I’ve called this the “Common Core of Ignorance” elsewhere on my blog. Diversity and variation are essential to the welfare of any system — ecological, social, and, yes, educational. Without variation systems crumble. We’re narrowing down and solidifying a set of knowledge that is flawed in both content and view. In fact, one of the hallmarks of human knowing is that all knowledge is tentative. Knowledge changes. Without emphasizing the diversity of knowledge, of teachers, of children, of learning, of teaching, and so forth, we’re creating a system that is destined to fail. And, this failure could be our whole society.
We’re strangling teachers and children. It’s time to wake up and appreciate the inherent intelligence of our children.