The Art (& Science) of Great Teaching: Sam Chaltain at TEDxYouth@BFS

Summary

In this inspiring talk, the speaker reflects on the evolution of the teaching profession, highlighting the current challenges and excitement due to rapid changes. Drawing from personal experience, they explore the tension between freedom and structure in education, advocating for a balanced approach that combines the art of teaching with the science of learning. They emphasize the importance of fostering democratic freedom in students, as envisioned by John Dewey, and suggest that the scientific method can serve as a model for educational environments, aiming to equip individuals with the ability to find and fulfill their unique purpose.

Takeaways

• 📚 The speaker began their teaching career in Brooklyn and reflects on the significant changes in the teaching profession over the past 16 years.
• 🌟 The current time is described as the most exciting and challenging to be a teacher due to ongoing massive changes in the field.
• 🤔 The root cause of discomfort in teaching is identified as the re-definition of freedom for both teachers and students, which is causing tension.
• 🏛 The concept of freedom is central to American identity, yet it is complex and can mean different things, such as freedom of conscience or freedom of choice.
• 🔄 There is a historical shift from viewing teaching as an art form with complete freedom to a more structured, science-based profession.
• 📉 The speaker's personal experience highlights the transition from a lack of standards and assessments to a system heavily influenced by certifications and test scores.
• 🧠 Technological advancements, like skin bracelets to measure engagement, indicate a push towards making teaching and learning more observable and measurable.
• 🔄 For students, there's a shift from a structured, tracked system to one that emphasizes individual freedom and differentiated instruction.
• 🏫 The challenge for educators is to balance the art and science of teaching, avoiding extremes of either pure freedom or rigid structure.
• 🌱 John Dewey's perspective on education is cited as a guide, emphasizing the development of self-control and the pursuit of a unique purpose in life as the essence of freedom.
• 🔬 The speaker suggests that the scientific method, as well as principles from ecology and quantum physics, can offer insights into organizing educational environments effectively.

Q & A

What is the main theme discussed by the speaker in the transcript?

The main theme discussed by the speaker is the concept of freedom in the context of teaching and education, and how it is being redefined for both teachers and students in the current educational landscape.

What does the speaker suggest is the root cause of the discomfort felt by teachers?

The speaker suggests that the root cause of the discomfort felt by teachers is the ongoing redefinition of what it means to be free in the teaching profession, which is swinging in opposite directions for teachers and students.

How does the speaker describe the change in the teaching profession from 16 years ago to now?

The speaker describes the change as a shift from complete freedom and pure art to a highly structured and scientific approach, with increased emphasis on certification, standards, and assessment systems.

What is the speaker's view on the current state of public education in the United States?

The speaker views the current state of public education as being in the midst of massive changes, with a focus on bringing teaching practices into the light of day and measuring effectiveness through various means, including technological advancements.

What does the speaker believe is the ideal balance between art and science in teaching?

The speaker believes that the ideal balance lies in finding the art and science of teaching, where teaching is not just an art form but is also informed by scientific methods and data.

How does the speaker relate the concept of freedom to the American identity?

The speaker relates the concept of freedom to the American identity by stating that freedom is at the core of what it means to be an American, with people often gravitating towards the word 'freedom' when asked to describe their American identity.

What are the two concepts of freedom mentioned by the speaker, and how do they differ?

The two concepts of freedom mentioned are the democratic concept of freedom, which is freedom of conscience, and the capitalistic concept of freedom, which is freedom of choice. They differ in that the former is about the right to express oneself, while the latter is about the right to do whatever one wants.

What is the speaker's opinion on the current direction of student freedom in education?

The speaker believes that the pendulum is swinging towards more freedom for students, with reforms like the elimination of tracking and the expectation for teachers to differentiate instruction. However, this also brings challenges for teachers in delivering effective education.

What does the speaker suggest as a model for educational environments to achieve the right balance?

The speaker suggests the scientific method as a model for educational environments, emphasizing the importance of asking questions, conducting research, and adjusting responses based on data and analysis.

How does the speaker interpret John Dewey's view on the purpose of public education?

The speaker interprets John Dewey's view as the purpose of public education being to help people understand what it means to be free, specifically in the context of developing the capacity for self-control and fulfilling one's unique purpose in life.

What does the speaker propose as a way to re-make public schools for the 21st century?

The speaker proposes a balance between art and science, individual freedom and group structure, and a deeper understanding and appreciation of what it means to be free in the democratic context, as a way to re-make public schools for the 21st century.

Outlines

00:00

📚 The Evolution of Teaching: Freedom and Challenge

The speaker begins by expressing excitement and honor in addressing the audience, reflecting on their teaching career which started 16 years ago in Brooklyn. They highlight the significant changes in the teaching profession over the years, suggesting it's currently the most exciting and challenging time due to ongoing massive changes. The speaker identifies the root cause of discomfort in the field as the redefinition of freedom for both teachers and students. They propose that the solution lies in understanding the concept of freedom deeply, which is central to the American identity and the teaching profession. The speaker uses the event's sponsor, the Brooklyn Free School, to emphasize the importance of freedom in education.

05:02

🔄 The Swing of Educational Freedom: Art to Science

The speaker discusses the shift in the teaching profession from an unstructured, art-like freedom to a highly structured, science-based system. They contrast their early teaching experience, which lacked formal certification and standardized assessments, with the current reality where teachers are bound by certifications, standards, and evaluations tied to test scores. The speaker also touches on technological advancements, such as skin bracelets to measure student engagement, and the push towards making teaching observable and measurable. They argue for finding a balance between the art and science of teaching, suggesting that the extreme poles of freedom and structure are problematic and that the challenge is to find the middle ground.

10:02

🌐 Balancing Freedom and Structure in Education

The speaker extends the discussion to students, noting a similar pendulum swing towards more freedom in their educational experience, contrasting the industrial-era model of education they themselves experienced. They mention reforms like 'No Child Left Behind' and the move away from tracking, emphasizing personalized instruction for every student. The speaker calls for a balance between freedom and structure, referencing John Dewey's view on education as a means to understand and exercise self-control in fulfilling one's unique purpose. They argue against the false dichotomy between freedom and structure and propose the scientific method as an ideal educational model, advocating for a broader understanding of data beyond basic skills scores.

🌿 Embracing the Natural Order in Education

In the final paragraph, the speaker looks to the natural world and scientific principles for guidance on organizing educational systems. They discuss fractiles as an example of patterns that appear chaotic but reveal order and beauty upon closer inspection, drawing parallels to the organization of life and schools. The speaker suggests that ecological principles, rather than hierarchical ones, should guide the organization of schools, and that change should be understood through relationships rather than force. They conclude by urging educators to embrace the balance of art and science, individual freedom, and group structure, as a roadmap for remaking public schools in the 21st century, with a call to courage in following this path.

Keywords

💡Freedom

Freedom is a central theme in the video, representing both the opportunity and the challenge for educators and students. It is defined as the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance. In the context of the video, freedom is explored in relation to the American identity and the educational system, where it is seen as a core value but also a source of tension between democratic and capitalistic ideals. The speaker uses the term to discuss the balance needed between freedom of conscience and freedom of choice within the classroom.

💡Teaching profession

The teaching profession is the focus of the speaker's reflection on the changes and challenges faced by educators. It is portrayed as being in a state of flux, moving from an era of perceived freedom and creativity to one of increased structure and accountability. The term is used to highlight the discomfort and excitement of being a teacher in the current educational climate, as well as to discuss the need for a redefinition of what it means to be free in this context.

💡Democratic concept of freedom

The democratic concept of freedom is mentioned as the freedom of conscience, which is the right to express one's thoughts and beliefs. The speaker contrasts this with the capitalistic concept of freedom, suggesting that the democratic version is more aligned with the educational goals of fostering critical thinking and self-expression. It is used to argue for a balance between structure and individual liberty in education.

💡Capitalistic concept of freedom

The capitalistic concept of freedom is defined as the freedom of choice, which implies the right to do whatever one wants. The speaker suggests that this concept has influenced the public education system, potentially leading to a focus on consumer-like choices rather than the development of individual conscience and critical thinking.

💡Educational reform

Educational reform refers to the changes and policies implemented to improve the education system. In the video, the speaker references 'No Child Left Behind' and the elimination of tracking as examples of reform efforts that have increased expectations for teachers to differentiate instruction and adapt to individual student needs, thus impacting the concept of freedom for both teachers and students.

💡Standards

Standards in the video refer to the state and national educational guidelines that teachers are expected to follow in their instruction. The speaker discusses the shift from a lack of awareness of such standards to a situation where teachers are required to align their lessons with these standards, reflecting a move towards a more structured and scientific approach to teaching.

💡Teacher evaluations

Teacher evaluations are the processes used to assess a teacher's effectiveness. The speaker mentions the controversy surrounding the inclusion of test scores in these evaluations, indicating a shift towards a more data-driven and scientific approach to measuring teaching performance, which contrasts with the previously more subjective and art-based evaluations.

💡Student engagement

Student engagement refers to the level of interest and involvement students have in their learning process. The speaker humorously references a skin bracelet developed by the Gates Foundation as an example of the lengths to which educators are going to measure and understand student engagement, reflecting the move towards a more observable and quantifiable approach to education.

💡Scientific method

The scientific method is presented as an ideal model for educational environments by the speaker, who quotes John Dewey. It involves a process of inquiry that includes asking questions, conducting research, and analyzing data. The speaker suggests that this method can help strike a balance between the art and science of teaching, emphasizing the importance of evidence-based practices in education.

💡Fractiles

Fractiles, or fractals, are self-similar patterns that appear chaotic at a distance but reveal intricate order upon closer inspection. The speaker uses fractiles as a metaphor for the complexity and underlying order in education, suggesting that understanding these patterns can inform a more balanced approach to educational freedom and structure.

💡Ecology

Ecology is the study of the relationships between living organisms and their environment. The speaker mentions that biologists would advise organizing educational systems by principles of ecology rather than hierarchy, implying that a more interconnected and balanced approach to education can promote a healthier and more effective learning environment.

Highlights

The speaker began their teaching career in Brooklyn 16 years ago and feels excited to discuss the state of the field.

The current time is the most exciting and challenging for teachers due to massive changes in the profession.

The root cause of discomfort in teaching is identified as a re-definition of what it means to be free for both teachers and students.

Freedom is central to both the root cause and the solution in education, as discussed at the Brooklyn Free School event.

The challenge is understanding what it means to be free, particularly in the context of American identity and values.

There is a dual allegiance to the democratic and capitalistic concepts of freedom, creating a tension in public education.

The speaker's early teaching experience was characterized by complete freedom and a lack of structured standards or assessments.

The pendulum has swung from complete freedom to a highly structured, science-driven approach in teaching.

The Gates Foundation is investing in technology like skin bracelets to measure student engagement, reflecting a shift towards quantifiable data in education.

The speaker argues for a balance between the art and science of teaching, avoiding extremes of either pole.

Students are experiencing a shift towards more freedom, with reforms like 'No Child Left Behind' and the elimination of tracking.

The challenge is ensuring that student freedom is aligned with the democratic concept of freedom, not merely capitalistic choice.

John Dewey's view on the purpose of public education is discussed, emphasizing the development of self-control and understanding one's unique purpose.

Dewey advocated for the scientific method as an ideal model for educational environments, focusing on inquiry and data analysis.

The speaker calls for a re-evaluation of the current use of data in education, suggesting a broader and more meaningful definition.

Natural patterns like fractiles and principles from biology and quantum physics are used as metaphors for organizing education systems.

The speaker concludes by urging a courageous approach to balancing individual freedom with group structure in remaking public schools for the 21st century.

Transcripts

Good morning. How's everybody feeling?

I'm really excited to be here.

I'm honored to be among this particular group of speakers,

and I'm particularly excited

because I began my teaching career just a few blocks from here

at a school in Brooklyn, 16 years ago.

So it's a fitting time to be talking about the state of the field

as it is and as it ought to be,

and in a way I can't imagine the experience of being a teacher

changing more

from when I entered the profession, 16 years ago to now.

In fact I would say, probably right now, it's the most exciting,

most challenging time to be a teacher in our nation's history,

and it's because we are in the midst of some massive changes,

and I think, I have identified the root cause of that discomfort,

whether it's how individual teachers feel in the classroom,

or whether it's something like the teacher strike in Chicago,

and I think I may even have an idea about a way forward,

and that's what I want to share with you today.

It's fitting that I can talk about it

at an event sponsored by the Brooklyn Free School

because I think the word at the centre of both the root cause and the solution

is freedom.

And I think, the challenge is our ongoing effort

to understand really what it means to be free.

Let's think about what that means for a moment.

If you ask most Americans, I think, to sum up

what it means to be an American in a single word,

I think almost overwhelmingly

people would gravitate towards that one word: freedom.

And in a way that makes sense, right?

Because that is the word at the centre of our particular story,

it is who we are on our best days.

There's a reason that the United States

was referred to as the world's first "New Nation":

it was the first place in human history where your standing in the civic order

was not determined by bloodlines and kinship,

but by a fundamental allegiance to principles and ideals,

so that makes sense.

The problem is, it's such a loaded word.

You can start to see how loaded it is,

if you ask a follow-up question of most people,

which is, OK, if freedom is at the core of what it means to be an American,

what does it exist primarily to provide?

Freedom to what?

Freedom from what?

I think when you ask that question, you get a whole range of answers,

and part of the issue is because we have these dual allegiances.

We always have and we always will.

The challenge is that we hold them in creative tension.

We have the allegiance to the democratic concept of freedom,

which is best understood as freedom of conscience,

the right to say what one must say,

and then we have the capitalistic concept of freedom,

which is freedom of choice,

which is the right to do whatever one wants to do.

Which of those two do you think

is more at the centre of our public education system

in the way that it's evolved over the years?

And yet, I think what's actually more at stake in the teaching profession

and why people feel so uncomfortable right now,

is because we are in the midst of re-defining what it means to be free

for both teachers and students,

and those definitions are swinging in opposite directions.

Let me use myself as an example.

When I taught at a school in Brooklyn 16 years ago,

I was not certified,

I had never taken a course in education.

There was no set of standards

that I was conscious of trying to tie my lessons in English and History to.

There was no established assessment system

that I was supposed to plug into, other than the one we all know,

which is grades.

There was no real evaluation system in place other than, occasionally,

somebody would come into my room,

make some notes, and then be like, "You are doing a great job".

In other words, for better or for worse,

I had complete freedom,

and the profession was seen as pure art.

And I think, to some degree,

a lot of us still view that as the good old days.

When you really could just close your door,

do whatever you wanted, there was almost no structure at all

determining what you were supposed to do,

and the way that we thought about teaching

was almost like justice Potter Stewart's famous definition of pornography,

when he said: "You know it when you see it".

There is no way to measure the effectiveness of a teacher.

It is an elusive magic, you either have it or you don't,

and so there's no point in trying to think about a way

to better ensure that more folks can acquire that magic art.

Now, regardless of whether or not that makes sense,

to live in the good old days, what is happening now

is the pendulum is swinging so fast in the opposite direction.

So if in the past,

it was complete freedom and pure art,

now it feels like completely structured and all science.

If I was to re-enter the profession,

you can be sure that I would have to be certified.

You can be sure that I would be aware every day, whether I did it or not,

that I was supposed to be linking my daily work

to state and national standards.

You could be sure that I had a concrete opinion

about whether or not it made sense to revise teacher evaluations

so that test scores were a central part of how my effectiveness was determined.

And in a way, you can see

why it would be so easy to feel like what we are starting to inhabit

in education and the teaching profession is a "brave new world".

Just one example, maybe some of you have heard

of what's going on with the Gates Foundation.

They are investing several hundred thousand dollars

in the development of a certain type of skin bracelet

that measures the level of student engagement

based on the perspiration of the skin.

(Laughter)

We are starting to know a lot more

about the different areas of the brain and how it works,

based on functional magnetic resonance imaging.

There are all these things happening,

that make it seem like a very different place.

If in the past, teaching was this invisible place

that established the foundation of learning, it was the root structure,

you couldn't see it, but you knew that it was having a vital role.

It's almost like the obsession now is to bring everything out of the ground

and into the light of day.

If you can't observe it, and if you can't measure it,

it's not valid.

I'd like to think that we all see the danger of existing at either pole,

and so to me, I understand,

why a lot of my friends in the teaching profession

see what's happening and just want to say,

"You know what? I'm out."

But I think actually the challenge is figuring out

in what way can we get the pendulum to rest in the centre?

In what way can we find the art and the science of teaching?

The problem is, that's not the only thing happening.

So then if we look at students,

the pendulum is swinging in the other direction.

Again I'll use myself as an example.

I'm 42, I graduated from a large public high school in Chicago.

I was tracked into all of my classes, as were all of my other students.

I sat in rows.

I participated in the transmission curriculum

of the industrial era,

and it would never have occurred to me

that the job of the school was to adjust to me.

My job was to adjust to it.

Sound familiar?

Basically, some of us maybe got lucky,

but almost all of us in this room, that was our educational experience.

And so it was completely structured,

there was no freedom in being a student.

Yet now the pendulum is swinging in the other direction.

There's been a perfect storm of reform since I left the classroom.

The first was "No child left behind,"

which introduced high stakes, test-based accountability.

There's the elimination of tracking in more and more places,

including where I went to school, that happened a year ago,

you can imagine the tumult that happened in the community

when we got rid of that.

And there's the expectation

that each teacher will differentiate their instruction

each day, seven hours a day, 180 days a year,

to every child in their classroom.

I think we can agree that it's a good development,

that the pendulum, when it comes to students,

is swinging in the direction of more freedom.

I think we can also see how terrifying that must be as a teacher,

because it makes it a lot harder to deliver

on what we got into the profession to do.

The challenge is the same in both situations:

How do we get that pendulum to rest in the middle?

How do we make sure that more student freedom

isn't misunderstood as merely more choice,

in the capitalistic context, to just do whatever I want to do?

How do we make sure that it rests in the centre

of the democratic concept of freedom?

How do we make sure that we create schools

that are primarily concerned about equipping all people

with a deep understanding of their own unique conscience,

that prepares them to think about how to fulfill their unique purpose?

This is actually what John Dewey said, 100 years ago,

and we have been misunderstanding him ever since.

Dewey said: "The purpose of public education

is helping people understand what it means to be free."

But he had a very specific answer to that question.

And so what Dewey said was: "What it means to be free

is helping young people develop the capacity to exercise self-control

in finding and fulfilling their own, unique purpose in life."

For Dewey, it was the democratic concept of freedom.

And so for all of us, the challenge is:

How do we orient everybody in the school system,

everybody in the larger community,

to a deeper recognition of that as the goal,

and a deeper understanding of how to actually see it through?

And again, I would say, Dewey is our best resource.

Problem is, there's this false dichotomy between freedom and structure,

and between art and science.

We do not have to choose between these two.

In fact, what Dewey said was,

the ideal model for any educational environment:

the scientific method!

This is Dewey, the person that a lot of educators use as their shield,

when they basically employ a system that is all about freedom of choice,

not about freedom of conscience.

But what Dewey said was, the scientific method,

I don't care if it's science or history or an elective,

that's what you focus on, which means asking questions, conducting research,

constructing a hypothesis, gathering information, analyzing the data,

and adjusting our response accordingly.

For those of us that are educators,

the word "data" seems like a dirty word now,

and in a way it should be, because what data really means,

the way we use it now in education, is basic skills, reading and maths scores.

It doesn't mean anything else, but that's not what Dewey meant,

that's not what the scientific method is about.

In fact, the original Latin definition of data is something given.

What would it take in order to make sure

that we were able to restore the original meaning of data

in our approach to improving teaching and learning?

What would it take in order to strike the right balance

between art and science

in how we think about teaching and learning?

And what would happen to our school system,

if it was oriented around a deeper understanding

and appreciation of what it means to be free, in the democratic context?

The good news is,

there are answers to those questions all around us,

but it will require a different way of seeing.

And ironically,

the people who are on the front lines of seeing this way,

are the scientists themselves.

I am sure everybody is familiar with fractiles,

maybe some of you had a cool picture of them

on your college dorm room.

But fractiles are self-similar recursive patterns,

that at a distance would seem like complete chaos,

and if you look closely enough they reveal a beauty, and an order,

and a symmetry like nothing else you've ever seen.

But there's also lots of examples in the natural world.

There are certain ways in which -

the world that we inhabit is organized this way.

In fact, if you were going to take advice from the scientists,

the biologists would be telling us

that life, whether it's an eco-system or a public school system,

is best organized by principles of ecology, not hierarchy.

The quantum physicists would tell us that change,

whether it's a human being or a sub-atomic particle,

is best understood by principles of relationship, not force.

And we, should take heed that freedom, whether it's a teacher or a student,

is best unleashed through simple, shared structures,

not unbounded prairies.

This is the lesson that exists for all of us.

This is what the natural world reminds us of every day.

This is what Dewey was urging us to think about 100 years ago,

and this is our road map forward.

Art and science, individual freedom and group structure.

That will help us re-make public schools for the 21st century,

as long as we are courageous enough to follow it.

Thank you.

(Applause)