It was thought-provoking watching the video Progressive Education in the 1940s. I was shocked by how closely education now still relates to education in the 1940s. You would think nearly a century later that we would be far more advanced in our thinking and educational approach. So much of education is still focused on “strength of memory than understanding.”
In the text People who like this stuff…like this stuff, I began to understand the "why" behind the reason we are not experiencing significant changes in the education field. My first thought was complacency is comfortable. Not changing things gives us the chance to become "super chickens." We excel and know exactly how everything works. We are experts. Moving outside of the box creates uneasiness. It is new and challenging. You are risking failure. Nope, not going to do that!
I looked up the definition of complacency, and it was:
a feeling of calm satisfaction with your own abilities or situation that prevents you from trying harder
So how do we find the happy medium between not making everyone want to run away? Allowing them to be comfortable while disrupting things? I think that is where we will find the key to creating lasting change. We have to build the bridge to get to the other side.
I have found myself in that exact spot the last two weeks after starting these courses. Challenged and a bit uncomfortable, but I am beginning to welcome the change. Interesting!
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