The Experienced Learner: Ariana Friedlander at TEDxFoCo
The speaker argues the traditional educational system, rooted in 1914 industrial needs, is failing students by prioritizing rote memorization over complex skills. She recommends reimagining classrooms around three pillars: the creative process, intrinsic motivation (via challenge, purpose, and autonomy), and meaningful relationships founded on mutual respect. This model was demonstrated through Lincoln Middle School students conducting an energy audit of their building, leading to a $200 savings by running a four-day "lights off" campaign.
## Speakers & Context
- Unnamed speaker presenting at TEDxVOO.
- Addresses the audience, noting they are a "pretty well educated Community."
- Acknowledges the social awkwardness and trauma associated with traditional schooling experiences.
## Theses & Positions
- The current education system is failing children because it is structured around the needs of industrial-age factory workers who needed rudimentary, repetitive skills.
- The foundational principles of the national education system, established in **1914**, remain the same despite today's job market requiring different skills.
- The educational focus must shift from the bottom levels of Bloom's taxonomy (remembering, understanding, applying) to the top levels: **analyze, evaluate, and create**.
- Education should aim to produce "experienced Learners" capable of complex problem-solving, not just students who are "good test takers and get good grades."
- Three pillars define the reimagined classroom: the creative process, intrinsic motivation, and meaningful relationships founded on mutual respect.
## Concepts & Definitions
- **Traditional classroom:** Described by fixed rows facing a central, "autocratic figure" (teacher); using textbooks bound with old brown paper bags.
- **Bloom's taxonomy of learning:** A model of cognitive skills, with the focus needing to shift from the bottom levels (remembering, understanding, applying) to the top (analyze, evaluate, create).
- **Intrinsic motivation:** Encouraging students to learn due to inherent interest rather than external pressure.
- **Service Learning:** A curriculum design where students address "Community issues" by doing real-world work.
## Mechanisms & Processes
- **Learning the foundational skill:** Speaker initially struggled to read; achieved literacy at **8** years old after private tutoring, leading to an early sense of academic difficulty.
- **Workforce analysis:** The primary purpose of the national education system was historically to create workers who could perform "repetitive tasks" and "listen to Authority."
- **Community Issue Investigation:** Lincoln Middle School students investigated uranium mining impacts, leading to a shift in focus toward renewable energy conservation and efficiency.
- **Energy Audit:** Students analyzed energy waste at Lincoln Middle School, resulting in a four-day campaign to turn off lights that saved **$200**.
- **Reimagining the classroom:** Requires embedding the creative process, fostering intrinsic motivation, and building relationships.
## Timeline & Sequence
- **School History:** Speaker describes the physical setting of traditional classrooms.
- **Educational Foundation:** System was founded in **1914**.
- **Energy Audit Timeline:** Students completed the audit and implemented the light-saving campaign at Lincoln Middle School.
## Named Entities
- **Amma moer Hampshire College:** Institution integral to the speaker's development.
- **Lincoln Middle School:** School where the service learning program was implemented.
## Numbers & Data
- Education system foundation year: **1914**.
- Age speaker learned to read: **8**.
- Monetary savings from energy audit: **$200**.
- Duration of light-saving campaign: **four days**.
## Examples & Cases
- **Speaker's reading struggle:** Was initially perceived as a "lost cause" until tutoring allowed her to read independently.
- **English Teacher Criticism:** In ninth grade, an English teacher publicly criticized her writing in front of the entire class.
- **Lincoln Middle School Case Study:**
* The initial community issue was uranium mining.
* Students worked with professionals at uranium mines and anti-mining advocates.
* The root problem was identified as meeting "energy needs as a community."
* Students shifted to learning about Renewables, conservation, and efficiency.
* Students analyzed energy use at Lincoln Middle School, identifying excessive unnecessary lighting.
* The outcome was the four-day light-saving campaign, resulting in a $200 saving.
* Students received credit for the work across **Science, Math, and English**, making it an interdisciplinary experience.
## Tools, Tech & Products
- No specific tools or technologies were listed beyond the generic concept of "textbooks" or "cameras" (implicit in documentation).
## References Cited
- **Seth Goden:** Quoted regarding the stealing of children's dreams.
- **Bloom's taxonomy of learning:** Model cited for educational progression.
## Trade-offs & Alternatives
- **Traditional System vs. Reimagined System:**
* Traditional: Focuses on test scores, repetitive tasks, and compliance.
* Reimagined: Focuses on real-world application, autonomy, and deep critical thinking.
- **External vs. Internal Motivation:** Moving away from "rewards and the punishment of tests and grades" toward inherent drive.
## Counterarguments & Caveats
- None explicitly stated as counterarguments; the structure presents the existing system's flaws as the implicit counterargument to the proposed model.
## Methodology
- **Personal Narrative:** Speaker details personal struggles to build credibility and illustrate systemic flaws.
- **Service Learning Model:** Curriculum design centered on community issues leading to direct, tangible problem-solving (energy audit).
## Conclusions & Recommendations
- **The three pillars to adopt:**
1. **The creative process:** Teaching students to "Envision making something out of nothing" and identifying necessary steps to reach a desired outcome.
2. **Intrinsic motivation:** Fostered through **challenge**, **purpose** (connecting learning to real community issues), and **autonomy** (allowing decision-making power).
3. **Meaningful relationships:** Founded on mutual respect, recognizing students as valuable members, not as "second class citizens."
- **Action Items:**
* Embrace lifelong learning and lead by example (showing that learning happens "in life and in the challenges we face every day").
* Open the schools by "Break[king] Down The Walls" between schools and the community.
* Share the vision to challenge the notion that the traditional classroom is the only way to learn.
## Implications & Consequences
- The goal of education must shift from producing "good test takers" to graduating "experienced Learners."
- The community must step in to provide financial and experiential resources if school funding is insufficient.
## Verbatim Moments
- *"the way the chairs all faced kind of like you are now you know the in rows facing the front of the room with the teacher up front they're kind of like this autocratic figure telling you right from wrong"*
- *"we're stealing kids' dreams"*
- *"we are not adequately preparing them for life and work in the 21st century"*
- *"we are stealing kids dreams"*
- *"Bloom's taxonomy of learning..."*
- *"what we really need is the ability to analyze evaluate and create"*
- *"I'm not just talking about fun arts and crafts I'm talking about actually teaching kids the ability to Envision making something out of nothing"*
- *"get rid of extrinsic motivation get rid of the rewards and the punishment of tests and grades"*
- *"we are not treating our students anymore like second class citizens but we are actually recognizing them as valuable members of our society"*
- *"Break Down The Walls that separate our schools from our community"*
- *"we should not be graduating students that are good test takers and get good grades but to be graduating students that are experienced Learners"*