Free Topic: Global Achievement Gap

I just want to reiterate how genius Tony Wagner (the author of The Global Achievement Gap) is. I was truly inspired and also worried by his book.

I was inspired by his passion and ideas on how to transform education into a 21st century program. He not only focused on the usual "testing is bad for students" but he went further (demonstrating critical thinking) and presented a set of 7 skills that would be the goals of education. They would create stronger students, employees and citizens of our future generations. I also feel that his concept of teaching as a communal activity is great. His "learning walks" and open-door policy about classrooms is useful because it creates accountability for all teachers. He also focused on motivation and "interest-based learning." I agree with him that our education is outdated and uninteresting to students. Of course they wont be engaged if they are bored and learning information they will never use. We need to give them a hands-on education that they can invest in and make their own.

His book also worries me though. It worries me because I have a greater understanding for how unstable the education profession is. It also makes me a little embarrassed to be entering into such an inefficient and ineffective profession...I am inspired though to make as much of an impact as I personally can. I can only help my personal students in my class and hopefully by raising my expectation and performance-I will inspire a new generation of good teachers (and of course doctors, mathematicians, journalists, etc).

If you haven't read The Global Achievement Gap by Tony Wagner. I strongly encourage you do. This is a man who has had personal experience in teaching and administration and had devoted his life to improving it. I know my summer reading will consist of the rest of the books he has written thus far.