In The Classroom, Differences Can Become Assets
Author, speaker and education expert Sir Ken Robinson argues that today’s education system is anachronistic and needs to be rethought. Robinson notes that our current model, shaped by the industrial revolution, reveals a “production line” approach: for example, we group kids by “date of manufacture”, instruct them “by batches”, and subject them all to standardized tests. Yet, we often miss the most fundamental questions – for example, Robinson asks, “Why is age the most important thing kids have in common?”
In spite of the various theories about the stages of cognitive development (Piaget, etc.), it is difficult to decide how to group children. Academically and linguistically diverse classrooms have become a prevalent phenomenon in the U.S. and other parts of the world, posing important challenges for educators whose mission is to support
