The Constant in Education

In Well, what if they didn’t? from Educational Discourse, kwhobbes asks,

“In education the constant is…..

Really, what is it? It’s not the students as each one comes to school with their own unique learning style, social background, personality and many other things. It’s not the curricula – they are evergreening – changing and evolving. It’s not the teaching strategies – one size does not fit all. What part of education is not being affected by change? Content? Assessment? What is the constant?”

I believe the constant in education is the thirst for knowledge. People are naturally curious and want to know more. I don’t believe that anyone is born with an “I don’t care” attitude. Over time, many people lose that desire for many reasons. Some may be faced with so many challenges that they feel too frustrated to fight for answers.

Thank goodness for this desire for knowledge or I’m sure that I wouldn’t be living as comfortable as I do. I can’t imagine living in the caveman days or even the Wild West. I’m sure they would see me as a spoiled brat with all these newfangled inventions that surely wouldn’t survive or even last over time.

Over centuries, when there was a need to know something, people found ways to find answers. Depending on the times, the current knowledge was a bridge to future knowledge. This bridge will lead to new ways to find the answers. By searching for answers, we find new ways to help us reach these answers.

Over the past couple of years, my PLN (personal learning network) has helped me learn about great new tools, available resources, and even helped me learn how to use many things. Yet, I need to find out how to use these things in the classroom in order to quench a student’s desire for answers.

So in my mind, I’m glad that content and assessment is always changing and evolving. I’m also glad that our quest for learning about the unknown is a constant in my world. This quest will make us successful in our desire to survive in today’s world. What do you think? What is the constant in education?

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: 'Thirst for Knowledge'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7809479@N08/1632564574