My encounter with Tony Wagner's ideas...

I'm back from vacation! It was a great time to rest and catch up on my reading. The number one book was "The Global Achievement Gap" by Tony Wagner. As I mentioned in one of the posts before, he is a serious about education. There is so much information to share but I'll list the 7 skills he lists in his book as needed by every student to succeed in the twenty-first century.

1- Critical thinking and problem solving;
2- Collaboration across networks and leading by influence (versus leading by authority);
3- Agility and adaptability;
4- Initiative and entrepreneurialism;
5- Effective oral and written communication;
6- Accessing and analysing information;
7- Curiosity and imagination.

Most of the skills are not a surprise to me, but what caught my attention was the last one. Many people believe that creativity is a talent that people are born with and cannot be developed. Yes, creativity can be developed and can be taught. Also, this skill is not needed in all profession. However, with globalization and economy issues, finding creative ways to solve a problem or improve a system is very appreciated by the leaders of companies.

What are we doing in our classroom or at home with our children to developed their creativity?

Food for thougths! Important to remember...

In dealing with children, sometimes we forget that all behavior comes from the child's need in communicating something to adults. John Snyder, in his article "Talking with parents on the periphery," quotes Sandy Blackard saying:

"All behavior-even dysfunctional ones-are ultimately driven by healthy needs. Recognizing the need allows us to see and ally ourselves with the good in children, regardless of their behavior."  

We need to talk!

I've just begun reading the book "The Global Achievement Gap" by Tony Wagner. The book discusses education in a very deep way. What caught my attention was the fact that the author was a high school teacher and his educational views are from a teacher who gets students that have spent years in school but are without the skills they need to become well-prepared professionals and citizens.
Since I'm in early childhood education, I work hard on helping my little ones to develop basic skills such as eye-hand coordination, reading and writing. I help them to begin their journey through life with ideas on conflict-resolution and critical thinking skills. And considering the educational system in the USA, I just hope that the following years of my children's education will complete the job I've started. Wagner's description of what he's experienced in his years as an educator is amanzingly shocking. The skills that might have been developed by the time a student finishes high shcool are not even close to prepare him for a career and life in society. It is clear that between kindergarten and high school, the school system has failed students. 
The reasons for that failure are many. 
During this month, I'll try to discuss some of them. 
I believe awareness of the real problems is the beginning for real changes in the educational system.
We need to talk!