Subject: Fall 2010 In Review (getting back to the original question)

Posted by Scott Guthrie on 12/25/2010

Message:

Tim Joy asked: "Can we not all sense some urgency about teaching systems? What is the fulcrum we are hoping to lean on that lifts political and educational imagination from "teaching basics" and "high-stakes testing" to "teaching problem solving" and "high-stakes performance"?"

Short answer: “we measure what we care about”, and we do not measure "problem solving" or "high-stakes performance" in the context the K-12 SD list-serve is referring to anywhere in our K-12 educational system. The real question is how we [K-12 SD] get society to measure these outcomes rather than the ones that are currently measured. When put that way, the answer clearly lies in finding and tinkering with leverage points that lie outside the K-12 system. (Hello? Could someone *please* help us design an international test of systems skills? And get it adopted by the OECD Program for International Student Assessment? Great! This will help focus attention on the subject.)

Shorter answer: when all else has failed to solve the problems of a planet with more people on it than it can support at the desired standard of living, those who are left *might* be open to the idea that understanding systems is key to survival and start measuring educational outcomes to that end...or not.

I will spare the list my longer, round-about answer with side trip to rant on education reform.

Scott Guthrie
Portland, Oregon

Follow Ups:

Fall 2010 In Review (getting back to the original question) - Gene Bellinger 12/25/2010 
Fall 2010 In Review (getting back to the original question) - Janice Hansel 12/25/2010
Fall 2010 In Review (getting back to the original question) - Gene Bellinger 12/25/2010
Fall 2010 In Review (getting back to the original question) - Pedro D. Almaguer Prado 12/26/2010
Fall 2010 In Review (getting back to the original question) - Richard Turnock 12/25/2010
Fall 2010 In Review (getting back to the original question) - Della Robinson 12/25/2010
Fall 2010 In Review (getting back to the original question) - Pedro D. Almaguer Prado 12/25/2010 
Fall 2010 In Review (getting back to the original question) - Karl North 12/26/2010
Fall 2010 In Review (getting back to the original question) - Pedro D. Almaguer Prado 12/26/2010
Fall 2010 In Review (getting back to the original question) - Gene Bellinger 12/25/2010
Fall 2010 In Review (getting back to the original question) - Pedro D. Almaguer Prado 12/25/2010
Fall 2010 In Review (getting back to the original question) - Richard Turnock 12/25/2010
Fall 2010 In Review (getting back to the original question) - Pedro D. Almaguer Prado 12/26/2010
Fall 2010 In Review (getting back to the original question) - Tony Phuah 12/26/2010
Fall 2010 In Review (getting back to the original question) - Pedro D. Almaguer Prado 12/25/2010