Teaching as educational, and what it means to be a teacher as an educator, is disappearing from the schooling landscape and instead being replaced by notions of outcomes, data and evidence void of context – without an educational telos, ‘a sense of purpose'
"It is only with experience that you begin to understand everything you do not know."
As I enter the Comprehensive Exams portion of my doctoral program, I realize that I am beginning to understand. Education is an interesting construct. It is personal, and it means different things to people. Education flows along a continuum, and begins to take different meanings as a person grows older. Perhaps the experience truly is the education.
*video: my moment of zen today
Lately, I have been thinking a lot about words that start with work...
- workshop
- workspace
- workflow
- workload
- workforce
- work
shitssheets
What is work, and what does it have to do with schools and learning?
Some would argue that the education system is not doing enough to support the workforce. It is not a Millennial issue, or a standards issue. It is about emotions, and it is about relationships. It is about responsibility.
Developing A Sense Of Responsibility: Why Emotional Insight Is Critical For The Future Of Work
And, it is now a presidential debate issue, with 18 of 23 presidential candidates supporting some type of tuition relief or assistance.
"However, a 2013 McKinsey & Company study of youth, education providers, and employers in nine countries showed that while 72 percent of higher education institutions believe they prepare their students well for the workforce, half of students are not sure if their credentials improve their opportunities at finding a job. This disconnect can also be seen in the private sector where only 11 percent of business leaders ‘strongly agree’ that students have the vital skills for the labour market, compared to 96 percent of chief academic officers who believed their institutions were either somewhat or very effective at providing the necessary skills to students. While a post-secondary degree is still proven to be a career asset, the current level of disconnect between what employers want versus what is being taught must be addressed."
—McKinsey & Company, "The Voice of the Graduate"
✱ hat tip to David Culberhouse for sharing these ideas