LOGO WITH TEXT
  • Home
  • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
  • Categories
  • Malaysia
Menu
  • Home
  • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
  • Categories
  • Malaysia
Search
Home Adora Svitak

Teach Students To Think Irrationally [Latest 2022]

Planetic Net by Planetic Net
May 19, 2025
in Adora Svitak, Curiosity, Education, Learning, Literacy, Uncategorized
486
0
IMG

IMG

422
SHARES
1.1k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on WhatsappShare on TelegramShare on EmailShare on Wechat

Teach Students To Think Irrationally

by Terry Heick

Formal learning is a humbling thing.

As planners, designers, executors, and general caretakers of public and private education systems, we are tasked with the insurmountable: overcome a child’s natural tendency to play, rebel, and self-direct in hopes of providing them with a ‘good education.’ Reading, writing, arithmetic, etc.

And this isn’t wrong. This is good by almost any measure. Our intent is noble, our effort extraordinary, and certainly the learning of many children, especially those from disadvantaged circumstances, is better than anything they might have had otherwise.

But there’s also an unfortunate, darker side to formal learning processes–especially when you crowd 800 in a school and 32 in a classroom and ‘hold teachers accountable.’

This is a side that can be more concerned with that accountability than anything else–and that means students accountable to teachers, teachers accountable to principals,  principals accountable to superintendents, superintendents accountable to state government agencies, and everyone accountable to many measures of ‘motivation’ and/or punitive action.

See also Student Engagement Strategies

The net result can be a learning climate where spontaneity, curiosity, and learner self-direction are secondary to just the right ‘research-based’ literacy strategy to ‘move kids to proficiency’–and a crucial loss of ‘childlishness’ of learning.

It’s within this context that I watched the following video by Adora Svitak, who eloquently (please tell me this child was coached, or else I am going to wish she was also more ‘childish’ herself) discusses the role of ‘immaturity’ in great accomplishments. Regarding ‘childish’ behavior and ‘immaturity,’ she explains:

“Then again, who’s to say that certain types of irrational thinking aren’t exactly what the world needs? Maybe you’ve had grand plans before but stopped yourself, thinking, “That’s impossible,” or, “That costs too much,” or, ‘That won’t benefit me.’

“For better or worse, we kids aren’t hampered as much when it comes to thinking about reasons why not to do things. Kids can be full of inspiring aspirations and hopeful thinking. Like my wish that no one went hungry or that everything were a free kind of utopia. How many of you still dream like that and believe in the possibilities? Sometimes a knowledge of history and the past failures of utopian ideals can be a burden because you know that if everything were free, then the food stocks would become depleted and scarce and lead to chaos. On the other hand, we kids still dream about perfection.

“And that’s a good thing because in order to make anything a reality, you have to dream about it first.”

It’s easy to take that argument a step further and wonder what education would be like if it were able to really lose itself in the learning, and be fully immersed in content and community. Standards? Fine. Assessment? Fine–but standardize the assessment without standardizing the learning.

What if the learning was like the child: irrational, in motion, and in love with discovery?

You can view the video here.

Founder & Director of TeachThought

Previous Post

nytimes.com [Latest 2022]

Next Post

Idaho teacher resigns over inclusive classroom sign [Latest 2022]

Related Posts

AdobeStock scaled
Boston

Judge dismisses parents’ lawsuit over popular reading curricula [Latest 2022]

by Planetic Net
May 31, 2025
What are Learning Styles
Time

nytimes.com [Latest 2022]

by Planetic Net
May 30, 2025
AdobeStock scaled
Charter school

Dystopian Teacher Tales: The La Jollan Educational Missionary Society [Latest 2022]

by Planetic Net
May 30, 2025
Treasure Island San Francisco x
Chough

SF Planned to Improve Treasure Island’s Transit. Trump Took Back the Funds [Latest 2022]

by Planetic Net
May 30, 2025
AI SONGS cjlw facebookJumbo
Time

nytimes.com [Latest 2022]

by Planetic Net
May 29, 2025
AdobeStock scaled
Daily Dispatch

The Daily Digest: May 29, 2025 [Latest 2022]

by Planetic Net
May 29, 2025
blooms taxonomy verbs
Backward design

100+ Bloom’s Taxonomy Verbs For Critical Thinking [Latest 2022]

by Planetic Net
May 29, 2025
AdobeStock scaled
Child development

Instructional Coaching: Job-Embedded professional learning and compensation [Latest 2022]

by Planetic Net
May 29, 2025
Next Post

Idaho teacher resigns over inclusive classroom sign [Latest 2022]

Shutterstock

nytimes.com [Latest 2022]

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

AdobeStock scaled

Judge dismisses parents’ lawsuit over popular reading curricula [Latest 2022]

May 31, 2025
What are Learning Styles

nytimes.com [Latest 2022]

May 30, 2025
AdobeStock scaled

Dystopian Teacher Tales: The La Jollan Educational Missionary Society [Latest 2022]

May 30, 2025
  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
gettyimages custom e a d a b e d d a a x

Is Your House at Risk of a Wildfire? This Online Tool Could Tell You

0
indicators of authentic mobile learningc

9 Indicators Of Authentic Mobile Learning

0
Books to Read to Comfort After a Tragedy

Books to Read With Kids After a Tragedy

0
GettyImages

Generating Leads With An Authoring Tool Listing In The eLearning Industry Directory

0
AdobeStock scaled

Judge dismisses parents’ lawsuit over popular reading curricula [Latest 2022]

May 31, 2025
What are Learning Styles

nytimes.com [Latest 2022]

May 30, 2025
AdobeStock scaled

Dystopian Teacher Tales: The La Jollan Educational Missionary Society [Latest 2022]

May 30, 2025
Treasure Island San Francisco x

SF Planned to Improve Treasure Island’s Transit. Trump Took Back the Funds [Latest 2022]

May 30, 2025
LOGO WITH TEXT
Planetic.net | Education is a free website that has been designed to help students and a one stop hub for students seeking for information on scholarship, education, school and university tips and updates on different issues relating to education.
About Us

Useful links

  • Technology
  • Tool
  • Computer
  • Science
  • Robotics
  • Malaysia
  • Leadership

Quick Link

  • Home
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • About Us
  • Contact Us

Other

  • Main site
  • Technology
  • Education
  • Health & Fitness
  • Travel
  • App

© 2022 Planetic.net. All rights reserved.

Newsletter

WANT MORE?

SIGN UP TO RECEIVE THE LATEST UPDATES AND NEWS, PLUS SOME EXCLUSIVE TIPS!