According to Marc Tucker, education leaders at the 2nd International Summit on the Teaching Profession are telling a much different narrative of learning than here in the States.
Singapore:
They reminded themselves that what they do in education is for the learner, their needs, their interests, and not simply to cover the content. They said they wanted to help their students achieve understanding of essential concepts and ideas, not just dispense information. They want to prepare their students for the test of life, not just for tests. They said they want to focus on teaching the whole child, on nurturing them holistically across domains, not on the subjects per se. They want to teach their students the values, attitudes and mindsets that will serve them well in life, and not only how to score good grades on exams.
Japan:
…had to overhaul its education system away from rote learning and toward the growth and development of the autonomous individual.
China:
Their priorities are on thinking, problem-solving, preparing Chinese students to live in a highly integrated global environment and cultivating individual talent.
Hong Kong:
[Students] need, as never before, to be “discerning,” to live and work effectively in a state of constant flux. She worried that educators live in a sort of cocoon that will make it hard for them to prepare students for such a world. Part of this worry comes from her belief that it is more important than ever for students in Hong Kong and elsewhere to develop a strong sense of empathy for people in other parts of the world, especially for those who are less fortunate.
Values, mindsets, growth as autonomous individuals, problem solving, discerning consumers of the world, empathy…is any of that on the test?
Seems like the rest of the world might be getting it. Why aren’t we?