I used to think that I was an out-of-the-box thinker. I used to think that the best way to think outside the box was to get rid of the box entirely, and I boiled these ideas down to one simple equation:
me – the box = very deep and amazingly creative and innovative thinking x 10 (or more)
However, the perception of my grandiosely creative thinking abilities came to a smashing halt when I discovered that many of my ‘original’ ideas had already been thought. Over a hundred years ago. And so I find myself gorging on a huge serving of humble pie as I rethink my views on education and how it relates to teaching. I’ve also come to realize that maybe the box isn’t such a bad place to be after all. Without the box our brains would be floating in some sort of neurological soup bordering closer to insanity than inspiration. The box grounds us to reality. It’s what we do inside the box that matters.
The mechanism that brought on this change of perspective was an article called “Dewey’s Perspectives on Social Individual and Democratic Education” by Francis A. Samuel. It was in reading this article that I realized that many of my (very out of the box) ideas regarding educational reform have already been thought – in this case by John Dewey who was born in 1859. Here are some of the main points I pulled from the article:
- Experience is central to a student’s learning. Dewey said, “An ounce of experience is better than a ton of theory simply because it is only in experience that any theory has vital and verifiable significance” (p.10).
- Learning must connect to real life.
- The current model of education encourages conformity and suppresses “spontaneity, originality, and creativity” (p. 11).
- “[Dewey’s] concept of curriculum was flexible and open. It was adjustable to the needs of the individual” (p.10)
- Learning must be individualized and done within the context of community (p.9).
Every single one of these ideas is being talked about with regard to 21st century learning. Experiential learning, differentiated learning, authentic learning, learning in community – it’s all there. So here is my question: if these ideas have been around for such a long time, why is it that so little has changed on a fundamental, systematic level in the way that education is delivered? There is no doubt that we are moving forward…but we’ve had over a hundred years to work on this. Perhaps it’s time to go back to the box and look at some of the thought that has been patiently waiting to be put to use. Perhaps it’s time for me to dig a little deeper into the past to see what’s there before building my own theories for educational reform – not realizing that the foundation I’m building on has already been set.
I’ve come to realize that there is a wealth of good thought in the box. As an educator, I need to learn how to creatively think about these tried and true ideas and apply them in a 21st century way.
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April 25, 2011 at 5:13 am
Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach
I guess the question for me is — when does it become a boxed idea? If the ideas surface but are never implemented or never reach the tipping point is it fair to say it is an idea that lives in the box?
Also, the ideas that Dewey produced need your creativity to extend them into what we know now. If what we know now hasn’t changed since the 40s when Dewey was writing then that is a different problem.
May 21, 2011 at 9:12 pm
Altitude
Thanks for your thoughts and questions! From my perspective, all ideas are inherently boxed because they come from people and everyone has certain presuppositions, beliefs and worldviews that shape his/her thoughts. This is not to say that our perspectives can’t be changed, only that there will always be certain parameters that we think within. It is pedagogically important for teachers to push against these parameters and try to expand their thinking in order to stay relevant within an educationally changing landscape. Personally, one of the biggest ways that I expand my thinking is by talking with other forward thinking educators who challenge what I do and encourage me to go deeper in my practice and in my understanding of education.
As for Dewey – I’m still working on incorporating and understanding how his ideas fit into my classroom. Although his ideas are not new, they require creativity and perhaps a paradigm shift to see them implemented within the classroom. I would like to think I’m moving closer to seeing them fulfilled in how and what I’m teaching.
May 22, 2011 at 6:49 am
Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach
This speaks to me. I ask myself now– are ideas just ideas and I determine whether they are in the box or not?
I appreciate your thinking. You cause me to think.
February 3, 2015 at 10:29 pm
Klein
I wonder if I paint like you write… with intention, amazingly creative and highly innovative x 10 🙂
February 3, 2015 at 10:53 pm
Altitude
Thanks for your kind words. I don’t you have anything to worry about when it comes to creativity and innovation!
September 16, 2015 at 8:22 am
clare
I’m looking for images to illustrate an article on ‘Living with Contradictory Convictions’. I love your image at the top of this article and wondered if you could give me the rights to use it – or let me know where I could source it?
Many thanks
September 16, 2015 at 10:18 am
Altitude
hi Clare, I don’t actually own this picture or any rights to it. When I used it I couldn’t find who the owner is so I just used it. I’d love to read your article when you’re finished!
September 17, 2015 at 8:10 am
clare
aww no worries, thanks for getting back