The Future is Bright

#changeisgood

As I began to reflect on this book, I got to thinking a lot about the How… How do we go about making this change? Is it possible? Will it work? I believe in the principles of “A New Culture of Learning”, but being removed from the classroom sometimes I think my educational beliefs are filled with butterflies and rainbows. So I wanted to hear the perspective from another teacher. Lucky for me, my mother taught for 37 years starting in 1971, so I gave her an assignment of reading this book so we could discuss it upon my arrival to our family vacation. Her initial thought was that this is an exciting concept and she would love to approach teaching this way but like everything else, it's not here all end all to our educational problems. The concepts of play, questioning and cultivating imagination are important to educating students. As Brown and Thomas stated, “For most of the 20th century our education system was built on the assumption that teaching was necessary for learning to occur.” (Brown & Thomas, 2011) A good hard working teacher made this work, they met standards and reached testing goals. But these constraints are frustrating and teachers are ready for change. “A New Culture of Learning” takes those reluctant learners and enables them to take ownership in their learning. Like any new conceptual idea, each facilitator (teacher) must be given the opportunity to mold this in a way that works in their classroom. We both found this book very thought provoking and encouraging. Brown and Thomas shed a positive light on the future of education.