The Trouble with College
By Wendy Calise
Last week on Thursday and Friday, 12 of our CMS faculty and
staff attended the National Association of Independent Schools' Annual
Conference. As is always the case, it was a star-studded cast, and I could go
on for pages about all that we learned.
But I want instead to focus on one particular presentation that
made a strong impression on me: Panel
of the Future of Education.
The panelists were the Chancellor of the
University of Denver; the President of York College of Pennsylvania; a
political philosopher who was formerly the President of both Wellesley and
Duke; and the President of Southern New Hampshire University (the largest
provided or online higher education in New England). It was a powerhouse of
knowledge, and they shared with us their predictions for the future of the
university experience, and the current challenges they face.
Here are some takeaways:
- Higher Education is experiencing a classic industry
disruption that so many other industries have experienced.
- The Internet has "democratized" access to
knowledge.
- College as we know it now - a four-year boarding
experience with live classes focused on the acquisition of academic content -
will not look the same in ten years.
- Options that make a college degree more accessible and
more affordable for vastly more people are already in the works.
- Colleges are moving away from ACT and SAT scores as a
place to start determining who they should consider accepting. It is not
yielding the kind of students they want.
- College admission officers are less impressed with
extra-curriculars than they are with students who have held a job.
This all seems like pretty good news. No one is predicting
that the four-year on-campus experience will disappear completely, but rather
there will be vast options of on campus, online, and a blend of both available.
Some news that was not so good:
Residential colleges are greatly challenged with the
current students they are seeing:
They do not prioritize their time
They don't understand how to live
in community
They do not persevere when things
get tough
They lack a general life maturity
They are unprepared for
independence
They do not know how to write
They don't ask questions to help
themselves
They are unprepared to make
choices
They are not very able to figure
things out
They don't seem to know
themselves
And finally
They do not seem to understand
that they have an individual, personal responsibility to build their college
educational experience.
These four panelists indicated that they are less concerned
about a student's ability to qualify for college acceptance and far more
concerned with a student's ability to graduate.
Although it was discouraging to hear this consensus from
these college leaders, it was deeply affirming that we are on the right track
as Montessori educators who share a common understanding of the nature of the
child.
Here are some things we know about a Montessori education:
In a Montessori
Adolescent Program the Middle School students’ strong need to understand
the adult world is addressed. Through managing micro-businesses as well as
taking advantage of learning opportunities in the wider community, Montessori
students will come to understand the basic foundation of how an economy
functions, how to manage money, how to direct others and take direction, how to
take initiative, collaborate and persevere, and how to get a job done.
Lessons in the Elementary
Montessori Classes are always given in small groups giving each student
ample opportunity to express interests, ask questions, and make meaningful
contributions, thus developing a sense of educational responsibility. Children
in these classes play a part in what they learn which leads to much greater
engagement in school and academics.
Mixed age PreK/K Montessori Classes create an
ideal environment for children to engage in academic pursuits as well as learn
the critical skills of collaboration, problem solving, and creative thinking.
Because they are encouraged to work independently, they build a strong sense of
themselves and their enormous capabilities.
Toddlers in a Montessori Toddler
Community become responsible by participating in tasks that make a real
contribution to the class community, including baking a fresh snack each day to
share with friends. They become resourceful by learning how to play together,
how to gather in a group, how to get a turn, how to give a turn. Teachers
carefully balance modeling and offering help with allowing toddlers to make
their own choices and experience the results.
