Innovators and the "Makers"

Innovators and the “Makers”

Education "Innovators" http://www.pbs.org/kcet/publicschool/innovators/index.html
The Real "Makers" of Public School http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/historytour/history1.htm


I was so impressed and humbled to read about all the innovators in education. What an inspiration these Americans are trying to make a difference in the lives of children and succeeding. My personal favorite innovator was Deborah Meier. She emphasized active learning. This seems to be the exception these days. I see active learning as hands on learning, throwing away the handouts and getting the kids thinking and doing. She fostered teacher autonomy, gave parents a voice and promoted a family-oriented system. I am with her on being a critic of state-mandated standards and tests. Our new administration has stated that of course we should teach to the test, because the standards we are to cover are what are tested, therefore we should be teaching the standards and to the test. What we should be teaching is how to think, the process not just the facts. We should be fostering the creation of learners and thinkers not just regurgitators of facts.

The “maker” I choose was John D. Rockefeller. I know of him for philanthropy and greatly impressed with all the contributions he has made. However, reading in Gatto’s book about his General Education Board mission, I might have to rethink this. I was shocked to read about “people yield themselves with perfect docility to our molding hands…we will organize children… and teach them to do in a perfect way the things their fathers and mothers are doing in an imperfect way.” (Gatto, 2009, p. 8) This seems to be the direct opposite of philanthropy. I view philanthropy as help others for the greater good, and I don’t see how this is the greater good. It seems they want obedience not thinkers. Unfortunately, the General Education Board may have in fact fulfilled their mission.

Does innovator mean thinker and maker mean subservience?


For more information on John D. Rockefeller visit http://johndrockefeller.org/