It’s time for some good news in education. Here is a story that should be going viral, but probably isn’t.
A 16 year old boy recently accomplished an amazing feat. Using his school’s 3-D printer and information he learned from taking two semesters of a course called Fab Lab, he created a prosthetic hand for another local boy.
Ian Bormett of Stoughton, Wisconsin believed that he could create a working prosthetic and deliver it to an eleven year old boy born without a hand. His local public school provided training and access to top notch equipment. He used plans he found online and study hall time to access the 3-D printer. Ian used the skills and knowledge he learned at school to solve a problem and deliver a real world outcome. His work demonstrates critical and creative thinking at its best.
Eleven year old Jonah Friedrich spent two years on a waiting list to get a prosthetic hand. His mother made an adaptation for him by taping an Allen wrench to Jonah’s stub so that he could type. It was a valiant adaptation, but an adaptation that shouldn’t have been needed. We live in a post space- age era where James Bond like tools once thought of as ridiculously high tech are now not only possible, but commonplace. We can carry tiny, powerful computers in our pockets, but as a society, we can’t manage getting a child a much needed prosthesis?
Ian Bormett delivered something of value that the medical community, for whatever reason, was not able to deliver.
We often read about how our schools are failing while news of medical advances get more positive press. Press about education is often focused on Common Core or issues with standardized tests. You don’t have to dig very deep to find another story about how schools are failing.
What is much less common is coverage of the ways schools are working in positive ways to empower students to handle real world work and challenges. Schools are using tools such as maker’s spaces and power hours where students are encouraged and supported in developing ideas and designing projects based on their interests and skills. It is a promising pathway that gets little attention.
We can spend precious school hours forcing students to memorize isolated bits of information and then test them by asking them to regurgitate information. Too much emphasis has been placed on giving students information, often under the guise of “back to basics” or “having high standards.” Standardized tests have been the all important measure of success in schools.
Most educators understand that what we really need to be doing is teaching students how to be critical thinkers. We need to teach them how to access information and apply it. We need to be fostering creativity, a skill that is needed in solving problems. But in today’s climate of high accountability, these important skills are not easily testable. Achievement in critical and creative thinking cannot easily be narrowed down to a grade that can be expressed as a percentage.
Ian Bormett is an example of what can happen when knowledge, skill, problem solving and passion come together. What could happen if we stopped using scores on a test as our measure of achievement? What could happen if we empowered students to use their skills to create new ideas and solve problems in new ways?
Maybe, as a society, we could do better than an Allen wrench and a roll of duct tape.
Maybe we could change lives.
What do you think? Have you seen or experienced a renewed emphasis on critical and creative thinking and application of ideas? If so, we would love to hear about it in the comments below. We would also love it if you could share this post to promote some good news in education!
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