THE RIGHT PROBLEM
of the ONE-AND-MANY in K12 education.
If I had an hour to solve a problem I'd spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions.
Author unknown
By solving the RIGHT PROBLEM
tomorrows school district
GETS the TWO RESULTS we all want.
The TWO RESULTS we all want:
1. EDUCATED
Ready for REAL-LIFE independence.
2. LEARNED
Mastered the official curriculum.
What is the RIGHT PROBLEM?
Specifically:
What problem if addressed, would get the RESULTS we all want?
HOW would we KNOW we have the RIGHT PROBLEM?
FACTS and LOGIC answer those questions.
Incontrovertible FACTS and LOGIC leading to the RIGHT PROBLEM.
ONE-and-MANY FACTS
THE-ONE adult in the classroom has only ONE mouth.
THE-MANY students are ALL DIFFERENT.
ENGAGEMENT FACTS
ONLY STUDENTS can do the learning.
We CAN FORCE a student to sit a desk — NOT FORCE a student to WILLINGLY ENGAGE — something even the student may not yet be able to do.
IN-THE-ZONE FACTS
The ONLY way for anyone to learn is IN-THE-ZONE.
If the challenge is too difficult, I can't learn it. If it is too easy, it is boring.
Some WHOLE-CLASS lessons are IN-THE-ZONE for the entire class.
Some challenges are TOO DIFFICULT or TOO EASY for many students.
LOGIC
Therefore, there are two (2) requirements for students to learn.
Students must be ABLE to WILLINGLY engage in the learning.
Students must be ABLE to use AUTONOMY to learn in their own zone.
The ONE adult after all, has only ONE mouth.
With the ability to use autonomy students can learn in their own zones.
Without that ability, they can't learn in their own zones.
GOOD NEWS: A PROBLEM.
Too many students are NOT YET ABLE to WILLINGLY engage in the learning;
and further, UNABLE to use the VERY AUTONOMY they need to learn in THEIR OWN ZONE.
Instead, too many:
"Goof off"
Attention span is too short
Undiagnosed/misdiagnosed fill-in-the-blank: dyslexia, ADHD, etc.
Stress (or even trauma): when the brain is in freeze, fight or flight mode, it is unavailable for learning.
THE RIGHT PROBLEM
Too many students are:
NOT YET ABLE to WILLINGLY engage in the learning
NOR ABLE to use the VERY AUTONOMY they need to learn and help each other learn in their own learning zones.
Stated positively:
If students are EDUCATED for AUTONOMY & WELLNESS they become:
ABLE to WILLINGLY engage, and
ABLE to AUTONOMOUSLY use IN-THE-ZONE techniques to learn and help each other learn in their own learning zones.
How do we KNOW this is the RIGHT PROBLEM?
Addressing this problem gets the TWO RESULTS we all want.
-
EDUCATED: ready for real-life independence.
Educating for Autonomy develops readiness for independence.
Students become ABLE to INTENTIONALLY and WILLINGLY engage in learning and life.
Students get a great deal of practice using more and more autonomy, making them ready for what would otherwise be the sudden autonomy of high school graduation.
-
LEARNED: mastered the official curriculum
It is great that IN-THE-ZONE techniques enable students to pull challenges from the official curriculum into their own learning zones.
However, IN-THE-ZONE techniques require the ability to use autonomy.
These techniques DO NOT WORK unless students are ABLE to use autonomy.
WITH the ability to willingly engage and with IN-THE-ZONE techniques:
students are NOW learning IN-THE-ZONE, mastering the official curriculum.
(Further, with the ability to use autonomy it becomes possible to provide all three conditions scientifically proven to activate learning motivation. See below.)
The ORIGINAL meaning of EDUCATION solves the RIGHT PROBLEM.
The word "education" comes from the Latin e•du•ce•re, meaning:
to lead out the student from within
so they can lead themselves more independently, more autonomously.
EDUCATING has TWO BENEFITS enabling school districts to get the TWO RESULTS that we all want.
-
EACH INDIVIDUAL STUDENT
It is a beautiful thing that each individual student becomes ready for real life, ready to fly in the real world after high school.
-
SCHOOL DISTRICT AS A WHOLE
In addition, educating students helps to solve a structural problem, an organizational problem.
Now, even though the ONE adult has only ONE mouth and THE-MANY students are ALL DIFFERENT, students can learn, and help each other learn, in their own learning zones.
IT GETS BETTER.
EDUCATING for AUTONOMY
is the key to
ACTIVATING learning motivation.
Attempting to solve the WRONG PROBLEM suppresses learning motivation.
See the page: How TODAY'S SCHOOL DISTRICT SUPPRESSES LEARNING MOTIVATION.
EDUCATING makes ACTIVATING learning motivation possible.
Solving the RIGHT PROBLEM activates all three conditions of learning motivation.
Daniel H. Pink's groundbreaking 2009 book, DRIVE: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, summarizes over 50 years of scientific research.
Three conditions activate learning motivation.
1. Autonomy is the first of the three conditions, and is key to the other two.
This is the very same autonomy that students are UNREADY for, unless we educate: lead out the student from within so they can lead themselves more autonomously.
2. Mastery is challenges IN-THE-ZONE. Not too difficult. Not too easy. Just right. And, fast feedback.
Notice, only with Autonomy can students get the condition of Mastery. What is too difficult for me might be too easy for you.
3. Purpose, a good reason to learn something or an inner interest.
Notice again, only with Autonomy can I involve my particular interests and you involve yours.
The result: students get in flow.
Students engage, losing track of time as they involve themselves very deeply in learning.
Autonomy is the key of the three scientifically proven conditions of learning motivation.
In turn, educating for autonomy is the key to safely granting that very autonomy.
IN CONCLUSION about the RIGHT PROBLEM
Educating and Learning are two different things.
Educating, is leading out the independence that is already naturally emerging from within.
Learning is, well, learning...the reading, writing, arithmetic, science and history.
Individually, educating is about developing inner ability, ability which is indispensable for learning and life.
Organizationally, educating is the key to solving a structural ONE-AND-MANY problem in K12 education.
Because students become able to use more autonomy (as a result of educating), now, even though the ONE adult has only ONE mouth, and THE-MANY students are all different, students are able to learn and help each other learn in their own learning zones.
Further, students themselves are able to activate all three conditions of learning motivation: Autonomy, Mastery & Purpose.
INCONTROVERTIBLE FACTS & LOGIC to keep us ANCHORED to the challenge before us.
KEY FACTS
We CANNOT FORCE a student to WILLINGLY ENGAGE in the learning.
The ONLY way for anyone to learn is IN-THE-ZONE.
If the challenge is too difficult, I can't learn it. If it is too easy, it is boring.
LOGIC
If students are EDUCATED for AUTONOMY & WELLNESS they become:
ABLE to WILLINGLY engage in whole-class, group-based and individual learning, and,
ABLE to AUTONOMOUSLY learn and help each other learn in their own learning zones.