When I first read Susan Ohanian’s What Happened to Recess and Why Are Our Children Struggling in Kindergarten? in 2002, I was shocked at how creativity and physical activity were being systematically removed from the classroom with the goal of improving test scores. Seven years later, I still remember one anecdote about entire districts abolishing recess and others going so far as to take away the children’s break if their test scores dropped. I also remember checking Ohanian’s sources because I couldn’t believe her seemingly-outlandish claims. Unfortunately, she was right.
Up until last year, I hadn’t seen first hand the outrageous removal of such vital education. However, this past year when our district attempted to close a $9.4 million gap in its budget, some of the first to receive pink slips were all elementary and middle school physical education teachers, and their counterparts in music. Here it was, in my own backyard. Backwards thinking.
Fortunately, researchers such as Daniel Pink (A Whole New Mind) understand that linguistic and computational intelligence are not the only “important” intelligences. He takes Gardner’s multiple intelligences one step further and focuses on our society’s changing and pressing need for right-brained thinkers. Note, he doesn’t argue for the insignificance of left-brainers, but rather the crucial addition of right-brainers, or “R-Directed Thinkers” as he calls them, in order to compete in the global market. Pink asserts that due to cheap labor (Asia), access to anything we desire (Abundance), and better, faster and stronger computers (Automation), there is now virtually no difference in products purchased from different companies, so the reliance on marketing (design) has become radically important.
He claims that American workers will need to command a new set of aptitudes. Because workers elsewhere can do the same work for much less money, our workforce will need “. . . R-Directed abilities such as forging relationships rather than executing transactions, tackling novel challenges instead of solving routine problems, and synthesizing the big picture rather than analyzing a single component.”
Improving our test scores will not help us realize this goal.
Thankfully, in our district, the physical education, music and art teachers will continue their jobs and our kindergartners will not be missing recess to prepare for THE TEST. At least for this year. However, if we continue to wait for “somebody else” to set our priorities, legislators instead of educators, I fear our educational system will continue down the wrong road. A road with inept and ill-prepared travelers.
Brilliant post. The play-based approach to pre-school education is *the* hot topic right now in early childhood. I highly recommend you check out www.ooegygooey.com for some ideas for using with your kids! Educating the whole person is critical to developing functional human beings. As an aside: we take out physical education and recess, then wonder why we have an obesity problem.
ReplyDeleteSo, how do we go about getting the "right" people to set our educational priorities?
ReplyDeleteI found Mr. Pink's argument compelling--that American workers need a new set of aptitudes aside from just math and science skills. If we continue to remove and shove aside artistic elements of education, where is the room for soulful expression? "Society Sans Soul,"--wow, where do I sign up?
I think it's our charge as teachers, parents and community members to affect change. As teachers, we continue to use best practices, we focus on helping our students be critical creators and consumers of information, and we do this without neglecting our responsibility to help our kids do well on the test. This proves difficult with continued mandates from the feds and our district. Difficult but imperative.
ReplyDeleteParents need to be informed about the quality and focus of their children's education. That responsibility falls upon our shoulders. Community members (like my wife?) with no agenda to use the local school board as a jumping off point for a political career need to commit themselves to either finding a suitable candidate or stepping up themselves. As Gandhi said, "We must be the change we want to see."
As I continue with my professional development, I'm beginning to see my responsibilities extend beyond the classroom. I've been hesitant to act in the past due to my fear of "making waves" and my desire to stay employed.
As far as signing up for your "society sans soul," we all do this passively when we do nothing. Tyranny of the urgent - the urgent things in our lives take precedence over the important. I argue that revamping our educational system has become not only important but also quite urgent.
I once knew a woman who served on her local school board and made drastic changes. She did this, I assume, simply because it needed doing. She saw a wrong and righted it.
Let’s follow her example.
Thanks for the tip on Ooey Gooey. Looks like some great ideas for Tuesday "Art Day" with my boys.
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