Overschooled but Undereducated: How the crisis in education is jeopardizing our adolescents

337 Pages·2010·1.13 MB·English

by  John Abbott

PraiseforOverschooledbutUndereducated
‘AbbottandMacTaggartusetheirfindingstoshowhowsociety’sincreasing
concern about the well-being of adolescence is not to be rectified simply
by more schools, ever more prescription about subject content, or more
quantificationdependentonlyonmoreexaminations.Yetprogressisonly
possible if, once or twice in a generation, someone confronts us with an
imageinthemirrorthatmakesusfeelthatwehavegrownoldandstale
prematurely. We have to transform ourselves quickly, or surely we will
perish.’
DrPaulCappon
PresidentandCEOoftheCanadianCouncilonLearning
‘Yourmessageiscriticallyimportant...we’regrowingagenerationmany
ofwhomleaveeducationknowingnotmuchaboutratherlittle,andwho
are,forthemostpart,quiteunfittedforthekindofcompetitiveworldin
whichtheywillfindthemselves...asyourightlystate,theverycontinu-
ationofoursocietyisatstake.’
ProfessorCharlesHandy
FormerlyoftheLondonBusinessSchool,andauthorofmanybooksinclud-
ingTheHungrySpirit,TheEmptyRaincoatandTheElephantandtheFlea
‘Thispenetratingexplorationburrowsthroughtotheheartofthemalaise
whichhasstifledsomucheducationintothetwenty-firstcentury...thisis
not only a brilliant, lucid and erudite exposé but also a provocative and
bold manifesto for change. Everyone involved in education should be
familiarwithitsmessage–frompoliticians,policy-makersandadminis-
tratorstoparents,teachersandstudents.’
DrJonathanLong
Principal,UnitedWorldCollegeofIndia
‘Thisremarkablework,soindividualisticandpepperedwithfascinating
reminiscencesandasides,deservesthewidestpossiblereadership.Itisatthe
sametimeprofoundlyscholarlyandeminentlyaccessible.Itisnothingless
thanatourdeforce,anditisaprivilegetorecommenditunreservedly.’
ProfessorSirGustavNossal
FellowoftheRoyalSocietyandFormerPresidentoftheWorldImmunology
Association,andoftheAustralianAcademyofScience
‘Theprincipleof“goingwiththegrainofthebrain”issofundamentally
right, it’s breathtaking in its simplicity and deserves the status of a daily
mantra.’
MartinPritchard
EducationalConsultant,formersecondaryschoolassistantheadteacher
‘I’m not exaggerating at all when I say that Overschooled but Under-
educated simply encapsulates and summarizes (in a way that I couldn’t
hopetodo)alltheissues,contradictions,frustrationsandworriesthatI’ve
facedoverthelast30years.It’shardtoimaginehowanyonewithacom-
mitmenttoeducation,acarefortheyoung,oraconcernaboutthedismal
state of our education system could fail to be convinced and inspired or
couldavoidwantingtosignupasa“ResponsibleSubversive”.’
DrBernardTrafford
ChairmanoftheHeadmasters’Conference
‘I read John Abbott and Heather MacTaggart’s book with great interest
andalmostentireagreement!’
SirEricAnderson
ProvostofEtonCollege
‘Theproblemliesinatriadofundereducatedpublic,reactionarymedia
and cowardly politics. This pushes us, as the book says, towards either
radical change or the status quo. Politicians, looking for short-term
solutions, inevitably favour the status quo, which is the cause of all our
problems.’
KeirBloomer
FormerChiefExecutiveofClackmannanshire,Scotland
‘Thisbrilliantlyrich,historicalandphilosophicalbackgroundmakesthis
a landmark work. It is absolutely marvellous that this book is question-
rich,becauseneverbeforehavetherightquestionsbeenmoreimportant.’
DrHelenDrennen
Principal,WesleyCollege,Melbourne
‘Iseethisbookasbecomingthestandardtextforteachers-to-be,andneces-
saryreadingforanyonetakingMasters’programmesineducation.’
JeffHopkins
Superintendent,GulfIslands,Vancouver
‘OverschooledbutUndereducatedarguesthatbothcommonsenseand
science – specifically, new insights into how the brain develops – should
force us to overhaul our attitude to those scary teenage aliens slamming
doorsandgrunting.’
PrueLeith
FromtheSpectator,September2008
‘I have known for decades that political leadership in education is short-
termistandthat,metaphorically,wearerequiredtoplanthangingbaskets
whenwearecalledtowardsforestry.ThisisjustwhatIbelieveweneedright
now,notonlyasaprofession,butasanation,perhapsevenasaspecies.We
can’tgoonaswehavebeen:sowhat?ThatisthequestionJohnandHeather
soeruditelystalkandlaybeforeourmoralandprofessionalconscience.’
PeteMountstephen
PrimarySchoolheadteacher
‘This may well be the most important and significant book that young
peopleandthoseinvolvedineducationwillread.Itcouldbe,quiteliter-
ally,life-changingandindeedlife-saving!Thereisadeceptivesimplicityin
the telling of this narrative: a complex and urgent message is told in
elegant,lucidandengagingprose.Itshouldberequiredreadinginschools,
attheveryleasttostimulatedebateamongyoungpeoplesothattheycan
becomeResponsibleSubversivesbeforeitistoolate.’
MaureenNitek
TeacherfortheGiftedandTalented,TheClarendonCollege
‘Abbott and MacTaggart need to be congratulated on pointing out the
errorsinthepresentsystem,explainingwhytheyareerrors,andsuggesting
how they have evolved. An important and interesting book. It is engag-
ingly written and stimulating in its perceptions and points. It deserves
to enjoy a very wide circulation, from which this country would be the
beneficiary.’
LordNeuberger
LawLord
‘OverschooledbutUndereducatedisunashamedlyasynthesis,adeliber-
ateattempttodestroythenarrowinterpretationsplaceduponeducationby
governmentsofallpoliticalpersuasion.Thisisnotmerelyagoodread,or
evenacautionarytale,itisacalltoarms.’
NeilRichards
PrincipalofAtlanticCollege
‘Thisisanimportantbook;atitsheartliesachallengetogovernmentto
build its policies on evidence and scientific advances, particularly about
thedevelopmentofthebrain,anditsimplicationsforadolescence.’
DrKeithRobinson
ChiefExecutive,WiltshireCountyCounciland
ChairmanoftheAssociationofCountyChiefExecutives
‘Abbott and MacTaggart have provided an accessible, and challenging
book,thatprovidesvaluableinsightsintoadolescenceandtheneedforan
appropriateapproachtotheirpreparationforadultlifeandresponsibility.’
TheRtReverendPeterPrice
BishopofBathandWells
OverschooledbutUndereducated
AlsoavailablefromNetworkContinuum
TheUnfinishedRevolution:Learning,HumanBehaviour,
CommunityandPoliticalParadox–JohnAbbottand
TerryRyan
AlsoavailablefromContinuum
TheGreatCityAcademyFraud–FrancisBeckett
AlsobyJohnAbbott
TheChildisFatheroftheMan:HowHumansLearnandWhy
LearningMakesSense:RecreatingEducationfora
ChangingWorld
Bothareavailablefromthe21stCenturyLearningInitiative
Overschooled but
Undereducated
How the crisis in education
is jeopardizing our adolescents
∂
JOHN ABBOTT
with
HEATHER MacTAGGART
ContinuumInternationalPublishingGroup
TheTowerBuilding,11YorkRoad,LondonSE17NX
80MaidenLane,Suite704,NewYorkNY10038
www.continuumbooks.com
©The21stCenturyLearningInitiative2010
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced
ortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronicor
mechanical,includingphotocopying,recording,oranyinformationstorage
orretrievalsystem,withoutpriorpermissioninwritingfromthepublishers.
The21stCenturyLearningInitiativehaveassertedtheirrightundertheCopy-
right,DesignsandPatentsAct,1988,tobeidentifiedastheAuthorofthiswork.
Firstpublished2010
BritishLibraryCataloguing-in-PublicationData
AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary.
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Abbott,John.
Overschooledbutundereducated:isthecrisisineducationjeopardizingour
adolescents?/JohnAbbottwithHeatherMcTaggart.
p.cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferences.
ISBN978-1-85539-623-4(hardcover)
1. Education--Socialaspects--1.2. Education--Aimsandobjectives--Great
Britain.3. Education--GreatBritain--History.4.Teenagers--GreatBritain--Social
conditions. I.McTaggart,Heather.II.
Title.
LC191.8.G7A342010
370.941--dc22
2009006370
ISBN:1–8553–9623–8(hardback)
TypesetbyKennethBurnley,Wirral,Cheshire
PrintedandboundinGreatBritainby...
Contents
ForewordbyPrueLeith xi
Acknowledgements xv
Introduction xvii
1 A Fable: The Whole Story in Fewer Than 2,500 Words 1
2 The Wonder of Learning 9
3 Human Nature: A Brain for All Times 29
4 Nurture and Culture 59
5 Hands-on Apprentices to Hands-off Pupils 97
6 Lest We Fail to Learn from Our Mistakes 123
7 Adolescents Left Out 149
8 What Kind of Education for What Kind of World? 185
9 Knowing What We Know . . . What’s to be Done? 215
Appendix A: The 21st Century Learning Initiative 259
Appendix B: Synthesis 267
Appendix C: Prophets of a Future Not Our Own 269
Notes 271
Index 301