar internationally-recognized curriculum.

• The IM school includes international authors in its literature curriculum.

• The IM school offers a variety of foreign languages including the host country language.

• The IM school is involved in international programs such as MUN and GIN that develop students’ understanding of global social, political, and environmental issues.

• The IM school offers opportunities for service learning and promotes community service projects both locally and internationally.

• The IM school utilizes current technology to enable students to connect with the broader world.

• The IM school provides exposure and promotes student application to foreign universities.

• The IM school encourages the use of international ‘best practice’ instructional pedagogy.

Providing opportunities for inculcating global-mindedness in international school students can be a challenge, but is a goal well worth pursuing. The future success of our students, and the world they inhabit will depend on their understanding of and appreciation for cultures not their own.