Opinion
Curriculum Letter to the Editor

Finding the ‘Price Point’ by Learning Together

May 11, 2010 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

To the Editor:

As a person who left education almost 20 years ago, after having worked in areas such as critical-thinking skills, content knowledge, outcomes-based education, and quality schools, I had mixed feelings as I read Paul E. Peterson’s “Finding the Student’s ‘Price Point’” (Commentary, April 21, 2010).

Although there may be some promise, as he indicated, in innovations such as 3-D biology, I have become leery of seeing education through the lens of Mr. Peterson’s proposed instructional formula: “[Q]uickly identify a student’s reading, math, and science skills, and the curriculum can then be adapted.”

Recently, I experienced a webinar with Peter Senge, of The Fifth Discipline fame. I recall his phrase “we all went to the same schools,” implying that it’s hard for people to envision schooling beyond the conventions of disciplines and skill sequences. One big idea I took from Mr. Senge’s talk was that, in education, it’s all about teams learning together. I’m fearful that the current “school of one” thinking will reduce this possibility.

Mr. Senge and his colleagues at the Society for Organizational Learning have been doing eye-opening work that shows us how humans can work together in generative, life-affirming ways. Though there may be irony in the fact that my ideas on this subject were stimulated by a virtual class, I believe that to imagine a future different from what we have now, we must learn more about group learning for teachers, administrators, and the community at large.

This kind of learning needs to become the basis for our efforts in student development. It includes recognizing our own assumptions and understanding those of others, seeing systems, reflecting on learning cycles, and fully using the creative and generative capacities of all.

Randy Schenkat

Winona, Minn.

A version of this article appeared in the May 12, 2010 edition of Education Week as Finding the ‘Price Point’ by Learning Together

Events

Student Well-Being Webinar After-School Learning Top Priority: Academics or Fun?
Join our expert panel to discuss how after-school programs and schools can work together to help students recover from pandemic-related learning loss.
Budget & Finance Webinar Leverage New Funding Sources with Data-Informed Practices
Address the whole child using data-informed practices, gain valuable insights, and learn strategies that can benefit your district.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Classroom Technology Webinar
ChatGPT & Education: 8 Ways AI Improves Student Outcomes
Revolutionize student success! Don't miss our expert-led webinar demonstrating practical ways AI tools will elevate learning experiences.
Content provided by Inzata

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Curriculum Opinion Making the Case for Restoring Wisdom to America’s Schools
A Johns Hopkins professor discusses how to improve what he sees as a siloed, incoherent education system to best serve students.
7 min read
Image shows a multi-tailed arrow hitting the bullseye of a target.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
Curriculum Swim Lessons Save Lives. Should Schools Provide Them?
A push is on in some states to make swim lessons part of the school curriculum.
5 min read
Close up of African American person's legs in the pool.
E+/Getty
Curriculum Audio Climate Change Is Tough to Teach. 5 Ways to Approach It
Listen to a conversation about how educators can approach teaching about climate change.
6 min read
Students from Bridger School learn about water filtration from Carmellē Muñoz, Portland General Electric employee, during an event to announce Portland General Electric's partnership with Portland Public Schools on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020, in Portland, Ore. This experiment created by In4All is one example of how this climate change curriculum could come to life through in-classroom experiences nationwide.
Students from Bridger School learn about water filtration from Carmellē Muñoz, Portland General Electric employee, during an event to announce Portland General Electric's partnership with Portland Public Schools on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020, in Portland, Ore. This experiment created by In4All is one example of how this climate change curriculum could come to life through in-classroom experiences nationwide. <br/><br/>
Carlos Delgado/AP
Curriculum The Case for Choosing a Physical Book Over a Digital Reader
Physical books encourage a deeper reading of a text than digital devices do, some experts argue.
2 min read
Stack of library books with two blurred people in the background.
iStock/Getty