Creating Natural Habitats in Education

Lately the same message keeps coming at me from different directions and I think it all boils down to which school of thought we subscribe to: do we design lessons based on the curriculum and assume that students will (or should) adapt or do we design lessons that fit our students' individual needs in a way that will create an environment in which they will flourish?

It all began while I was reading George Couros' book, The Innovator's Mindset in which he succinctly and explicitly sends the message that teaching is not about the teachers. It's not even about teaching...it's all about the learning. For some of us that is/will be a powerful paradigm shift. It's not all about me (Sorry Toby Keith). It's all about the students. And not only are students different today than in the past, the environment and tools are drastically different.

I am sure you would all agree with this statement: "Kids walk into schools full of wonder and questions, yet we often ask them to hold their questions for later so we can "get through" the curriculum," (Couros, 4). And that is just one of his many statements that express that our focus is not where it needs to be. We can and do need to change.

As I was processing this and reading George's book, I came across the following statement in the book, The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman and caused a powerful connection in my brain...neurons began to fire. Let me set the context. Zoo Directors had two main schools of thought when it came to how to keep exotic animals.

One believed in creating natural habitats, the landscape and climate each animal would find in its homeland. The zealous proponents of this view were Professor Ludwig Heck of the Berlin Zoo and his older son, Lutz Heck. The opposing view held that, left to their own devices, exotic animals would adapt to a new environment, regardless of where the zoo was located. The leader of this opposing camp was Professor Lutz's younger son, Heinz, director of the Munich Zoo. Influenced by the Hecks, the Warsaw Zoo was designed to help animals acclimatize, and it also provided inviting habitats. It was the first Polish zoo that didn't cramp animals into small cages; instead, Jan tried to fit each enclosure to the animal, and as much as possible reproduce how it would live in the wild. 

So, basically even in the zoo world there is debate about doing what is easiest for the zookeepers and makes it easier for visitors to see the animals versus doing what is best for the animals.

Which camp do you subscribe to? It is best to put the animals in enclosures of our choosing and assuming they will adapt or putting them in an environment that best suits their needs?

In relation to our students: Do we continue to teach the same curriculum day in and day out with the ideology that, "left to their own devices" our students will adapt or do we look at our students and try to fit the student to the curriculum and as much as possible reproduce how they (each one individually) naturally learn?

I believe and my belief has been validated as I have read George's book that it is time to begin creating habitats, or learning environments that best fit our students. And on that same note, building level and system level administrators need to be willing to do the same. I dare say there are things we as leaders are asking our teachers to do that are best suited to meet our needs rather than fitting their needs. If we want them to consider their students first, then we need to be willing and receptive to considering their needs first.