What If a Bird Went to Flying School?

We all know how birds learn to fly.  The mother and daddy bird feed and care for their young until they are developed enough to push them out of the nest.  Birds fly by nature and discover their wings in the space between the nest and the ground.  But what if we ignored the nature of birds and flight?  What if a bird went to flying school?

In flying school, birds would be gently eased from their nest onto a high platform where a teacher would show them wing shapes and colors.  They would learn to count feathers and sing songs about how much fun it is to fly.  At the end of the term, the young birds would take an elevator down to the next platform where they would learn about different types of trees and nests.  They would hear stories about heroic birds that flew long distances.  They would take important tests about "flying comprehension" that would allow them to descend to the next platform where they would learn the history of flying in different countries and they would see books with birds from around the world.  They might even get to visit the local Museum of Flying.  On the next level, they get to use computers to write about flying and watch videos of birds flying.  Then, finally, after passing many tests on trees, nests, bird history, and flying comprehension, they are released at ground level where they would attend a graduation recognizing that they now know how to fly.

Of course, birds don't learn to fly that way, nor would they.  Why?  Because it ignores the nature of birds and the nature of flight.

So, what about the nature of people and the nature of learning?  People are curious by nature.  Give them the freedom to explore and they will explore.  We do not need someone to tell us how to be curious or what to be curious about or to teach us curiosity.  It is part of our nature.

On learning, I am continually inspired by a quote from Herbert Simon, one of the founders of the field of Cognitive Science, a Nobel Laureate, and professor at Carnegie Mellon.  He said,

"Learning results from what the student does and thinks and only from what the student does and thinks."

Learning happens with the student, not with the teacher and not even with the presence of a teacher.  Technology has come to a point where content is no longer a scarcity possessed only by teachers.  It is abundant and freely available to all through a multitude of books, resources, and the internet.

If we want to produce students who are independent thinkers, we must give them the freedom to think... independently.  If we want to produce students who are life-long learners, we must give them the freedom to learn, to struggle, to fail and to try again.  Metaphorically, we must push them out of the nest and allow them to fall in order for them to discover their wings and fly.

This is why the Sudbury School of Atlanta is such a deep and special experience.  We recognize the nature of people and the nature of learning and we create our school accordingly.

At the Sudbury School of Atlanta, we do not teach your young bird to fly.  We are the space between the nest and the ground where they will discover their wings.

-Dave

Is the ability to actually do basic math needed today?

I was talking with a young man this past week who is about to graduate with his Ph.D. in Engineering from a top-ranked university.

We were discussing his job offer from a very well-known technology company and talking about the vacation time that came with the position. He said, "160 hours, how many weeks is that?" and as I did the math in my head, he whipped out his smart phone, opened the calculator app, entered "160/40" and about a split second after me, said "4."

Now, this may be appalling to some, shouldn't this student about to graduate with a Ph.D. in Engineering just do the simple math in his head?

I argue that no, he shouldn't.  Why?  Because the amount of knowledge in the world is increasing at an amazing rate and no one can keep all the knowledge in their own specialized field in their head at once, not to mention all the other information some might say is "critical" to know.

This young man is growing up as a digital native in the information age and he is doing what it takes to survive and thrive in this age.  He knows what knowledge and skills are worth keeping in his head, what is critical to his daily life and daily work tasks, when to use his resources, how to use them, and when it is faster to use something other than his brain.  It is very likely that simple math is not something he needs to use every day in his life or in his work so he has gotten rusty at it as he doesn't use it often...just like most of us and spell check.  For him, there is much more critical information and critical skills that he does need on a regular basis.   So he lets that critical information stay in his brain and uses his available resources, a smart phone--where less critical information is literally a few clicks away, on the rare occasions when he needs it.

Remember, it was not that long ago that most business people didn't know how to type.  It was not worth knowing how to do because secretaries would do it for them, based on longhand notes or spoken diction.  Kids today are born into a a world with spellcheckers, calculators, and google, and more disruptive technologies are on their way.  The job skills of today are very different than they were a generation ago, and will likely change again by the time today's kindergarteners are ready to graduate from high school.

What will endure as critical skills for adults in the future?  The ability to be self-directed learners who are motivated to learn what they need, when they need it AND know when to "delegate" to technology because it is more efficient.

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