Paradigm Shift

I started reading Doug Lemov's new book on deep practice (and learning how to practice) and it really did strike me how different learning in the classroom is from other, deep-practice based, myelin-building, activities.

I recently heard a respected co-worker of mine say, "Well, yeah, I let them retake a test. But only if they failed it. And then I cap it at a C. It's not fair to give them an A when another kid got an A the first time." My other co-workers nodded knowingly. I said nothing. My mind was too blown. In what other world would we say that? In what other world would we compare one student's success and rate of learning to another?

Let's say we were talking about music instead.
Student A, let's call her Ava. Ava's mom is a pianist. While Ava hasn't had a formal lesson, she's watched her mom play. She's mimicked her on her toy keyboard, and has picked up reading a little bit of music the same way she's picked up reading a book.

When she gets her first lesson, she flies. "A+!" her teacher says. Wonderful. You are going to be the opening act at the recital. Look at how hard you worked. Look at how good you are.

Now, let's look at student B. Bella is about to have her first formal music lesson, too. She has no experience, no musicians live in her home-- though music is very prevalent-- and she's never touched a piano before. She is very excited to begin and desperately wants to play Fur Elise, a song her stuffed dog plays to her when she winds it up.

When she first touches the keyboard, her teacher cringes. Her posture is terrible! Her hands are not delicately placed! She can't read music! She can't even find Middle C! She's a mess. And she's learning slowly. After a week, she can barely play "Hot Cross Buns."  After a year, she can play Fur Elise.

But when the recital comes up, her teacher tells her no-- you can't play that. You are only able to play Hot Cross Buns. Because that is where you are.

Would we ever do that?!
No. The idea is absurd.

You can put the analogy in terms of sports too. A student starts off with terrible form and no basic skills. But she works really hard and grows enormously. But you tell her, well, you can't start the game. You can't compete. You are on the bench. Because of your performance three weeks ago. It doesn't matter that you can shoot a free throw like a pro NOW. It doesn't matter that you can dribble like a maniac NOW. You are too late. You should have learned it as fast as that other kid.

How do we expect students to be motivated or to care or to pay attention to their growth if we don't acknowledge them when they DO grow? How can we say we "differentiate" if at heart, we believe that all kids should be growing and learning at the same rate, and with the same experiences WE give them? How can we be so culturally incompetent that we don't realize all students come with different experiences and opportunities that directly impact their intrinsic motivation, their background knowledge, and their rate of learning?

At heart, I know these teachers can't help the way they think. It is a mindset that has been ingrained in the culture for way too long. But at the heart of it lies the belief that all students are the same-- should learn at the same rate, should grow the same. At the heart lies the belief that if a student ISN'T achieving, it is his or her own fault. He or she should have stayed in for recess. Stayed in after school. He or she should have participated more, (talked to friends less), watched over their homework, (but not their little brothers and sisters)....

Why are we blaming the victim? Why aren't we meeting the kids at their level and taking baby steps to motivate them? Why aren't we saying, you know what? When you know it, and you can PROVE IT... you get the grade?

Sure, there's a certain amount of "responsibility" that has to be worked in-- we can't just give endless opportunities for everything, or kids wouldn't be motivated at all. Whatever. I'll just do it later. Until it all piles up. But that can very, very easily be remedied.

All I'm saying is this-- there needs to be a paradigm shift in the way we, as a whole, as educators who fight the achievement gap no matter where we are, think.

We can no longer afford to just sit back and blame them, cap their growth, and just expect them to just come in being perfect students. We need to show them how, and celebrate them when, at long last,  they succeed.