If our goal is academic achievement, what is our aim?
In her New York Times piece “Playing to Learn” Susan Engel writes:
… educators should remember a basic precept of modern developmental science: developmental precursors don’t always resemble the skill to which they are leading. For example, saying the alphabet does not particularly help children learn to read. But having extended and complex conversations during toddlerhood does. Simply put, what children need to do in elementary school is not to cram for high school or college, but to develop ways of thinking and behaving that will lead to valuable knowledge and skills later on.
What does a school look like when it gets this right? Here is an example: Continue reading