Jim Warford

I’m not sure I know exactly what schools will look like in the future. But I’ve been to Paul Andersen’s science classroom in Bozeman, Montana and think I’ve seen a piece of what’s possible. Paul is flipping his classes and says he’s still learning, trying to understand how to use technology to keep teaching human and personal.  But Paul also told me he knows real learning happens because of the human relationships.

I’m convinced the future is not a choice between a teacher or a computer, but rather a teacher facilitating learning in new ways by allowing every student access to technology. Look to places like Paul’s classroom. Find places where people are asking these kind of questions. That’s where the future will be invented.

Today’s students are “wired differently” from previous generations. We must understand what this means for our classrooms if we want all students to have the necessary skills and knowledge needed to succeed in this changing world. This challenge has become the focus of my work.

Hard drives are cheap! No business I know of is hiring anyone to memorize and store information in their brain. Yet that remains the dominant learning activity in our schools. The Common Core is a conscious strategy designed to change the instructional delivery in our classrooms by focusing on teaching critical thinking, problem-solving, collaborative learning, and improving technological literacy.

Just a few years ago, the thought of using a mobile phone or PDA as a teaching tool in schools seemed radical. In most schools students are still prohibited from using phones/devices in classrooms, or required to have them off during school hours. The schools of the future will be very different. One day, you will hear teachers say, “Class, turn on your phones or devices. It’s time to work.”