Last year I ended my 26th school year with a post – 26 Years, 26 Teachers, 26 Lessons – it was one of my most enjoyable posts to write.
This year, I am wrapping up in a similar way at the end of year 27, reflecting on 27 ways school is better now that when I started teaching in 1996. In no particular order, here are my collection of thoughts:
We teach the truth about Indigenous Peoples in Canada – I have written previously about this several times (like HERE). I started my career as a Social Studies teacher and never taught about Residential Schools and gave an extremely limited view of Indigenous people in Canada. Following the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report, schools have taken a lead in changing what Canadians know about the history of our land.
World history is not just about Europe – History was code really for European History. The extent to which places outside Europe and North America were covered in courses was only how they interacted with these places. This has shifted and world history now really is about the entire world.
Students have more choices in their learning – It is not just the number of courses that have increased, with the growth of online learning students can assemble a program from a variety of places. Students can take some courses in their local school, maybe a special program at a different district high school and then an online course from another district in the summer. The student is in charge of their program.
Learning has moved from only being about facts – Facts still matter but courses are no longer about the memorization of facts. The internet means we all have ongoing access to facts (and some non-facts), but this allows schools to focus on higher level thinking and asking questions that use these facts and how to apply them.
Students can bring a computer to school – In 1996 it would have been a thirty-pound desktop I was bringing from home if I brought my computer to school. We have moved from computers in special rooms to access for all, and in most cases, students being able to just connect-in with their personal device(s). It was only a decade ago that many were still debating whether computers should be allowed to be brought in – we move quicker than we realize sometimes.
More students are graduating – I feel like this is one of those inconvenient truths for modern school haters. The people who think everything used to be better. Well, graduation rates are better than in the 1990’s – actually much better. And yes, we still have work to do, particularly with marginalized groups of students, but the trend has been positive this century.
Early learning is connected to K-12 – We know how important the 0-5 ages are for children – the time before they enter the K-12 system. And we have gotten far better at integrating the experiences together. It is during my time that kindergarten has gone from a half-day to full-day, and preschools are now often run by schools or in partnership with schools. In British Columbia, it is now all one Ministry with early learning and K-12 being completely connected.
Society compares schools less based on exams – When I started, exam mark comparisons made front page news. I wrote numerous times (HERE) on the concerns of over relying on exam marks to make blanket statements about schools. Now, when think tanks share their school rankings, they rarely register a mention. The broader population has joined those in the inner circle of education in recognizing the limitations of these kinds of rankings.
Schools are better connected to outdoors – Students learning outside is wonderful. It provides a hands-on experiential learning experience. There are examples of classes and schools that are dedicating substantial portions of time each week to learning outdoors. In an era of greater focus on physical and mental well-being, outdoor learning is a crucial part of the answer. And with the increased attention to environmental stewardship that our young people are leading – this also connected well.
Schooling is more accessible to all – Do we still have work to do around making schools welcoming places for all learners? Absolutely. But this does not diminish the work that has been done over the last couple of decades. All learners are more regularly integrated into all programs and supported for their diverse needs. And not just with learning, our buildings are more accessible as well. This work will never be over, but we have made tremendous progress to live up to the belief that our schools are for all learners.
Summer School is vastly different – Summer school was a punishment when I started teaching. “We” (and I was part of the group) would use the threat of summer school as a way to help keep those close to the passing line on task over the last couple of months of the school year. Summer Learning is now a chance to move ahead with advanced credit, preview courses and take courses to reinforce learning – and it is a K-12 experience not just focused on high schools needing to pass a course they failed during the year.
Overhead projectors have disappeared – For those who went to school, even through the early part of this century, you will remember classes where teachers would have notes on the overhead, and you would copy them into your books. The teacher would slowly scroll the transparency roll forward. I know in West Vancouver the last overhead was retired about a decade ago. And on the topic of retired technologies, one sees very few scantron machines in schools anymore as well.
Cursive teaching has faded out – I know this topic is a reason to fight for some. Few topics in education have people pick sides more than “Should we teach cursive writing?” I would say the obsession that some had with students needing to be able to write in cursive disappearing is a good thing. Sure, I am open to the argument that cursive is good for connecting ideas with the brain, and it is useful to be able to read since there is so much history in cursive – but I am glad few romanticize its value as much as they once did. I blogged about it HERE more than 12 years ago!
Schools work better with the post-secondary system – It often seemed universities viewed K-12 as their sorting system. The K-12 system would produce grades and administer exams that universities would use to determine admissions. And while this function still happens, there are much stronger bonds now. There are many places where students can begin to earn post-secondary credit or credentials during their high school experience. In recent years as demand has plateaued for post-secondary education, we see a greater reach out and desire for relationships with the K-12 system.
Schools have welcomed LGBTQ+ community – I am definitely concerned with some the horribleness that Pride activities have faced locally and globally this year. But what a difference in how we see the topic than when I first started teaching. From the books we have in our libraries (I remember the fights over even having books with non-traditional families) to the clubs that support gay and lesbian students, to just the openness in schools, schools and the school system are leading the way as society shifts. And no change is linear (as we are seeing) but that does not diminish how much more inclusive we are now than 27 years ago.
Professional development for staff is more diverse – I think of the Henry Ford quote, “a customer can have a car painted any colour he wants as long as it’s black.” This is a bit what professional development was like for staff. Staff could do any pro-d as long as it was the pro-d that was offered at their school on the prescribed days. And of course, much of this was excellent but there is far more choice now. The internet, and more recently the growth in video conferencing means that staff can find learning opportunities that meet their specific needs and curiosities.
Parent – School connections have modernized – On 3 dates during the year, a paper report card will be sent home in your child’s backpack and in addition there will be two chances for a 15-minute conversation with the teachers to check-in on your child’s progress. With technological changes, teachers now often have virtual portfolio spaces for students, and tools like Google Classroom allow families to look-in on what is going on in the classroom. And the COVID growth of video calling has led to another way that parents and teachers can connect.
Sports are more inclusive – In some ways the competitive sports model that has been alive for generations still exists. It has evolved. First, we offer a range of sports that caters to a more diverse population. The best example in recent years is the growth of ultimate – a sport which typically connects a different group of athletes to school competition than volleyball, football, or basketball. In individual sports, it is also more likely one will see students with physical or cognitive challenges part of the main competitions and not a “special” event held at another time. And how coaches treat athletes has changed. More than ever, coaching is an extension of the classroom and teaching and the values are expected to be consistent in class and on the field.
Greater emphasis on STEAM – Science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics all integrated together helps to promote critical thinking and problem solving. And we have moved away from seeing these as siloed disciplines and more as being interconnected. While interdisciplinary learning is not new, greater efforts have been made, particularly in high school. STEAM also usually leads to more hands-on and real-world learning opportunities for students.
Increased awareness and compassion for mental health – Mental health learning has been embedded into regular health teaching and there has been a dramatic change in reducing the stigma that was traditionally attached to mental health issues. The push in social-emotional learning from the early years is part of a commitment to early intervention. In addition, staff have been better trained to identify issues and support students and families and community resources have been brought in to be part of the conversation.
Global connections – Digital tools allow students to connect with others anywhere around the world, and many are taking advantage of this. It is great to have a debate in your classroom at school, but it is a different kind of experience if you can do it with students somewhere else in the world. As I originally wrote in 2006, (HERE) there are so many tools being used in classrooms to connect learners beyond their own schools.
Learning is more personalized – Personalized learning has been one of the most used, and overused phrases in schools this century. In 2010, I blogged What is personalized learning? and then again in 2014 with Coming Back to Personalized Learning – where I argued that personalized learning is about giving students more control – more choice – over what they’re learning, how they’re learning it, even when they’re learning… so students feel it’s more theirs. And we have met this challenge in classrooms, as students feel far more in control of their own learning now.
Project-based and real-world learning – There has been a great investment by teachers and schools in authentic learning experiences. The types of experiences where students might be in an entrepreneurship class and create a product that they take to market, and not just one they write about hypothetically. Or it might be in a social studies class where students work in teams to solve an environmental crisis our world is facing. We still have tests, but the range of ways we let students learn and display their learning has really expanded. Students through this are able to develop the skills so many argue are crucial for our world like critical thinking, collaboration, and creativity.
Evolution of libraries – Nobody is checking out encyclopedias, but that does not mean that libraries have lost their relevance. The move to the learning commons has made school libraries less about books and more about connections. I have written about libraries numerous times, including this past fall – Library Reinvention. In that post I argued that the reinvention has been around space, technology and equity, diversity, and inclusivity.
Expanded curricular and extra-curricular offerings – One of the most common comments I hear from high school parents is that they wish the course options that exist today would have been available when they went to school. Technology has helped this. The growth of online courses means that even if a course cannot be offered at a local school, it can still be available virtually. And the range of courses that are approved as part of the graduation program has also increased. And then outside the classroom, there has never been a more diverse range of clubs available for students.
Social-emotional learning – Linked to the work in mental health, social-emotional learning has promoted students understanding and managing emotions, establishing positive relationships, showing empathy, making responsible decisions, and effectively navigating social interactions. It is embedded through the school system. We have come to almost universally understand that strong social-emotional skills will support academics and benefit mental health and motivation.
More application, fewer facts – What are we learning this year? Here is the textbook. I know this is never really how most classes operated, but the internet has opened up so many more resources for students to freely access. Schools were about facts because content was scarce. Now that content is abundant so much of time in classes can be about making sense of the content. The relationship with materials has changed and made content far easier to be accessed by everyone.
How about you, what would be on your list of ways school is better now than when you started or maybe when you went to school?
Happy summer everyone. Thanks for another momentous year. It is time to step away a bit, so I will likely not be writing as regularly until the fall.
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