In Tony Wagner’s book Creating Innovators, he argues that play, passion and purpose are at the center of developing innovators.  His research identified that when young people are allowed to play, are given opportunities to pursue their passions and are given work that has a purpose bigger than themselves, they find meaning, experience success and are highly motivated.  As I read his book, I found myself constantly struggling with the school structure.  In a traditional public school, there are so few opportunities to do any of these things.

In my last post, I reflected on what is was like to go to a professional learning experience that was fun rather than drudgery; where play was the focus. The learning was more meaningful.  I would argue that we probably learned more information; we made more connections; we constructed more meaning on our own, so it will stick more solidly.  Wagner writes a lot about how parents of innovators didn’t fill up their children’s time with activities but rather allowed them to have free time to fill up in their own ways.  This time to play, be bored, and find ways out of boredom actually builds innovation skills and creativity.  In school, we block out time for both teachers and students in the same way that some parents allocate all their children’s time to activity.

This time to explore also allows people to find their passions and without it, people may never find anything they really care about.  In school, we fill up student learning time with all the subjects that we deem important.  They are subjects that we are passionate about.  What would school look like if students chose the course subjects? What if teachers and students collaborated on the important subjects necessary for them to attain their goals.  Wagner shared several interviews where parents, mentors or teachers said that we do not trust young people nearly enough to know what is best for them.  Sometimes they know the best path for themselves even though we may not agree with it.  We need to trust them to make their own mistakes and it’s okay for them to do that.  It is part of their path of learning.  We might be a little arrogant thinking our way is the best way.

The area that I was feeling the most hypocritical about was purpose.  I mean really, how much of what we are requiring students to learn really has a purpose either for them personally or their future realities?  There is certainly little purpose bigger than themselves for most units and lessons in a traditional school setting.  Students are not solving real problems.  They are not providing important services to others.  If they are doing these things, like fulfilling a community service requirement, they are not doing it out of an intrinsic desire.   Many of these contrived experiences are good for students and they probably learn something but we can do better than just provide students with contrived experiences that they may or may not benefit from.  We are not doing enough by simply forcing students to do things they don’t see any purpose in.  I get the argument that they don’t know what they don’t know but when they ask, “when am I ever going to use this?”, we should be taking them more seriously.  This is a valid question.  We don’t know the answer because we weren’t taught it either, but we have a responsibility consider this question rather than to blow it off as a frivolous.  Maybe it isn’t important? People are learning to teach in more purposeful ways but it is a learning curve.  As teachers we need to acknowledge this and learn how to do it by taking risks, trying new things and making lots of mistakes.

Next time a student asks you when they will ever use this and you don’t know the answer, tell them to do a little research to find out.  Even better, sit down with them and look together.