Authenticity
Recall your school experience. Did you feel at times that you were in a restaurant being fed the menu rather than what’s on the menu? The settings, people, places, and contexts of school are at best fake-real, scripted like reality television. In school, most experiences are indirect, and students have no firsthand experience with real-world mysteries and problems. The curriculum’s scope and sequence don’t reflect the way knowledge and skills are used in the real world. We all remember the endless word problems and grammar exercises that seemed so unlike what real professionals do. These features of schooling contribute to its being seen as a form of disengagement from the real world.
Is the learning and work I do regarded as significant outside school by my communities of practice and by experts, family members, and employers?
Does the community recognize the value of my work?
Is the learning and work you require regarded as significant outside school by their communities of practice and by experts, family members, and employers?
Does the community recognize the value of my child’s work?
Is the learning and work my students do regarded as significant outside school by their communities of practice and by experts, family members, and employers?
Does the community recognize the value of my students’ work?
