If We Didn’t Have the Schools We Have Today, Would We Create the Schools We Have Today?

“Pilots in the early stages of flight crashed a lot of planes, but they also discovered the principles of flight. They came together in learning communities where they could share their experiences and knowledge about what works and what does not work. They developed and evolved principles that make modern flight possible today, including the space program. That kind of learning opportunity is available to us in our schools today.”
We learn from our mistakes as well as others’ mistakes. That’s why having learning communities is so important, because we can voice our concerns and learn about mistakes and solutions already made.


“But if a teacher from the 1800s walked into a classroom today, could he or she substitute as a teacher?”
I love this question because it really makes a person think about the lack of change between schools of today and the schools of the past. Now I say schools because there are some classrooms where progress is displayed, but I feel that is created through the teacher. I think individual teachers are taking it upon themselves to make the progress through using projectors in the classroom, certain websites and software to enhance education, and smartboards among other technologies. I know the school provides this for the teachers and may even have workshops on certain technologies to provide knowledge for the educator, but it is up to the individual teacher to put in the thought and time to implement these technologies when warranted.


The article talked about a teachers’ job will no longer be to teach – but to help others learn, as they model learning through collaboration to solve problems and achieve goals they have in common. I think in order to do this; a teacher needs to be humble. They will have to accept the fact that they don’t know everything and that their students will know things they don’t. Educators will have to acknowledge that the roles will be reversed in certain cases and the students will be the teachers and teachers will be the students. I think that veteran teachers may have a problem with this only because they are so set in their ways of just dictating all their knowledge while the students sit passively and contribute a minimum to the class. Now I know some veteran teachers who are open to change and also willing to put in the time and effort to make a collaborative learning environment, so I do think it can be done.


This article also spoke about education rapidly moving toward new learning environments that will have no teachers or students—just learners with different levels and areas of expertise collaboratively constructing new knowledge.
If this change is made, knowledge can be transmitted exponentially; thereby making significant changes in our world, not just the world of education.