This happened a long time ago, but I'm going through my notebook and I want to get these ideas down.
Wagner gave the keynote speech at the Deeper Learning Conference, and it was awesome and challenging. Here are some points that stuck with me. They're out of context, which may make them look glib, but they're worthwhile anyway:
"The world doesn't care how much kids know. What matters is what they can do with what they know.
According to Wagner, skills are "necessary but not sufficient" in the emerging workplace - what's needed is the capacity to innovate.
Wagner's 5 Ways School Limits Creativity (& Innovation)
- Culture of schooling rewards individual achievement, which complicates incentives for collaboration
- School compartmentalizes knowledge and rewards expertise
- School rewards passive consumption
- Penalizes failure and rewards compliance
- Extrinsic reward & punishment
Wagner's three keys to education that encourages creativity
- Play
- Passion
- Purpose
Also, "bring whimsy into every assignment"
And finally - how do we convince students and parents that this is how it should be?
We need to talk to parents about giving kids competitive advantage when they're seeking jobs. When they ask about SAT scores and college, that's what they're really asking.