Education, Adulthood

I just went to an outstanding lecture by Cathy N. Davidson and hosted by the University of Southern California's Visions and Voices program. Her lecture was about the science of attention, and how it transforms and should transform "the way we live, work and learn."

Although many great ideas emerged from this lecture, there were several that really hit me about education.

She asked the crowd about the history of the multiple choice test. Have you ever thought about that? This type of test has just become so classic that most people don't even question its existence.

Anyway, she asserted that the inventor of the multiple choice test actually made it ad hoc to deal with the many immigrants of the early 20th century. The key phrase in that sentence is "ad hoc." This test was only meant to handle the emergency of too many immigrants! The inventor had no idea - and especially no desire - for the test to be adopted by colleges. The inventor, in fact, was horrified that his invention became what it has, and he spent much of the remainder of his life denouncing his creation. Even when he held a prominent position at the head of a university, he advocated getting rid of this test. And unfortunately, he was fired because of this.

The problem with the test is obvious: it tests limited knowledge. It narrows the playing field and eliminates direct application to real life. Of course, it's convenient for testing little things - facts, figures, etc. But for higher education, it's a terrible limitation. These tests are only good for lower-order skills, and lower-order skills are insignificant as students progress through high school, college, and beyond. Ultimately, these tests fail for the journey to adulthood.

Adulthood. That was another part that the speaker made an interesting note about. She explained how, on the last class of a course she once taught, she gave the students a simple task: Write down a few questions you want to ask me (i.e. her) on this last day we have together. Then, she said she was going to leave the room and let the class compare, altogether, what they wrote, because in the end she was only allowing one question. The students had to discuss their ideas, negotiate, and agree on just one question.

When she  returned, she saw that the students had a smirk on their faces. It was evident they had a good question. And when they asked, her breath was taken away:

"How do we become adults?"

Education prepares us so superficially for the real world. So many students know the books and know how to conquer the multiple choices and know how to snag the "A" in class. But what happens when you graduate? What happens when you finally face the real world, the world that our superficial educational system fails to prepare us for?

Now I ask my own question: How could these students come up with such a profound question to ask? The collaboration environment the teacher created by leaving the room and letting the students figure things out was powerful. Anyone can conquer a system; like I said, anyone can grab that "A" in class, or master those multiple questions. But to really learn, we need the interaction that has brought mankind from hunter-gatherer to farmer to scholar to... today.

Collaboration - and the lesser role of the teacher - is a huge idea that education should implement. The traditional establishment of the teacher standing up in front of the class, presumably the master of the subject at hand, while the students sit in rows facing the teacher is a failed concept that should soon be wiped away. It precludes the collaboration that is so essential in the real world and lays the cornerstone for false beliefs that the teacher "knows it all."

Alright. I wrote this post in a rush to let my ideas flow from my mind. Still, I needed to write this because the lecture was really moving. I definitely left out a lot, but I wanted to mention what I have. Before ending this, though, I want to share a few statements that, at least to me, capture key ideas that have changed the way I think. These are phrases that came to mind while listening to this great speaker.

"The multiple choice test should fade away."

"Institutions are difficult to change."

"Remove the teacher and let the students explore."

"Take away the grading and let the real learning begin."

"How do we become adults?"