Why do we teach...Work in Schools? What is the theory that informs our practice? This simple presentation presents some of reDesign's ideas about the purpose of education, the nature of intelligence, and the mystery of the learning process.

1. “Education is a social process.
Education is growth.
Education is not a preparation for life;
Education is life itself.
2010
--John Dewey

3. Attainment
Finding one’s own path
Strengthening Democracy
Strengthening Democracy
What are you about?
What does your mission statement say about what your purpose is?

4. • How the school’s educational theory aligns
with the school’s mission.
• Research on this educational theory,
demonstrating that it will result in high
academic achievement for the anticipated
student population.
What makes for a coherent theory?

5. • A set of mission-driven, research-based
beliefs about the purpose of education
• Articulation of your beliefs about
Intelligence.
• A mission-driven, research-based theory
about how people learn.
What makes for a coherent theory?

7. Behaviorism Constructivism
• BF Skinner  J. Dewey
 M. Montessori
 S. Papert
Cognitive
Constructivism
 J. Bruner
 J. Piaget Body/Mind Learning
 L. Vygotsky • J. Ratey
• J. Medina
 J. Flavell
• P. Dennison
How do people learn?

8. • Learning is the
acquisition of new
behavior through
conditioning.
• The environment
shapes behavior: it
provides cues that
reinforce behavior.
--B F Skinner

9. Students' experience and insights
are of high value as the
development of their personal
intelligence emerges through
actions and the having of
wonderful ideas. To reach deep
understanding, students need to
start from their own sets of ideas,
be engaged in the subject matter
and make a connection from the
actual problem or subject matter
to what they already understand.
--Eleanor Duckworth, 2006

10. What children can do
with the assistance of
others might be in
some sense even more
indicative of their
mental development
than what they can do
alone.
--Lev Vygotsky

11. The brain was designed to solve problems
related to surviving in an unstable, outdoor
environment, and to do so in near constant
motion…If you wanted to design a learning
environment that was directly opposed to
what the brain was good at doing, you
would design something like a classroom.
--J. Medina, Brain Rules, 2008
Body-Mind Learning

14. General Intelligence (G): 20th Century View
 Gf is fixed…until it
Consists of declines w/ age.
Fluid Intelligence (Gf)  Gc expands w/ age, as
 reasoning, problem-solving, skills & knowledge
abstract thinking, executive expand.
functions, working memory
 connected to movement, 21st Century View
stress & emotion  Gf & Gc are BOTH
mutable
Crystalized Intelligence (Gc)  The brain is always
 acquired skills & knowledge developing.

15. If we believe INTELLIGENCE to be something we have
or don’t have, then we have a
FIXED MINDSET and we will be likely to…
 pursue performance goals
 feel vulnerable
 go for easier tasks
 see the need for effort as lack of
intelligence
 give up to avoid feeling unintelligent
--Carol Dweck, et al

16. If we believe INTELLIGENCE to be malleable, then we
have a
GROWTH MINDSET and we will…
 Pursue Learning Goals
 Be empowered to overcome difficulties
 Be willing to take risks
 Put in more effort
 Learn
 --Carol Dweck, et al

17.  Teach students to think
of brain as a MUSCLE
which strengthens with
use
 Teach students
STRATEGIES for learning
and problem solving
 Discourage labels that
convey intelligence as a
fixed entity
 Praise student’s effort,
strategies, progress,
NOT their intelligence
 Give students
challenging work
--Carol Dweck, et al
What can we do to foster a GROWTH MINDSET?