Will Richardson "Why School?"

At the beginning of this semester, I was asked to read an essay by Will Richardson entitled "Why School?" Why School discusses how technology and how people are learning are changing. This short book describes different types of learning and how the Internet now offers students a new mode of learning. We now have the ability to look up facts and dates quickly with the use of the Internet. The need to memorize these dates and facts are no longer needed. Will Richardson challenges us to ask why we need schools, and how they should be changed to meet the needs today’s learners. With students having the ability and access to learn practically anything on YouTube or by communicating with other experts online, how does school need to change? I enjoyed this quote, “I believe there remains a great deal of value in the idea of school as a place our kids go to learn with others, to be inspired by caring adults to pursue mastery and expertise, and then to use that to change the world for the better. Communities built around schools are better for it. There is still much worth having a shared experience, a common narrative for learning. And, crucially, schools are a public trust, a function of our belief that every child deserves an education. It’s an ideal that still works” (Richardson, 2012). I thought out Common Core and how we are now asking students to not focus on the answer itself, but answer questions like, “How do you know?” “What strategy did you use to get your answer?” or “explain your thinking” Richardson mentioned that “The world cares about what you can do with what you know, Not what you know in and of itself.” This also led me to think about how we as teachers will design our lesson plans now, not only to fit with Common Core, but also to foster these questions of, “How do you know?” “What strategy did you use to get your answer?” or “explain your thinking.” Then I thought about when I taught for the DoDEA in Guam and we used Backwards Design for lessons. I also had a closer look at Backwards Design in my curriculum writing class at USD. One important point I took away from writing lessons using Backwards design is that the answer to your questions you want you students to know at the end of the lesson should not have an answer that can be googled. If the question can be googled then it is not provocative and will not be remembered by the students’ long term. Using Backwards Design and Common Core will help to push schools in the direction that needs to occur. There is still a need for school, but what it looks like needs to change based on technology and current job market. We are no longer working in factories and therefore, memorizing facts are not needed.