Last week, I screened a new documentary, “Most Likely to Succeed,” at the Columbus Museum of Art.
This screening was the culmination of several months of book study meetings about the book of the same title by Tony Wagner and Ted Dintersmith. These group discussions were populated by school superintendents, leaders in education and other educators like myself.
Our mission? To discuss how teaching and learning might improve in K12 schools, what the test environment has wrought and what career readiness means in contemporary society. The book emphasized the differences between credentials and competence and challenged the necessity of a college degree along the way. It also stressed the importance of preparing kids for life vs tests and the price we as a society are paying for trying to change the nation’s schools incrementally rather than radically.
It was exciting, stimulating and beautifully put together.
The documentary features the story and approach of one particular school, High Tech High, in San Diego, California.
The school reminded me a lot of our very own Metro School here in Columbus.
Ohio State’s colleges of Arts and Science, Education and Human Ecology, and Engineering contribute to Metro School’s focus on problem-based learning. High Tech High goes even further and has eliminated textbooks and class periods. Instead, they integrate all subjects together.
Often when I meet the author of books like this, I am disappointed. Not so this time! Tony Wagner is as engaging in person as he is in writing. I don’t agree with all his ideas, particularly in terms of colleges of education and teacher prep, but he has some important ideas that we should all pay attention to.
I’d like to consider some of them at the collegiate level as well as in K12. To that end, I will pursue getting that documentary to show here on campus as well.
In the meantime, you might want to take a peek at his book!