Changing the Status Quo

Scott Wurdinger is a professor of experiential education and leadership studies at Minnesota State University in Mankato. His most recent book is The Power of Project-Based Learning published by Rowman and Littlefield.

Have you ever wondered where the ever expanding layers of bureaucracy are taking us in the field of education? This book challenges us to think carefully about this question. The status quo in education consists of policies, practices, and power structures impacting the way we teach, and prevent students from learning in meaningful and significant ways. Assessment techniques drive our teaching practices resulting in a learning process that students strongly dislike. Technology like PowerPoint presentations and clickers force students to pay attention to lectures, but the end result is the same-memorizing information for exams. It is causing students to become less focused on comprehending what they read. It is also physically changing the way students read focusing on small sound bites on what they believe is necessary to remember for tests. Discriminating against students of color continues to be a prevalent problem as well. Data show that white educators consist of a huge majority often lacking cultural awareness in our classrooms. Reading this book will inspire you to become a courageous educator and implement meaningful changes in your classroom on how to asses your students, what kind and how much technology to use, and how to sensitively treat educators and students of color.

PrefaceAcknowledgmentsIntroductionChapter 1: Courage and the Status QuosStatus QuosAssessmentTechnologyRacial DiscriminationChapter 2: Battling the Assessment Monster: Status Quo OneProblems With Multiple-Choice TestingOpting-outNational Council for Accreditation of Teacher EducationOld and New AssessmentsExperiential Learning and PerformanceLetting Students Take Charge of Their EducationFrom Students to LeadersChapter 3: The Tidal Wave of Technology: Status Quo TwoPros and Cons of TechnologyGeneral Barriers in EducationPowerPoint PresentationsMOOCsHow Technology is Changing UsChapter 4: Stories From the Field: Status Quo Number ThreeHoward FullerDeborah McGriffTony SimmonsDawn ChavousChapter 5: Final ThoughtsPerseverance is the Key to SuccessGet as Much Experience as PossibleListen to Your Gut and Stand Up for What is RightLook for Other AvenuesBuild Meaningful RelationshipsDon't Let the System Hold You DownReferences