YETMO

”New Approach Can Complement Learning"

For 150 years, American education has functioned in a remarkably similar manner. Teachers lecture. Students sit. Teachers test. Are we ready for something different? I call it the Complementarian approach.

Public education is so new as to be merely a blip on the screen of time. For centuries, only religious or civil leaders, or the elite, were recipients of formal education. We, in the United States, of course, believe that universal education is the foundation for a democratic society.

Many detractors remind us of the system's failings and call for one type of reform or another, demanding better teachers, better students, better results, etc. Phrases like "the problem with society is that education is failing" become commonplace.

Before anyone can design a break the mold schooling approach which students, school officials, and citizens can embrace, we must agree on what's the purpose of education. As far as Complementarian education is concerned, the objective is to convey social and academic knowledges and skills necessary to perpetuate and/or improve society.

Much has been written by philosophers and educators about how societies should be structured and function. Plato and Rousseau, Hobbes and Mill, described social and political utopias, where the citizen role is defined and prescribed, and presumably fulfilled through some form of appropriate training or education. Other educational philosophers, less well-known, but nonetheless as insightful and profound, such as Gilman, Woolstonecraft, Beecher, and Martin, speak to the lack of female voice, involvement, and impact in developing Utopia. They expose the male-dominated viewpoint which has been followed through the ages. They hold a different belief on how societies should work. Similar concerns about African-American voice have been raised by Derrick Bell, Cornel West, and others.

Everything that addresses the life and times of people, their society, their social mores and structure, has its roots in educative processes. Therefore, we are talking about far more than merely books and pencils and paper. We are talking about learning how to learn.

The basic principles behind complementarianism are:

    • Supply academic and social skills to perpetuate society, at a minimum, and improve it, as a hope
    • Acquire knowledge to maintain and enhance the above skills
    • Instill love of learning and commitment to life-long learning
    • Ensure that administrators, teachers and students complement each other; but teachers are the "first among equals."
These goals will infuse an attitude that is critical to societal success and survival. Simply stated, attention is given in the curriculum to academics (reading, writing, 'rithmetic, reflection) and to social development (decency, civility, respect, responsibility). The latter validates current "Character Education" efforts.

For the Complementarian Concept of Schooling to make a difference, its methods must fully engage ALL students, empower them in their education, and tantalize them with the joys and benefits of learning for themselves, their families, and society.

How can we make students, teachers, parents, and the community feel that they are in control of their education? There are several ways.

    • Use facilitation as the preferred method of basic instruction. No matter how young or old, students have more to offer classmates than has been yet appreciated.
    • Eliminate tracking. Assign students indiscriminately to all classes. Children who are troublemakers, hyperactive, or suffer from attention deficit disorder need a lot of discourse. A facilitative, open, and empowering environment can provide the needed ethos for these children, who comprise 20-30% of all students. My oldest son fell into the latter category. His school experience would have been better had a facilitative, collaborative approach been taken.
    • Expand class periods. Creatively design class times. Some could run for the traditional 45 - 55 minutes, while others could be twice that long or take an entire morning or afternoon. Others could be structured like a seminar, lasting a day or more.
    • Use evaluations and surveys to measure success. Not only would teachers be responsible for assessing students but students (and even parents) could rate professors, themselves, and maybe even each other. This provides the fullest range of meaningful assessment to assist students academically and socially. Surveys would be completed periodically to identify improvement opportunities. Again, the message is that everyone is responsible for a meaningful, fulfilling education.
    • Encourage teachers to network among themselves. This includes within your own school, in another school inside or outside your district, or even at a different "level," i.e., between elementary and secondary.
    • Expect students to set their own standards. This can cover the entire gambit from what constitutes success, how it is measured, to what grade will ultimately be assigned. This buy-in produces invaluable dividends. Students would have to take the business of education seriously and recognize its relevance in the productive, caring society in which they will be well-prepared to function and serve.
Will this concept work when "the rubber hits the road?" No philosophical construct is meaningful unless its functionality is not only plausible but also practical. The strength of Complementarian education is that it represents a way of teaching and delivering education that requires no new resources. Funding, so often cited either as an obstacle or solution, depending upon one's viewpoint, is totally immaterial.

Complementarianism represents a particular attitude. It embodies a philosophy of respect, love, and caring. Peoples' worth and value are a given. Their input and interaction in the educational process is not only desired but required. No one is left out. Its message of inclusion is powerful. Imagine the potential impact on the dropout rate. Students are truly connected to their educative enterprise. They are no longer passive vessels awaiting fill-up like cars at gasoline pumps.

All parties identify, embrace and shape the substance and nature of educational delivery simply because it is their education. They own it. Its goals and operations have been molded by and for them. It's educational midwifery at its best.

Nel Noddings, a noted African-American philosopher and educator, tells us to ask of any education model: "What would happen if it succeeds?" For Complementarian education, if it succeeds, members of society would possess well-rounded social and academic skills, exhibit civility, care for each other, and model behavior which values their fellow citizens' worth.

That wouldn't be bad, would it?

++++
Fred W. Apelquist, III, M.Ed.
Approximately 1,030 words
(C) 2001

Go to YETMO Home Page