My 9 year old daughter has a new obsession. She has discovered a show called Brain Games. As a science teacher, I'm a proud momma, it's all about how the brain works. What has fascinated me most, though, is watching how she watches it. It's on Netflix and she's working her way through the series, watching 3 or 4 episodes at a time, sometimes even more. She's likely to finish multiple seasons by the end of the week. Compare this to how I watched my favorite shows when I was her age: watching one episode a week and waiting a full week (or more) for a new episode to appear. I remember eagerly anticipating the Wonderful World of Disney on Sunday nights, or that one time a year that Wizard of Oz played on TV. I waited patiently for each show to come on at its scheduled time. I made sure not to talk or get a drink of water until a commercial break, and I still watch some shows that way, (my schedule is cleared for the upcoming episodes of Game of Thrones) but I am a convert to the Netflix world too. Who doesn't love Netflix or other "on demand" services? They cater to our interests and needs, keep a profile with specific recommendations for us, and make accessing content easy, fun and relevant to us, on our schedules.
When I think about it, though, our schools mostly follow the network paradigm that I grew up with. Just like network executives, our administrators "program" a student's day with classes based on age and demographics, and expect students to show up for daily installments with eager enthusiasm. My school still uses a master board with magnets to arrange class schedules, just like the network execs of the 70s and 80s.
I wonder what a school based on the Netflix paradigm would look like. Would kids choose their own adventures based on their passions and interests? Would they watch and re-watch their favorite subjects and lessons. Would they share their passions with others? Would we monitor their learning and recommend next steps, but always with the learner in control? Even within our network-style programmed classes, we can make education more "On Demand" by giving students choice, not just at the end of a unit, but in how and what they learn in the first place. Many teachers and schools today are working to personalize learning by meeting each student's needs and giving as much choice as possible in directing their own learning.
We can also give students digital resources to access whenever they need them, and as much as they need them. There are so many ways to do this, Learning Management Systems, Google Classroom, class websites, flipped instruction, gamification and self-paced learning are all great new tools and approaches geared towards giving students access to information AS THEY NEED IT. Probably my favorite tool for this purpose is the HyperDoc, which is a digital, student-friendly lesson plan, complete with all kinds of digital resources available to students when they are ready for it.
It is striking how different the world is now, how differently we consume content and experience stories. Teaching strategies that worked well in that Network era no longer keep our students' attention in the Netflix age. We can complain about it in the teachers' lounge or we can do things differently. Don't get me wrong, I've had my fair share of exasperated moments in the teachers' lounge, but when I stop to think about it, the "Kids today just don't..." comments don't get us anywhere. We need to do things differently. It's scary to change, especially when that change involves giving choice and control to students. It won't be perfect. It won't solve all educational problems. But if we don't change, we risk more and more students "tuning out" of our well-intentioned lessons, and even more exhausted, insulted and exasperated teachers. What do you think? Should education change in this way?
Comments
Post a Comment