“Who do you trust?” This question was extremely intriguing while watching Douglas Thomas’s TedTalk, “A New Culture of Learning.” I, like the students he asked, also answered, “No one.” This is because we live in a generation where we do not have to trust one person. We have the world at our fingertips and technology gives us the freedom and power to search endless sources to compile our own conclusions. To students today, teachers are just another context. As a former high school English teacher and as an Instructional Technology Specialist, I’ve watched teachers over and over again believe that if they are not in front of their students teaching, then the students are not learning because, to them, they are the content. When I was a teacher, I, too, believed this to an extent as the traditional methods of teaching are deeply ingrained. However, the reality of it all is that we, the teachers, are just another source of information.
The beauty of the teacher, though, is their ability to foster a learning environment where they cultivate imagination, honor their students’ passion, and help learners connect their passions to the things they need to learn.
Teachers may be one piece of context, but the learning environment he or she creates is the foundation for fostering imaginative, creative, motivated, and innovative learners.
Nevertheless, as Thomas (2012) mentions in regard to New York teachers, teachers do not have time for imagination. With standardized testing, many are rushed to get through the content and are pressured to teach to the test rather than ensure their kids are growing as learners. In my current role, I help teachers effectively integrate technology into their classrooms to enhance student’s learning, and the comment I hear the most when offering engaging suggestions is teachers do not have the time. The pressure is so heavy to teach all the necessary standards that they feel they have no time for student engagement. It’s the saddest thing to see, and it’s not their fault. Educational expectations aren’t ‘Are you learning?’ but ‘Can you produce exactly what we ask you to?’
Standardized testing and traditional teaching methods have fostered, not true learning, but normalization, meaning every student is the same and every teacher is the same (Thomas, 2012).
Thomas says, “I’ve come to believe that that kind of normalization is incredibly toxic to the things that we talk about, like passion, and creativity and innovation. Because it presumes that everything is equal, and any deviation is to be treated with suspicion and contempt” (Thomas, 2012, 9:37).
My hope is that one day teachers will be empowered to create learning environments that cater to our students’ uniqueness, passion, and creativity, and not be hindered by the expectations of standardized testing. Too often, our students’ potential goes untapped, but with the right learning environment and with the right teacher, lives are forever changed.
TEDx Talks. (2012, September 13). A New Culture of Learning, Douglas Thomas at TEDxUFM [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lM80GXlyX0U
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