9486 in the collection
Why Reinforce the Deep Flaws in Our Standards-Based Curriculum?
Marion Brady and William Spady
The New Possibilities Network
As Americans seek to define what they mean by 21st Century learning, it's common to
think of it as the "new things" that should be added to today's politically-driven,
standards-based curriculum and testing mandates. That approach assumes that our
familiar curriculum structure, adopted in the 1890's, adequately addresses the conditions,
opportunities and challenges our young people will face in their 21st Century family,
career, community and personal lives. It does not and cannot - no matter how many
desirable things we attempt to pile on top of this deeply flawed structure. Why leave in
place and reinforce an Industrial Age curriculum structure that . . .
1. Ignores the intrinsic talents, interests, motivations and identity of the individual learner?
2. Ignores the inherent systemic, integrated, nature of life experience and knowledge?
3. Has no clear, overarching, life-enhancing aim?
4. Does not respect the brain's need for meaning, order, and organization?
5. Neglects important bodies of knowledge, aspects of life experience, and avenues of
study?
6. Fails to move students smoothly through ever-increasing levels of learning complexity?
7. Does not provide criteria for discerning the importance or ultimate significance of
content?
8. Neglects higher-order thought processes and complex life-performance abilities?
9. Unduly emphasizes symbol manipulation skills over other kinds of competence?
10. Encourages simplistic, one-dimensional, paper-pencil methods of evaluation?
11. Penalizes, rather than capitalizes on, differences among students?
12. Makes unreasonable demands on memory while downplaying interpretation and
application?
13. Ignores deeply significant ethical and moral issues and ways to address them?
14. Assigns students unnaturally passive roles in the learning process?
15. Fails to put specialized content in a broader or holistic perspective?
16. Does not encourage novel, creative thought, problem framing, or problem solving?
17. Is overly dependent on extrinsic motivation, grades and credentialing?
18. Has no built-in self-renewing capability or capacity to evolve as new discoveries
emerge?
19. Neglects the basic knowledge-creating benefits of collaborative exploration and work?
20. Lacks a comprehensive, unifying vocabulary shared by all educators and learners?
. . . when any one of these 20 flaws can undermine the power and spirit of authentic 21st
Century learning? Happily, powerful alternatives to these fundamental flaws exist within
the principles, empowerment strategies, and learning models developed by The New
Possibilities Network, a team of distinguished educators whose international work is
bringing the power and harmony of natural learning and teaching to schools and
communities of all kinds. To learn more about this work, contact Dr. Spady at: 970/262-
1740, or at billspady@earthlink.net
— Marion Brady and William Spady
New Possibilities Network
2008-08-28
INDEX OF OUTRAGES
Pages: 380
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