EDUC 6809 Dr. Yong Zhao - ISTE Conference Video

Dr. Yong Zhao presented “Defining High-Quality Education at the recent ISTE conference.  His argument is for an “Entrepreneurship  - Oriented Education”.  A few key points of interest were - what matters, test scores or confidence?, Do you allow exceptional talents to exist in your educational system, and do you take advantage of the resources you have, or impoverish them because of test scores?  The foundation of his argument is very thought provoking and he was able to put his argument into words that many of us wish to say, with extreme clarity and confidence.  What an interesting way to break down the discourse about China exceeding the US in education.  I have never thought of the Chinese education system being so rigorous and not instilling a sense of confidence.  How interesting that China did not celebrate the pisa scores, due to wanting more, the need for talent. His view of China having the best and worst education system is not something you normally hear in the news reports.  The US on the other hand, is always near the bottom, and always looking for a way to reach the top.  His statement: “Race to the top of what” is a great example of how we have lost our sense of the purpose of education.  The US is always trying to get to the top, but not really knowing what is ahead, and plans are made based on the past.  Personally, his comments about George Bush were right on!  I agree that literacy shouldn’t be the top focus of a nation, it should be the foundation.  So, if confidence underpins creativity and innovation, and US students are viewed as confident, is it true what he suggests? America is still going and prospering because of confidence.  Dr. Zhao's comparison between Lady Gaga’s exceptional talents and putting her in his village to work was a perfect example of how we design a “common” curriculum and expect all of our students to succeed.  (All national and state department education personnel should watch this video).   He made a valid point about tolerance, talents, and technology.  These three things will get us a diversity of talents, creativity, and entrepreneurship.  I’ve never really thought about using technology as a tool to subject or enslave teachers and students to doing better on standardized tests.  But, this does happen, and we have lost opportunities to explore with technology. I agree with his ideas and facts, and only hope that the paradigm shift in education begins soon!  Extremely poignant to me, was the following: “We have to believe every talent is useful, and do not judge it.  Education has to change and the curriculum should follow the child, personalized and strength based to enhance their strengths.  Schooling has to become product oriented and make real products”.  This poignant statement relates to the final conclusion chapter of our course text.  Ito (2010), “ The challenge is to build roles for productive adult participation that respect youth expertise, autonomy, and initiative.”  To me, this quote is able to mesh with Zhao’s ideas of the purpose of education lies with every one of our children.  So, we have to find a way in which the adults can fit in, and truly understand today’s students and what they need to be successful.  In terms of entrepreneurship, if we take Ito’s and Zhao’s ideas, we can foster the concept of thinking of everyone as an entrepreneur and develop a process of guiding kids’ participation in public life that includes, social, recreational, and civic engagement through a participatory culture. 

I actually had tears in my eyes when Zhao made this statement:  “The purpose lies in every one of our children.  Test scores, no matter what, should not apply to everybody, test scores do not reflect your teaching ability  nor your school’s quality. A good education helps every single child maximize their potential.”