Future Driven: Will Your Students Thrive In An Unpredictable World? by David Geurin

Too many students find school boring. The goal, therefore, is to make school irresistible. In this chapter, David shares what he does to achieve this outcome along with the ideas of others. Some of the keys to making learning irresistible are giving students some choice, using student conversations, allowing for creativity, allowing for some play, building in discovery, and making student work available to a real audience. You have to help students find their passions and let them explore the passions they find.

Students tend to start school curious, but traditional schooling takes it out of them. Expecting everyone to learn the same thing at the same time doesn’t help. If you believe that curiosity leads to deeper learning you need to look for ways to foster it. David suggests that you learn student interests, create mystery, allow students to explore and tinker, integrate art in all subjects, and allow for student projects.
He sees creativity as an expression of curiosity. Collaboration can also help. Keep in mind that teamwork requires practice and that teams need a lot of feedback. Problems teams face need to be somewhat complex. Teachers should model risk-taking and push students to take risks. Look to the curriculum designed for gifted programs as it usually allows for the type of learning you want for all students.

Ownership and collective commitment are often seen in successful sports teams, fine art productions, and debate clubs. A goal is to bring this feeling into the classroom. David’s school gives laptops to every student and teachers allow students to use them to make more decisions about the direction of their learning. Otherwise, the laptops will not transform teaching and learning. You simply have to give up some control. Give students input into what they learn, how they learn and let them create and pursue their own goals.
If students engage in more authentic work, you should try to give them a larger audience. Avoid the kind of work that ends up in the trash after the teacher grades it. This is what real professionals do all the time. Elementary schools usually display student work, but secondary schools seldom do. Students need to see excellence as their best ideas leading to their best work rather than simply doing what they are told.

Technical skills might open doors for students, but it’s the people skills that will determine just how far they go. These so-called soft skills are success skills and essential skills. These non-cognitive skills are never measured on a standardized test. Employers will tell you that they can train the technical skills so they want to hire people who are dependable, self-motivated, team-oriented, flexible, organized, and who are determined to use feedback to improve.
Since emotional intelligence is more important than cognitive factors, it is important that educators are intentional about teaching it. Don’t hesitate to tell your own stories and share stories of famous people. Your example is likely to be your greatest influence. Students need to see that you are willing to improve your personal skills as well. We also must stress the importance of reflecting on one’s experiences. As for curriculum, we must ask is it relevant today and looking to tomorrow? If students can do well on your tests by simply having access to Google, your tests need to change. Since the ability to adapt is important, it is important to try new things. Also, be sure not to put limits on your students or yourself.