Shawn Cornally wrote a great article for GOOD titled: “Why it’s Time to Lose Class Schedules”
His argument against class schedules stems from the same problem that flipped classrooms and my project-based program are trying to fix: students cramming for tests and promptly dumping all the information they temporarily memorized.
Shawn puts it really well: “All of that planning teachers do to create beautifully succinct lessons is exactly where the deep thinking is happening. Students need to be a part of that.”
Involving students in the learning process is exactly where we need to get to in public and higher education.
He also writes: “Most likely you were graded on how well you reproduced a set of instructions the first time you tried it. That’s not how anyone really learns. Students need to know that things go wrong, and they need to be comfortable—dare I say happy—with failing and retrying.”
A trusted environment to fail! What a novel concept. This is one of the main themes I try to hit on when I’m talking to potential students in the project-based programs.
It’s nice to see educators on the front line thinking this way.
Read the whole article here: Why it’s Time to Lose Class Schedules
Watch Cornally’s TEDx Talk here: The Future of Education Without Coercion