Connecting to Learn: Will Richardson





Will Richardson's TEDxNYED talk Connecting to Learn is informative and slightly alarming at the same time. He says our schools are basically test prep academies now, rather than learning institutions. This disturbs me, because my daughter just started kindergarten. I want her to get an education that teaches her how to learn. I want teachers to know how to help her find her passions and talents. I want her to learn and practice how to think critically. And I want her to learn, through modeling and practical application, how to disagree with and debate others without personal attacks, derision, and hatred.

Video source

Now, I love TED talks, don't get me wrong. I like hearing from experts in fields who are passionate, creative, and well-informed. I understand that TED is about starting conversations and sharing ideas. But it's frustrating when the speaker is telling us about a problem - a big, important problem - yet leaves us with no actionable solutions. It makes me feel hopeless, because I want to help but don't know how. I have no control over politicians, or the education system in the US. But I'm an involved parent with a kid in a US school system. I want to use my voice and voting power well. I want to teach her how to navigate this new world.

Image source by samwilliamson99 is licensed under CC BY 2.0 

Richardson says that there are many kids out there "not waiting for curriculum to deliver to them the things they want to learn; they're going out and learning those things whenever they want to" (TED, 2011). But he also briefly touches on the moral imperative we have to ensure every child is connected and has the same opportunities to learn on demand. How do we solve this imbalance? Also, how do we get kids to learn something new; and when? They have a ton of memorization they need to do for test-prep school. They have extracurricular activities to pad their college-application resumes. They have to do all their homework at night. They have to eat dinner and sleep. How do we help them balance what they have to do versus what they need to do?

Richardson says if you want test prep, you don't need schools. It's time that we try to stop doing things better, and instead do them differently (TED, 2011). Okay, so what do we do?

He also says we have to take back education from the politicians that have taken it from us (TED, 2011). Great, let's do it! But how, what, when, where, who?!

Image source


One resource I found that offers hope is the Global Digital Citizen Foundation. The foundation "helps teachers develop values in their students, and these values guide them towards a vision of creating a better world for themselves and for others" (Global Digital Citizen: Values, n.d.).

A blog on the website states, "as a teacher, however, you've taken on an added responsibility. Simply put, it is to help others benefit from learning, namely those who'll continue to develop our society. When we are long gone, the quality of learning connections we give our students will influence their decisions for years to come" (Watanabe-Crockett, 2019).

Maybe Global Digital Citizens have some answers? What do you think?

Resources

Global Digital Citizen: Vision (n.d.). Retrieved from https://globaldigitalcitizen.org/vision

TED (2011, March 05). Will Robinson: Connecting to Learn. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/Ni75vIE4vdk

Watanabe-Crockett, L. (2019, February 13). This is why making strong learning connections matters most. [Blog post]. Retrieved from  https://globaldigitalcitizen.org/making-strong-learning-connections-matters

More links:

Will Richardson's website

Will Richardson's blog

Lee Watanabe-Crockett: This is why making strong learning connections matters most

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